ksf-2 Crooked Circle... badly in need of restoration. Sound is just terrible. Something about a group that murders people they don't like, and an amateur group of citizen sleuths who hunt the murderers down. Zasu Pitts is "Nora", the housekeeper. Pitts was in just about every silent and talkie film... made 26 films in 1932 alone. James Gleason is the cop, bumbling his way through the story, a role he made famous in so many films. Watching this thing is so much work. so many people doing so much talking. Henry Gordon is "Yoganda", the hindu, an expert in something, giving people advice. Skip this one. Wants to be funny but isn't. We stop caring after a while... Directed by Bruce Humberstone... he had directed a whole bunch of the Charlie Chan films.

jonfrum2000 Apparently, one reviewer didn't read the earlier reviews before writing his entry. As other reviewers pointed out, Zasu Pitts didn't talk like Olive Oyl - Olive Oyl's voice was modeled on hers! This was a comedy/mystery, and Zasu Pitts was one of the most popular comediennes of her time. She was a star of silent films, and her voice and manners transferred successfully to the talkies, where she was a big star, and favorite of audiences. Her 'whining' was her shtick, and audiences loved her for it.The role played by Zasu Pitts in this, and many other films, is actually almost identical to the one played by Stepin Fetchit and Mantan Moreland. Zasu is a whimpering, cowardly fool - played for obvious comic relief. Of course, she was a white woman, so no one mentions the obvious connection. If she had played Charlie Chan's maid, she would have fit right into the Birmingham Brown role.The plot in this film is clunky, and the acting a bit stiff and caricatured, but it was made in 1932, and they were still trying to figure out how to make talkies. Watched with that in mind, The Crooked Circle is quite enjoyable.*** After over a year, and with a second viewing, I'm back to add a few comments. It's interesting that even at the very beginning of the old dark house genre, humor was already an essential part of the mix. One might think that the setting would have featured horror/mystery films, but Hollywood had already figured out that to sell a film to the largest audience possible, it was best to mix genre elements. Thus, we get a murder mystery set in a semi-Gothic atmosphere, with more than one comic relief character. This film did have the other common element, an attractive young couple in the romantic role, but that element played only a small role here. If it was a murder mystery without the old dark house, they might have added a musical number as well. Something for the boys, the men, and the ladies and girls, all in one. Personally, I find the humor far overdone here, and would much prefer a straight Gothic thriller, but I've learned to get along with the humor over time. The policeman-as-fool was played rather hard here, the price you have to pay to get the rest of the story. I still give this a six out of ten on second viewing, but I can see where audiences would have enjoyed it at the time.

wes-connors "The Sphinx Club is a group of amateur detectives who are the bitter rivals of The Crooked Circle, a collection of hooded villains. After The Sphinx Club aids the authorities in catching and imprisoning a member of The Crooked Circle, the evil gang swears revenge by targeting Colonel Walters, a well-known member of The Sphinx Club. Will the Sphinx Club be able to protect Colonel Walters or will The Crooked Circle succeed in their quest to kill him?" asks the DVD sleeve.The threatened Sphinx Club member, Berton Churchill (as Theodore Walters) is pretty good - but, he is not the focus of this comedy-mystery. Instead, we get zany Zasu Pitts (as Nora Rafferty) complaining to Christian Rub (as Old Dan) about living in spooky "Melody Manor". Ms. Pitts does her best "Olive Oyl" (from "Popeye") dress and voice. And, as a bonus, Mr. Rub responds with his "Gepetto" (from "Pinocchio"). You won't see "Olive Oyl" and "Gepetto" in too many movies!Meanwhile, Ben Lyon (as Brand Osborne) is preparing to resign from the Sphinx Club. His replacement is foreboding Indian C. Henry Gordon (as Yoganda), who warns, "Evil is on the way." When Gordon arrives at "Melody Manor", Pitts looks at his turban and says: "I'm sorry you got a headache sir, shall I get you a Bromo-Seltzer?" Others in the funny cast: cop James Gleason ("Here Comes Mr. Jordan"), hermit Raymond Hatton ("The Whispering Chorus"), and gay Roscoe Karns ("It Happened One Night").****** The Crooked Circle (9/25/32) Bruce Humberstone ~ Ben Lyon, Zasu Pitts, C. Henry Gordon, Christian Rub

MartinHafer Okay, now I am pretty sure that my summary got your attention and my commenting that Zazu Pitts is Satan is not without some basis. Let me explain. The film at first appears to be a dandy B-movie about an evil organization called "the Crooked Circle" and their vow of revenge in the form of murder on a rival organization dedicated to solving crimes. While this is very odd (especially the idea of a club of private citizens who solve crimes) and COULD have been interesting, this film falls apart despite a rather impressive list of familiar supporting actors. Why? Well because Zazu Pitts (never one of my favorite actresses) spends most of the movie whining just like Olive Oyl with a bad toothache!! While murders are being committed, people are being kidnapped or whatever, you can always count on Zazu whining at full volume--almost like someone's obnoxious 3 year-old who wants everyone at a party to pay attention to her! At the same time, she's NOT an integral part of the film but received top billing. Why she is even there is beyond me--I assume it's just to whine and yell. As a result, I found the movie practically unwatchable and it was completely ruined. Now you probably know why I referred to this actress of dubious talent as "Satan"! I'm sure that when the actors in this film saw the final product, they, too, felt pretty much the same way I did about her horrible overacting and amateurish performance.This film is in the public domain and can be found for free download on the internet. I can see why they didn't bother to renew the copyright.