AllMovie

This mystery comedy was based on the novel, House of a Thousand Candles by Meredith Nicholsorf (the book was also made into a film several times under its own name). H.B. Warner stars as John Glenarm, heir to his uncle's estate. The only catch is that he must live in the Indiana mansion for a year, otherwise the fortune will go to Marian Deveraux, a young schoolteacher and friend of the uncle (Marguerite Livingston). Living in the mansion is harder that it seemed at first. The butler, Bates (Charles Hill Mailes), makes life as difficult as possible for Glenarm. Meanwhile, the old man's lawyer, Arthur Pickering (Edward Piel), wants the estate -- and Marian -- for himself, so he does his best to chase Glenarm out of the house. To complicate matters even further, Marian -- under an assumed identity -- meets Glenarm and assures him that Marian is an old maid. In the end, when the potential heir is being attacked by Pickering's associates, the uncle, who is not dead at all, appears from behind a secret panel. Glenarm has passed all the tests that had been set for him and he wins the estate. Pickering is packed off to jail, and Marian reveals that she's anything but a prudish spinster.