You know what I like about 1930's movies, they're short, and clocking in at right about an hour,
"The Intruder" fits into that category quite nicely! "The Intruder" was released on March 13, 1933!
With a film this short, the filmmaker doesn't have to waste a bunch of time explaining crap, they can just get on with it, so that's what we're going to do too!
I have no idea why I like this shot, I guess it's the symmetry of the two portholes and the fact that the main character has his back to you, like he really cares!
The S.S. Intruder is a cruise ship, and there has just been an ax murder on board! William B. Davidson is the San Francisco Detective doing the investigating, but besides the fact that they're on a boat, there's something fishy about this guy! William B. Davidson only lived to be 59, but somehow in that amount of time he managed to rack up some 318 films and shorts to his credit! At least 6 of his films had the word blonde or redhead in the title, "Redheads On Parade," "Blondie Meets The Boss," "Lady With Red Hair," "Blonde Ransom," "Incendiary Blonde," and "Blonde Alibi!" He was also in "Mystery Of The Wax Museum," "Man Made Monster," "Hold That Ghost," and "Dick Tracy's Dilemma!"
The cruise ship runs into something, and all the passengers have to bail out. Detective Samson makes sure all the prime suspects are in the same lifeboat together, and they make it safely to some supposedly deserted island!
Monte Blue as John Brandt is the main suspect, since he was seen arguing with the victim sometime before the murder. There also seems to be some jewels missing from the victim's stateroom, which causes even more passengers to be suspected! Monte Blue has a cool name, and was no slacker himself with 284 credits, and he lived into the TV era where he ended up getting a lot of air time in cowboy TV shows of the 50's like "Rawhide," "Rin Tin Tin," and "Wyatt Earp" often in the role of a Native American sporting assorted handles like Bright Eagle, Wankawa, Brave Bull, Low Dog, Buffalo Horn, Red Raven, Thunderbird, and Lone Eagle!
For me, the highlight of the movie is these two gals!
On the left is Lila Lee as Connie Wayne, and boy does she have some interesting history! Lila was born Agusta Appel in 1901, and lived it up until 1973! Her last film made in 1967 was titled "Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers," and in that film her character's name was Viola Zickafoose! I don't know why but I get the biggest kick outta stuff like that! Lila's son was James Kirkwood Jr., the writer of "A Chorus Line!"
Not related to Lila was blonde bombshell Gwen Lee as Daisy! More fun with names, Gwen's God given name was Gwendolyn La Pinski, and in 1937 she was in a short called "Candid Cameramaniacs" as a character named Drowzina!!! Yowza!!
Once on the island, the cast is confronted by a scary "cave of skeletons.........."
..........."a wild man roaming the island"...........played by Mischa Auer. Imagine, if you will, that you were at a party, and you met Mischa and asked him what roles he played in the movies, and this would be his answer, "besides The Wild Man in "The Intruder" I had roles as Swami Yormuda, Volkov, Manu the high priest, DeCobra, Sadik, Smith, Tully, Ameel, Hassan, Dimitri, Suraj Ud Dowlah, Tanaga, Monk, Mahotin, Zan, the hunchback, Prince Muratov, Count Sandor, Kolenkhov, Bibenko, Boris, Badabof, Cosmo, Pepi, Stanislaus Noodnick, Bolo, and Gomez, just to name a few!"
....... and a "killer gorilla!"............. Well, you might of missed it this year, but it's not too late to start planning for next year, so mark your calender, because January 31st is "National Gorilla Suit Day!"
Muchas Gracias Oz!!!
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