The setting of this B mystery is Eminent Studios, and we jump right into the action as spoiled star Irma (Natalie Moorhead) is finishing her latest movie. She is what everyone probably thought all Hollywood actresses were then..vain, haughty, and quite promiscuous. Her husband, Roy D'Arcy, has turned to drink over her escapades, her director/ex-lover's wife (Sharon Lyn) is mad enough to kill her, another lover (Jason Robards Sr.) wants everything kept hush hush, her first seemingly destroyed husband keeps lurking about, and her chauffeur is stealing from her. What a mess...When she's found dead, the only one who acts genuinely upset/shocked is her faithful (or is she?) secretary (Barbara Weeks). It takes a NY reporter (Russell Hopton) to steer the cops in the right direction. Yes, the print isn't so hot (even the titles are missing), but this was entertaining: the look of the early film sets, some pretty corny dialogue ("Some women are too fascinating for their own good") and a rapid pace. Nobody's really awful, as in some early talkies, and Fred Kelsey, an actor who always seems to be the 'dumb cop' in B flicks fills that slot again. If you can take one more 'gather all the suspects' scenario and a Perry Mason moment, it's worth the hour it takes to watch. Being in the public domain, it is ubiquitous on youtube.
10 Reviews
A good, light whodunit
bill-barstad3 June 2011
Fickle screen star Irma Gladden has a former husband, an estranged husband, both still in love with her, and two lovers, one current. All but the former husband are involved in making her latest movie. She just canned her chauffeur for cause, and the losing lover's wife has confronted her. You know what's coming. A reporter called in by the police chief to help with the case eventually suggests bringing all of the suspects together for a screening of the movie made thus far, thinking there're clues in it. Enough is revealed by implication to cause the murderer to confess, very dramatically.
The movie is an early talkie with lots of dead air, and no music. It could have been a bore, but the dialog is very good as is the acting of J. Farrell MacDonald as Police Chief Summers, Natalie Moorehead as doomed Irma Gladden, and Barbara Weeks as Gladden's secretary. The comedy relief is provided by a police sergeant. Fred Kelsey is good in the role.
The movie is an early talkie with lots of dead air, and no music. It could have been a bore, but the dialog is very good as is the acting of J. Farrell MacDonald as Police Chief Summers, Natalie Moorehead as doomed Irma Gladden, and Barbara Weeks as Gladden's secretary. The comedy relief is provided by a police sergeant. Fred Kelsey is good in the role.
Good Script, Not So Good Direction
boblipton21 April 2019
It's about twenty-five minutes into this one-hour mystery before Natalie Moorhead is discovered murdered in her car. The earlier scenes are devoted almost exclusively to introducing the audience to the many suspects and making sure we know their motives for wanting her dead. She is a movie star who walked to the top, mostly on the bodies of the men briefly in her life.
Once the murder is discovered, the fun is scheduled to begin. There's Fred Kelsey, playing a flatfoot so dumb that you wonder why he's on the investigation with J. Farrell MacDonald, who is playing his usual smart, energetic man of this period. Overall, there's where you can see the weakness in this Poverty Row B picture: the pacing is off and while performers like MacDonald, Russell Hopton and Barbara Weeks can establish their own rhythms, lesser lights cannot. It's a common failing of the ultra-cheap Bs of this period.
Once the murder is discovered, the fun is scheduled to begin. There's Fred Kelsey, playing a flatfoot so dumb that you wonder why he's on the investigation with J. Farrell MacDonald, who is playing his usual smart, energetic man of this period. Overall, there's where you can see the weakness in this Poverty Row B picture: the pacing is off and while performers like MacDonald, Russell Hopton and Barbara Weeks can establish their own rhythms, lesser lights cannot. It's a common failing of the ultra-cheap Bs of this period.
Flounders
dougdoepke25 January 2021
Plot-- Half-way through a murder occurs and the expected whodunuit finally sets up; then suspects sort of emerge in blurry fashion; leading to an unexpectedly imaginative ending.
