davidcarniglia Entertaining old dark house murder mystery. The premise is unique, and the plot unfolds nicely. The house, Helldorf castle, is really the star, with its forbidden room, secret passageways, suits of armor, a gargoyle here and there, and a pond below the infamous blue room.Lionel Atwill doesn't have much to do here; the three suitors for Gloria Stuart's affections aren't much as characters, with the exception of Walter, who's really too old for her anyway. To slightly rake over the coals brought to light by other reviewers, there's not really any memorable performances, the plot hints at events that aren't resolved, and the setting itself is ambiguous.There's only one murder that's accounted for, the one Thomas confesses to. The Commissioner could at least ask Thomas about the earlier victims, or Atwill's Van Helldorf could mention that the Commissioner might reopen those unresolved cases. That Thomas would kill to get Irene is plausible; but there was something strange about how the secret passageway denouement was set up. We see Walter shoot his dummy, apparently in an attempt to flush out the real killer. But when he enters the blue room, he immediately finds the entrance to the secret passageway, and descends the gothic innards of the castle. Apparently, Walter has deduced that the killer hangs out down there. But if he knew that much, why wait to confront the killer? Why not get some of the policeman to help? He almost gets himself killed; his shot only serves to warn Thomas. Maybe the police put the dummy there without telling Walter, so at first he was fooled and thought it was the killer. Even though I watched that scene twice, I'm sure I still missed something.When Irene's real father shows, a lot of possibilities open up: for a bit I thought she might be the killer. Nothing wrong with a dead-end spur of the plot. But, even if the mysterious father doesn't figure in the plot resolution, the revelation of his identity was an interesting device that deserved more exploration.As cool as the castle looks, both inside and out, just where is it? Looks too old to be in the U.S. The castle's and family's name suggest Germany, or, we could just compromise and say England. That in itself isn't such a big deal, but when some characters have American accents, others have English accents, and there's other accents as well, it becomes a distraction.There were other distractions that worked. The hyper maid stirred things up nicely. The cat poking around in the blue room, as well as the butler's sudden entrance in the dining room were well-timed bits that kept everyone on edge. Secret of the Blue Room entertains, but to be more enjoyable it needs a few more rooms.

utgard14 Not bad little Old Dark House quickie from Universal with a great cast and a "guess you had to be there" plot. A trio of horndogs (Paul Lukas, Onslow Stevens, William Janney) want to marry pretty Gloria Stuart, despite her warbly singing voice. So they decide to have a contest to see who gets her hand. All three men will spend one night in the "blue room," a supposedly haunted room of a spooky old mansion where three murders were committed twenty years earlier. Then the fun starts. In addition to the top talent already mentioned, this one also features Paul Barrat, Lionel Atwill, and Edward Arnold. Pretty good lineup. It's definitely worth a look for classic film fans. Probably won't blow you away or anything but I doubt you'll feel your hour and change was wasted.

calvinnme ... and have a higher rating! It certainly holds up on repeat viewings. In spite of the artwork and tag lines, it is not a horror film, but instead belongs in the mystery genre. Robert Von Heldorf (Lionel Atwill), father of Irene Heldorf (Gloria Stuart) is hosting a 21st birthday party for his daughter. At the party are the three men who hope to marry her. One seems too young - William Janney as the rather impulsive and hard sell Thomas. Another seems not that competitive - a newspaper reporter, as Frank. Finally there is Paul Lukas as the confident but caring Captain Walter Brink. They all want Irene to decide now - like tonight! -which one she is to marry. You get the feeling that Irene has not put much thought into this.Thomas brings up the subject of the legend of the blue room in the Von Heldorf castle. Three people in succession who have spent the night in it have died under mysterious circumstances, and it has been shut up ever since. Thomas proposes that each of the three suitors spend a night in the blue room, and since it was his idea, he will be the first. He further stipulates that if anything happens to any of them, that the others go ahead with their plans to sleep in the blue room.So Thomas sleeps in the blue room, and the next day is missing! He's not in the moat - he's nowhere to be found. The next night the reporter spends the night in the blue room, and is shot dead. Will Captain Brandt, who has been taking this opportunity, freely given by Irene, to get closer to her and comfort her, keep the bargain and spend the third night? If so what happens? Watch and find out.In the middle of all of this mystery, the maid is holding something over the chauffeur's head and threatening to tell, the loyal head servant Paul (Robert Barrat) is signaling someone in the distance from the castle, and Robert Von Heldorf is making trips out into the night in his automobile. Police Commissioner Forster has much on his hands trying to figure this one out.Let me say just one thing - if you listen carefully at the beginning of the film you probably can figure at least part of this out. Let me also tell you that the three first deaths that started the legend of the blue room are not solved by this film. Also, the exact location of the film is never actually revealed. Since this was based on a German play, I assume Germany. If that is the case, Paul Lukas is the only one speaking with the proper accent, and some characters, such as the chauffeur and the newspaperman, sound like they are from urban America, not Germany.At any rate, I highly recommend this one.

BaronBl00d A bit rusty and dusty, this film made by Universal in 1933 tells of three men infatuated with the daughter of Lionel Atwill who all agree for sake of ego to stay in the mysterious "blue" room, a room where no one has gone into for twenty or so years because of all the terrible things that befell the inhabitants of that room. Gloria Stuart plays the beautiful object of their affection and carefully plays on the sidelines as each man prepares and stays in the blue room. What happens? Well, that would be giving too much away, but what does ensue is a nice, tight mystery for the most part with some credible red herrings and a somewhat plausible and innovative resolution. Lionel Atwill does a fine job in his patriarchal role as does Stuart. Paul Lukas, Onslow Stevens, and the rest of the cast also do fine jobs. Story really moves this film along, and the script is very good for this time period and for a mystery. My print was somewhat faded and I am not sure if a crisper print exists. I hope so. I know it will be sometime - if anytime - for this film to get the proper DVD treatment is deserves.