Death at Broadcasting House (1935)
Directed by Reginald Denham
Genres - Mystery |
Sub-Genres - Crime Thriller, Detective Film |
Run Time - 75 min. |
Countries - United Kingdom |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Originally released in 1934 as Death at Broadcasting House, this musty British whodunit was distributed in the US in 1941 to cash in on the Hollywood-engendered popularity of its star, Ian Hunter. Set in a BBC radio studio, the story gets under way when a much-despised airwaves personality is murdered in the middle of a live broadcast. Scotland Yard inspector Gregory (Ian Hunter) shows up to piece together the clues and sift through the suspects. The solution of the mystery hinges on the fact that the victim insisted upon broadcasting in a private room, far removed from his fellow actors. Inspector Gregory provides this solution by coming up with a transcription of the fatal broadcast (this at a time when few radio programs were recorded for posterity). Elements of Death at a Broadcast resurfaced in the 1942 Abbott & Costello comedy Who Done It?
Characteristics
Keywords
actor, broadcasting, death, inspection, investigation, investigator, killing, murder, radio, Scotland-Yard, show, suspicion