The movie's opening remains a grabber, but from there on the narrative's basically downhill until the upside climax. The opening scenes on the set of a movie are interesting and played straight unlike the rest of the run-time. I liked seeing how the actors took direction whether they wanted it or not, and how easily they could slip in and out of character. But from there the storyline soon tumbles into a jumble that fails to set up the murder mystery in effective fashion. There's no atmosphere, nor much intrigue, nor are the suspects drawn up in distinctive fashion. Worse, comical character Delaney takes over as a plain silly detective. No wonder actor Kelsey made a career alongside the Three Stooges. Humorous detectives were, of course, a common feature of mystery shows at the time, but Delaney turns humor into a train-crash of burlesque.
For some of us, an upside are the revealing ladies fashions of this pre-Code period (1931). The gowns are striking along with the 4-wheel tin flivvers I wish we saw more of. Then too, the murder solution is imaginatively done, tying the film-making scenes from the first part into revealing the killer's motivation in the last part. Too bad more of such skill doesn't drive the flick as a whole. Lastly, don't expect much outdoor action; it's a parlor-bound hour, always cheap to produce for low budget indies. Anyway, my advice is to skip this meandering programmer unless the only alternative is a politician's speech.
The movie's opening remains a grabber, but from there on the narrative's basically downhill until the upside climax. The opening scenes on the set of a movie are interesting and played straight unlike the rest of the run-time. I liked seeing how the actors took direction whether they wanted it or not, and how easily they could slip in and out of character. But from there the storyline soon tumbles into a jumble that fails to set up the murder mystery in effective fashion. There's no atmosphere, nor much intrigue, nor are the suspects drawn up in distinctive fashion. Worse, comical character Delaney takes over as a plain silly detective. No wonder actor Kelsey made a career alongside the Three Stooges. Humorous detectives were, of course, a common feature of mystery shows at the time, but Delaney turns humor into a train-crash of burlesque.
For some of us, an upside are the revealing ladies fashions of this pre-Code period (1931). The gowns are striking along with the 4-wheel tin flivvers I wish we saw more of. Then too, the murder solution is imaginatively done, tying the film-making scenes from the first part into revealing the killer's motivation in the last part. Too bad more of such skill doesn't drive the flick as a whole. Lastly, don't expect much outdoor action; it's a parlor-bound hour, always cheap to produce for low budget indies. Anyway, my advice is to skip this meandering programmer unless the only alternative is a politician's speech.
Filled with almost every cliché in the book!
planktonrules19 November 2015
While the title may think you are going to see a love story, it's actually yet another B-murder mystery--and the various 'Poverty Row' (i.e., extremely CHEAP) studios made a ton of them. Unfortunately, this is no better than most and abounds with tons of clichés--so much that I can only assume the writer was a 6 year-old!
When the film begins, you see some actors performing a scene before the camera. Surprisingly, this opening shot is exceptional-- especially for 1932, as a roving camera used like this was surprisingly inventive. So, at least the cinematographer wasn't an idiot. What follows is typical of almost all the murder films--you see an ill-behaved person and an angry person. Soon a murder occurs and the cops arrive. And, guess what...one of the cops is a complete moron! Soon bodies start piling up and I KNEW there'd be another when one of the characters phones the police to say he KNOWS who the murderer is--a sure sign that he's about to assume room temperature!!! If these don't sound like enough bad clichés, the film ends with the worst--the killer jumping out and announcing he killed the people!!!
The bottom line is that you can surely do better with most every B- murder film! Try a Charlie Chan or Boston Blackie film--at least they are murder mysteries with interesting characters and a few less clichés!
When the film begins, you see some actors performing a scene before the camera. Surprisingly, this opening shot is exceptional-- especially for 1932, as a roving camera used like this was surprisingly inventive. So, at least the cinematographer wasn't an idiot. What follows is typical of almost all the murder films--you see an ill-behaved person and an angry person. Soon a murder occurs and the cops arrive. And, guess what...one of the cops is a complete moron! Soon bodies start piling up and I KNEW there'd be another when one of the characters phones the police to say he KNOWS who the murderer is--a sure sign that he's about to assume room temperature!!! If these don't sound like enough bad clichés, the film ends with the worst--the killer jumping out and announcing he killed the people!!!
