the old dark house sub genre that dominated the early talkies rarely fails to disappoint when we re view the oldies to day. here is one that provides so very many suspicious characters you have to wonder how they will be able to tie up all the loose ends in the 6 reel running time. the crooked circle is a gang of counterfeiters and thieves who have decided to take revenge on col. walters (berton churchill) who has sent one of their ranks to prison. they decide he must die that very night. meanwhile the colonel own group and the sphinx club and is determined to protect him at all costs. this does not sit well with thelma (irene purcell) fiancée of club member brand osborne (ben lyon and late of the mega budgeted hells angels (1930)) who wants him to quit the club and stop endangering his own life. brand promises to resign after saving the colonel life. everyone heads off to walters newly purchased mansion on long island to await the assassin. the colonel might be the new owner of melody manor but it an old dark house complete with eccentric neighbours (like raymond hatton as a local hermit) and maybe even a ghost. top billed zasu pitts is nora and the housekeeper who expects to see a spirit around every corner. throw in a cop (james gleason) who is certain brand is a criminal and we have a picture which is packed with action and surprises. you will notice right away that the script writer was at a loss to come up with too much dialog because a lot of characters repeat the same lines over and over. yoganda (c. henry gordon) a hindu mystic (which movies of that time were loaded with) says evil is on the way. many times and i lost count of how often ms. pitts says something always happens to somebody. there are many suspects and two characters (mr. gleason as the stereotype dumb cop and roscoe karns as mr. lyon pal) who serve as comedy relief. the house itself is appropriately spooky looking (in fact i think the same set was used in the phantom (1931)) with lots of secret passages and violin music coming out of empty rooms but somehow you never really get a feeling of danger. maybe it because no one in the movie and and i do mean no one. and is entirely what they seem to be. it all comes out right in the end though while but to go into any more detail would spoil it for you. watch carefully for robert frazer (from white zombie) and frank reicher (best remembered as capt. engelhorn from king kong) to pop up among the suspects. the crooked circle is a fun film. some aspects of the plot are predictable and then again several others are not. i suspect you will enjoy it. 
the old dark house sub genre that dominated the early talkies rarely fails to disappoint when we re view the oldies to day. here is one that provides so very many suspicious characters you have to wonder how they will be able to tie up all the loose ends in the 6 reel running time. the crooked circle is a gang of counterfeiters and thieves who have decided to take revenge on col. walters (berton churchill) who has sent one of their ranks to prison. they decide he must die that very night. meanwhile the colonel own group and the sphinx club and is determined to protect him at all costs. this does not sit well with thelma (irene purcell) fiancée of club member brand osborne (ben lyon and late of the mega budgeted hells angels (1930)) who wants him to quit the club and stop endangering his own life. brand promises to resign after saving the colonel life. everyone heads off to walters newly purchased mansion on long island to await the assassin. the colonel might be the new owner of melody manor but it an old dark house complete with eccentric neighbours (like raymond hatton as a local hermit) and maybe even a ghost. top billed zasu pitts is nora and the housekeeper who expects to see a spirit around every corner. throw in a cop (james gleason) who is certain brand is a criminal and we have a picture which is packed with action and surprises. you will notice right away that the script writer was at a loss to come up with too much dialog because a lot of characters repeat the same lines over and over. yoganda (c. henry gordon) a hindu mystic (which movies of that time were loaded with) says evil is on the way. many times and i lost count of how often ms. pitts says something always happens to somebody. there are many suspects and two characters (mr. gleason as the stereotype dumb cop and roscoe karns as mr. lyon pal) who serve as comedy relief. the house itself is appropriately spooky looking (in fact i think the same set was used in the phantom (1931)) with lots of secret passages and violin music coming out of empty rooms but somehow you never really get a feeling of danger. maybe it because no one in the movie and and i do mean no one. and is entirely what they seem to be. it all comes out right in the end though while but to go into any more detail would spoil it for you. watch carefully for robert frazer (from white zombie) and frank reicher (best remembered as capt. engelhorn from king kong) to pop up among the suspects. the crooked circle is a fun film. some aspects of the plot are predictable and then again several others are not. i suspect you will enjoy it. ---------------------------------Answer Question Below----------------------------------

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