The Spanish Cape Mystery

Little read today, Ellery Queen mysteries were highly popular in their day. In this outing, Donald Cook plays Ellery Queen. While he is suave enough and occasionally shows a spark of humor, Cook lacks the pizazz of other B mystery series detectives, (such as Warren William, Chester Morris, George Sanders, or Tom Conway) which is probably why it didn't become a series with Cook as the lead (a few years later, Ralph Bellamy starred as Ellery Queen in a series of movies). The plot is typical of many 30s mysteries – a big house filled with odious relatives and guests with murder after murder happening and the survivors continuing to stay in the house. And it has the young pert ingénue as well as the dumb loud-mouthed police chief flitting from one suspect to another with each suspect then cleared by the detective. Queen traps the killer and all the loose ends are nicely tidied up. There are a few notable character portrayals such as Berton Churchill and the always humorous Ed Gargan. It was kinda cool seeing George Cleveland in a small role – to me, he will always be Gramps in the Lassie television show. This movie is mildly enjoyable and worth a watch, but it is not a top notch mystery even for a B movie.

The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Detective Ellery Queen (Donald Cook) and his buddy Judge Macklin (Berton Churchill) decide to go on vacation to get away from all the crime but once they arrive in Spanish Cape, CA they get mixed up with a murder case. THE Spanish CAPE MYSTERY isn't going to go down in history as one of the greatest murder-mysteries ever made but it's mildly entertaining thanks in large part to the cast. Cook is in fine form playing the slick, laid back Detective who always has something smart to say about everything. I really liked the way Cook played Queen as he managed to bring a fun style to the character and he also managed to be smart, give rude remarks and be in-your-face without becoming annoying. Churchill is also very good in his bit and I thought the two had some good comic timing together that really paid off in their scenes. Helen Twelvetress plays the love interest/suspect and she adds a lot to the picture as do the rest of the supporting players who are all basically just suspects. Like many mysteries from this era, I think the screenplays could leave a lot to be desired but for the most part what we get here is entertaining. The mystery actually works and while there might be a few questionable points, for the most part you're able to buy and enjoy the outcome of the case. There's also a very fun, pre-vacation sequence where Queen shows off his Detective skills.

A rich family and a houseful of squabbling guests occupy a ritzy oceanfront mansion down on Spanish Cape. Beautiful Helen Twelvetrees and her eccentric uncle step outside to talk, only to be kidnapped and driven to a strange house down the road. The kidnapper knocks the uncle unconscious, then ties Twelvetrees to a chair, leaving her alone in the dark house while he hauls off the uncle somewhere in a boat.

Meanwhile, renowned mystery writer Ellery Queen is on vacation, accompanied by the retired judge who shares his interest in crime solving. They plan to get away from sleuthing but you know how it is for these amateur detectives....When they arrive at their vacation house, the first thing they discover is Helen Twelvetrees tied up in the bedroom. Like it or not, they're soon on the case.

Donald Cook is a flashy and debonair Ellery Queen. Berton Churchill is part assistant, part comic relief as his friend the judge. Helen Twelvetrees is fine as the young woman whose charming personality and family mystery both capture Ellery's attention. "Mr. Queen," she tells him at one point, "you have the oddest way of mixing romance and murder."

There is a murder and any number of suspects down at the mansion. A bumbling local sheriff sets out to untangle things ("Sit down a minute, Mr. Queen. I'll show you how a real detective solves a case") but soon enough welcomes Ellery's help. It all builds rather nicely to a climactic gather-the-suspects scene in which Ellery presents his deductions.

Overall it's very good, with just enough humor and a rather complex plot that actually makes sense.

Since a few years already, I've been deliberately delaying my viewing of "The Spanish Cape Mystery". Not because it's old and clearly low-budgeted, but merely due to my own personal wonderment if I needed yet another franchise revolving around an all-knowing, cocky, and despotic detective. After all, there's already Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Mr. Wong, Jules Maigret, Miss Marple, etc. What possible added value could Ellery Queen bring to the table? Short answer: nothing, but it was a surprisingly amusing acquaintance nonetheless!

Much more so than I expected, this little sleuth-tale is compelling, inventive, and fast enough moving to keep you glued to the screen. The super-detective character, Ellery Queen, is clever and deductive, but he's often also called upon his arrogance by the supportive characters, and this never happens to Holmes or Poirot. The denouement of the mystery is fairly easy to predict, but well built up to for a mid-30's movie. Harry Stubbs has a terrific role as the local police Sheriff who goes around accusing random people of the murders without any tangible evidence.

PS: the answer to the riddle in the review's subject line is: twelve. Helen Twelvetrees was an exquisite starlet of cinema in the 1930s. Sadly, though, her career ended rather abruptly at the end of the decade and she passed away at the (too) young age of 49.

Nice little movie ! My question to all who read this is where was the film ___location ? The home is obviously a million dollar mansion on the California coast . Is the mansion still there ? I noticed another mansion on a hilltop above this mansion , could that be Hearst Castle ? Anyone who knows the ___location of the Mansion please respond ! Thankyou.