The bottom line is that you can surely do better with most every B- murder film! Try a Charlie Chan or Boston Blackie film--at least they are murder mysteries with interesting characters and a few less clichés!
Worst Confession Ever
view_and_review11 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
"Discarded Lovers" is a murder mystery that, unfortunately, I'd seen too many times already from that era. Some similar movies I'd seen were released before this one, such as "The Canary Murder Case," and some after. "Discarded Lovers" was very akin to "The Canary Murder Case" in which a woman with many paramours was killed.
In "Discarded Lovers" Irma Gladden (Natalie Moorhead) was a famous actress who had many men orbiting her. Hollywood loves their beautiful women surrounded by men hopelessly in love (see "She Done Him Wrong," "I'm No Angel," "Strange Interlude," "Secret of the Blue Room," "The Canary Murder Case," and others). Irma used men like napkins hence they became discarded lovers. When she was killed there were a few men to choose from that wanted her dead, including her chauffeur whom she just fired.
"Discarded Lovers" was a cliche of a 1930's murder mystery. There were several things which I'm already tired of seeing.
1.) The inept police detective(s).
There's usually one or more police officers or detectives who are complete jokes (see "A Shriek in the Night," "The Thirteenth Guest," "The Death Kiss," "Tomorrow at Seven," every Philo Vance movie, and so many more). In "Discarded Lovers" it was played by Fred Kelsey. He was a bumbling cop who jumped to the wrong conclusion with every clue ala Eugene Pallette in the Philo Vance movies.
2.) Outsiders investigating.
In too many movies to count the police have solicited or unsolicited people solving the case for them (see every movie I mentioned above). Whether it's a private eye, a crime novelist, reporters, or a concerned friend, it seems the police were always in need of help and the helpers always operated freely as though they were an extension of the police department.
3.) Guilty people confessing or showing their guilt.
It's crazy how many guilty people couldn't hold their water back then. They'd confess under the most unremarkable of situations. If only solving crimes was as easy today!
I think "Discarded Lovers" wins the award for worst situation to make a confession.
The killer was a current lover and screenwriter named Rex Forsythe (Jason Robards Sr.). A reporter named Bob Adair (Russell Hopton) had a good idea that Rex was the killer, but he wanted to set up a situation by which Rex would confess. So what does he do? Bob told the police to hold a private screening of Irma's movie in which there was a fateful scene in which she was killed. Before being killed the killer, played by her husband Andre Leighton (Roy D'Arcy), gave a soliloquy about her treachery and how she just used him. It was basically a speech about Irma herself and not Irma's movie character. As the scene was reaching the climax Rex jumped out of his seat and yelled that he did it.
Why? Who the hell knows. The scene wasn't evidence and it wasn't even an interrogation. He wrote the scene for crying out loud! It's not like someone else wrote it in hopes that he would see it and feel like the scene was about him.
Yeah, it was bad and super cheesy. "Discarded Lovers" should've been a discarded movie.
Free on YouTube.
In "Discarded Lovers" Irma Gladden (Natalie Moorhead) was a famous actress who had many men orbiting her. Hollywood loves their beautiful women surrounded by men hopelessly in love (see "She Done Him Wrong," "I'm No Angel," "Strange Interlude," "Secret of the Blue Room," "The Canary Murder Case," and others). Irma used men like napkins hence they became discarded lovers. When she was killed there were a few men to choose from that wanted her dead, including her chauffeur whom she just fired.
"Discarded Lovers" was a cliche of a 1930's murder mystery. There were several things which I'm already tired of seeing.
1.) The inept police detective(s).
There's usually one or more police officers or detectives who are complete jokes (see "A Shriek in the Night," "The Thirteenth Guest," "The Death Kiss," "Tomorrow at Seven," every Philo Vance movie, and so many more). In "Discarded Lovers" it was played by Fred Kelsey. He was a bumbling cop who jumped to the wrong conclusion with every clue ala Eugene Pallette in the Philo Vance movies.
2.) Outsiders investigating.
