Based on the stage play by Joseph Jefferson Farjeon, this begins with Detective Barton (John Stuart) encountering an unhoused man, Ben (Leon M. Lion), as well as a dead body. As people continue to arrive at the house — one falls from the ceiling — the dead body disappears. In fact, it may still be alive. There are also three thieves — Brant (Donald Calthrop), Nora (Anne Grey) and Henry Doyle (Barry Jones) — a man named Sheldrake (Garry Marsh) and a necklace hidden in a bathroom.
There’s also a train chase right onto a ferry, which is some significant action. However, this sadly wasn’t a box-office success. Hitchcock said it was a disaster; he was in a strange phase of his career, remaking stage plays that never seemed to work. Those miniatures of the chase are good, however, and it’s an hour or so long. Not a lot to invest, and you get to see a master early in his career.
You can watch this on Tubi.
