Night of the Party, The (1934)

Based upon the play Murder Party by Roland Pertwee and John Hastings Turner, Night of the Party uses one of the murder mystery genre’s favorite conventions, that of a parlor game gone wrong. In this instance, the game is being held after a dinner party thrown by the ruthless publishing tycoon, Lord Studholme, in honor of the visiting Princess Amelia of Corsova. The guests at the dinner party are a wide range of business and personal associates, each of whom has a strong grudge against the host. When the lights are turned out for a game of Murder in the Dark, Lord Studholme is discovered dead. Arriving shortly thereafter, Scotland Yard’s Sir John Holland begins an investigation, and Studholme’s secretary, Guy Kennington, is arrested under suspicion of murder. Studholme, however, is not convinced of Kennington’s guilt, believing that any of the guests — including his own daughter, who was present at the party — could have slain the host.

Jane Baxter, Viola Keats, Ian Hunter, Leslie Banks, Ernst Thesiger

1936, B&W, 60 minutes