In too many movies to count the police have solicited or unsolicited people solving the case for them (see every movie I mentioned above). Whether it's a private eye, a crime novelist, reporters, or a concerned friend, it seems the police were always in need of help and the helpers always operated freely as though they were an extension of the police department.
3.) Guilty people confessing or showing their guilt.
It's crazy how many guilty people couldn't hold their water back then. They'd confess under the most unremarkable of situations. If only solving crimes was as easy today!
I think "Discarded Lovers" wins the award for worst situation to make a confession.
The killer was a current lover and screenwriter named Rex Forsythe (Jason Robards Sr.). A reporter named Bob Adair (Russell Hopton) had a good idea that Rex was the killer, but he wanted to set up a situation by which Rex would confess. So what does he do? Bob told the police to hold a private screening of Irma's movie in which there was a fateful scene in which she was killed. Before being killed the killer, played by her husband Andre Leighton (Roy D'Arcy), gave a soliloquy about her treachery and how she just used him. It was basically a speech about Irma herself and not Irma's movie character. As the scene was reaching the climax Rex jumped out of his seat and yelled that he did it.
Why? Who the hell knows. The scene wasn't evidence and it wasn't even an interrogation. He wrote the scene for crying out loud! It's not like someone else wrote it in hopes that he would see it and feel like the scene was about him.
Yeah, it was bad and super cheesy. "Discarded Lovers" should've been a discarded movie.
Free on YouTube.
Some men simply just can't take rejection.
mark.waltz27 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The saying goes, "Vengeance has no fury like a woman scorned", but for this second string programmer, it is apparent that a man is the one plotting vengeance for being scorned. The vampy Natalie Moorehead is an egotistical film star who has broken one too many men's hearts, whether it be a soon to be ex-husband (and current co-star), an innocent young man whose affections she toyed with, and various other assorted victims of her sexual games. Even her current lover, whom she has promised to marry, might be a suspect. Like the same year's "The Death Kiss", much of this is on a Hollywood sound studio, and like that film, the atmosphere is truly unbelievable. While Moorehead was a great vamp (or second lead, depending on the role), it's very difficult to believe her as a top film star, as her tall stature and attempts to be more beautiful than she really was just never rings true. Her on-screen demeanor screams "bitch", and while she softened up in later films, her early talkies were not capable of showing her in any sort of a vulnerable light. A genuine lack of a believable motive also prevents this from becoming an intriguing mystery. Basically, those rejected by her should have taken it as a blessing. Fred Kelsey stands out among the co-stars, particularly because his detective is so stupid that you have to wonder if he was one of the Keystone Cops.
"Some women are too fascinating for their own good."
classicsoncall26 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is a pretty typical whodunit for the era, complete with multiple suspects, red herrings, and the ubiquitous 'lights out' scene that seems to be a standard for murder mysteries of the Thirties. The victim was actress Irma Gladden (Natalie Moorhead), who had a rather inflated opinion of herself both as an actress and as one of the beautiful people. With a string of jilted lovers left behind, it becomes a guessing game for the viewer to figure out who the killer might have been, even casting some guilt in the direction of Ms. Gladden's chauffeur (Jack Trent). I had to chuckle every time newspaper reporter Bob Adair (Russell Hopton) referred to his buddy and latest Gladden admirer, Rex Forsythe (Jason Robards Sr.), as 'old man'. He did it a handful of times, and Forsythe never called him on it; I mean the actor himself was only forty years old, it's not like he was over the hill. Anyway, you didn't need Charlie Chan or Bulldog Drummond to solve this case, as in a moment of exasperation the killer ceremoniously proclaims his guilt after a screening of Ms. Gladden's recently completed film "Falling Star". I guess the title could have referred to both killer and victim.
"You Know Men Are a Big Part of My Life"!!!
kidboots12 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This is probably the first version of "The Crime of Helen Stanley" (1934) - you know the one about the haughty movie star who is found murdered and the many men in her life - each of whom has a reason to silence her. The 1934 version was reworked as an Inspector Trent mystery starring Ralph Bellamy and giving Gail Patrick one of her early "brittle" roles. This 1932 original has reliable J. Farrell MacDonald as the stumped detective and who better to be playing the proud actress than stunning Natalie Moorehead who was right at home in those slinky "other woman" parts!! This is a nifty little mystery and like "The Death Kiss" a fascinating behind the scenes look at the way studios functioned in those early talkie days.
