Search - Murder on the Campus on DVD

Matt B. from GETZVILLE, NY
Reviewed on 8/11/2011...

An aggressive newshound – is there any other kind in a B-move – is doing legwork on a story about co-eds that are working their way through school. He tries to persuade his GF into an interview, since she sings in a night club to finance her major in chemistry. She’s hesitant to consent to a chat for the public prints because she doesn’t want her hoity-toity university friends to know she consorts with gamblers and gangsters.

This conflict between sweethearts is upset when a murder occurs on campus. A male student is shot dead in a locked clock tower. Nobody saw the culprit, or anybody else, leave the tower at the fatal hour. The newshound’s GF becomes the main suspect so he gets a professor of criminology to help him investigate, beat the cops at their own game, and land the scoop of the decade. Edward Van Sloan plays the prof and everybody will recognize him as the learned gent in Frankenstein and Dracula.

The mystery is interesting even though the action is mainly people talking in offices. The professional and dignified actors are well cast, especially Jane Keckley as a dragon secretary and J. Farrell MacDondald and Dewey Robinson as the two coppers. Not so fine are the male and female leads, Charles Starrett as the newshound and Shirley Grey as the GF. Starrett has screen presence but he says all his lines in an excessively abrupt way. He’s so curt with the GF that we wonder why she likes him. He later made his mark in Westerns, a natural place for an actor of his style to land. Grey is indeed pretty, but obviously in her early 30s and not given many lines that she could work with.

Fun

J. A. Torrontegui | Spain | 07/24/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you love 30's Poverty Row ultra-cheap films and 'whodunit'-s, you can't go wrong with this one.
Of course it's become public domain and is released with an atrocious looking image transfer, but what can you expect for the price and the source.
If you're a fan of either the times or the genre I think you won't regret it, it's still quite entertainning and fun.
"

Deadly extra-curricular activities

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 02/01/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"MURDER ON THE CAMPUS is a typical 1930s whodunit, one that encourages the viewer to unravel its not-so-obscure mystery.

In this story, co-ed by day, nightclub chanteuse by night Lillian Voyne is accused of a series of homicides that occur on college property. Her beaux, newspaper reporter Bill Bartlett is determined to prove Lillian's innocence and apprehend the actual killer.


ALPHA VIDEO is a provider of vintage programming that's often unavailable elsewhere. Their prices are fair, but so is transfer quality of some of their offerings. None have undergone restoration, yet this product's rareness and an honest price make it a worthwhile purchase.

Also from ALPHA:
In THE HEADLINE WOMAN (1935), the daughter of a newspaper publisher is accused of murder. A reporter who goes into hiding with the girl in order to get an interview instead falls in love then works to prove her innocence.


Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.

(6.0) Murder on the Campus (1933) - Charles Starrett/Shirley Grey/J. Farrell MacDonald/Ruth Hall/Dewey Robinson/Maurice Black/Edward Van Sloane


TRIVIA--

RICHARD THORPE also directed the Elvis films JAILHOUSE ROCK (1957) and FUN IN ACAPULCO (1963).

CHARLES STARRETT (Bill) was in 115 westerns and starred in the "Durango Kid" movie series.

SHIRLEY GREY (Lillian) is best remembered for co-starring with Bela Lugosi in THE MYSTERY OF THE MARIE CELESTE (1935).

Character actor J. FARRELL MACDONALD (Capt. Ed Kyne) appeared in over 300 movies, many of which are quite famous.

Filmed on a Universal Studios backlot by Poverty Row's Chesterfield Corp."