Among the many 'little' B mysteries from the 30s with the hugely popular pattern 'reporter plays detective', "Murder in the Museum" stands out in several ways. First, it stars the famous and distinguished silent actor Henry B. Walthall as a former professor of philosophy - and now turned a magician in a rather shady carnival show. Then, there are quite a lot of various people and ongoings involved in the plot that revolves around this infamous show: the same day that the show's 'manager' receives a drug delivery from his gangster friends, the two candidates running for mayor visit the show in order to check out if there's a reason to close it down, because they both try to show to their voters that they want to 'clear up' the town. And in the middle of the show, one of the two is shot - and a young reporter is, of course, also on the spot, ready, willing and able (much more than the police) to solve the crime...
There would be a LOT to write about this pretty convulsed plot; but I don't want to spoil it for the friends who haven't watched this movie yet - because they absolutely should do so. There's definitely something more to it than to an average B crime movie: the direction is imaginative and well timed, the plot is REALLY unusual, the actors are doing a fine job (not only Walthall, but also John Harron as the clever young news hound and Phyllis Barrington as the fearless girl who assists him despite his warnings); I highly recommend it!
There would be a LOT to write about this pretty convulsed plot; but I don't want to spoil it for the friends who haven't watched this movie yet - because they absolutely should do so. There's definitely something more to it than to an average B crime movie: the direction is imaginative and well timed, the plot is REALLY unusual, the actors are doing a fine job (not only Walthall, but also John Harron as the clever young news hound and Phyllis Barrington as the fearless girl who assists him despite his warnings); I highly recommend it!