"There will be a lot of nice men there so you know I won't be lonely" says self obsessed narcissistic actress Irma Gladden (Moorehead) when her current lover Rex Forsythe (Jason Robards) regrets he can't take her to an industry cocktail party. Unfortunately she never arrives at the gathering as she is found murdered in her car.
No. 1 suspect is her leading man Andre (Roy D'Arcy) her soon to be ex-husband and a raving alcoholic who claims her flirtatious ways drove him to drink. Another is Grace Sibley (Sharon Lyn) the wife of Irma's director Warren (Robert Frazer) yet another discarded lover (just love that title) who Irma loves to tantalize and tease Grace about (even displaying his picture prominently when she knows Grace is visiting)!! Rex also comes under scrutiny - even though he is distraught at the thought that Irma's murderer may escape justice, but there is also Norman, her sleazy chauffeur who has just realised she knows about the stolen diamond ring he has pawned, then there is an agitated man who desperately wants to see Irma - but she definitely doesn't want to see him!! He turns out to be Robert Worth, her first husband who she threw over when she became a big star!!
Russell Hopton has the leading role, he plays a writer friend of Rex's, but with the highly dramatic over-acting of all the other actors, his performance seems quite subdued. He doesn't really propel the narrative but is mainly the love interest of Barbara Weeks who as Irma's personal assistant has a few revelations of her own!!
Very Recommended.
"There will be a lot of nice men there so you know I won't be lonely" says self obsessed narcissistic actress Irma Gladden (Moorehead) when her current lover Rex Forsythe (Jason Robards) regrets he can't take her to an industry cocktail party. Unfortunately she never arrives at the gathering as she is found murdered in her car.
No. 1 suspect is her leading man Andre (Roy D'Arcy) her soon to be ex-husband and a raving alcoholic who claims her flirtatious ways drove him to drink. Another is Grace Sibley (Sharon Lyn) the wife of Irma's director Warren (Robert Frazer) yet another discarded lover (just love that title) who Irma loves to tantalize and tease Grace about (even displaying his picture prominently when she knows Grace is visiting)!! Rex also comes under scrutiny - even though he is distraught at the thought that Irma's murderer may escape justice, but there is also Norman, her sleazy chauffeur who has just realised she knows about the stolen diamond ring he has pawned, then there is an agitated man who desperately wants to see Irma - but she definitely doesn't want to see him!! He turns out to be Robert Worth, her first husband who she threw over when she became a big star!!
Russell Hopton has the leading role, he plays a writer friend of Rex's, but with the highly dramatic over-acting of all the other actors, his performance seems quite subdued. He doesn't really propel the narrative but is mainly the love interest of Barbara Weeks who as Irma's personal assistant has a few revelations of her own!!
Very Recommended.
"Say, What're Ya Tryin' To Do, Make A Mug Outta Me?!"...
azathothpwiggins5 August 2021
In DISCARDED LOVERS, movie actress Irma Gladden (Natalie Moorhead) is found murdered, and the list of suspects is long, starting with her jealous husband (Roy D'Arcy). She's been cheating on him at will!
When one of the suspects is also found dead, police are baffled.
Ace reporter Bob Adair (Russell Hopton) is on the story, looking for clues in the movies that Irma worked in.
This is an entertaining "whodunnit" yarn. The obligatory comic relief comes in the form of an imbecilic cop named Delaney (Fred Kelsey), who is your basic boob. While the story is pretty bare bones, at only an hour in length it zips right along...
When one of the suspects is also found dead, police are baffled.
Ace reporter Bob Adair (Russell Hopton) is on the story, looking for clues in the movies that Irma worked in.
This is an entertaining "whodunnit" yarn. The obligatory comic relief comes in the form of an imbecilic cop named Delaney (Fred Kelsey), who is your basic boob. While the story is pretty bare bones, at only an hour in length it zips right along...
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