Mystery to Me

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The Penguin Pool Murder (1932) Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Prepare to plunge into a parable of penguins and peril!

The Penguin Pool Murder is a 1932 film directed by George Archainbaud, starring Edna May Oliver and James Gleason. The pre-Code flick is based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Stuart Palmer.

Oliver stars as the peerless Hildegarde Withers, a formidable schoolteacher who becomes embroiled in a icy murder mystery while on a field trip to the New York Aquarium in Coney Island. Gleason plays the snarky detective Oscar Piper, who looks to Ms. Withers for advice while trying to solve this cold-hearted homicide.

And who doesn't love a movie about two sleuths who prove to be a birds of a feather? From its Depression Era weirdness to its fun characters, The Penguin Pool Murder is a delightful rookery romp. Listen to Áine and Kevin prattle on about the perfection of penguins, progressive politics, and pernicious personal perfidy.

And send us mysterious and intriguing missives at mysterytomepodcast@gmail.com.

Mystery to Me is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After the Thin Man (1936) Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

Wake up, all you smoke dreamers! It's time to talk about the best married couple in all of film history: Nick and Nora Charles!

After the Thin Man is a 1936 comedy-mystery film from director W.S. Van Dyke, starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, and Jimmy Stewart. It's the direct sequel to the wildly popular Thin Man film made two years before, which itself was based on a novel by Dashiell Hammett.

In this follow-up, detectives Nick and Nora Charles arrive back home in San Francisco on New Year's Eve, fresh off their mystery-solving success in New York. But a new year brings new crimes, and the bantering couple finds themselves drawn into a murder mystery involving a member of Nora's snobby family.

And let's just say that this after party truly gets one thing right by centering things around the fun banter of Nick and Nora. We get a lot of chemistry between Powell and Loy, as they piece together a rather silly mystery involving bad singing, lost security deposits, and Jimmy Stewart at his most zany.

Listen to Áine and Kevin sit around the fire, puffing on some smoke dreams and all the delightful wackiness of this old film. We'll chat about awkward live entertainment at restaurants, the Scooby Gang, and the insanity of a beloved dog character getting cucked right onscreen in this picture.

And send us mysterious and intriguing missives at mysterytomepodcast@gmail.com.

Mystery to Me is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939) Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

Want to see Nancy Drew act less like a beloved amateur sleuth and more like a villainous corrupt cop in a prestige drama? Then we've got a movie for you!

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase is a 1939 mystery comedy film from director William Clemens, starring Bonita Granville, Frankie Thomas, and John Litel. It's based on the novel of the same name, penned by Mildred Wirt Benson for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. But boy, does this staircase twist away from the original premise!

Nancy must help two elderly sisters inherit their father's mansion, so they can donate the building and create a new hospital for River Heights. And she's decided that that this noble end justifies any means, including tampering with evidence in a murder case, faking a suicide note, and drugging old people. Yes, those are all real things that happen in this film about a plucky teen detective.

Listen to Áine and Kevin complain about this movie's many missteps, namely its decision to assassinate its titular character's ... well, character.

And send us mysterious and intriguing missives at mysterytomepodcast@gmail.com.

Mystery to Me is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The House of Fear (1945) Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

There is a house in ol' Scotland

They call it Drearcliffe Dùn

And it's been the ruin of many a poor comrade

And God, I know I'm one

The House of Fear is a 1945 film directed by Roy William Neill, starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. John Watson. It's the tenth film in the series starring Rathbone and Bruce, and loosely based on Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "The Five Orange Pips." Which is to say, both tales involve nefarious parties threatening victims via discarded bits of fruit!

In this rollicking and ridiculous movie, Holmes and Watson must investigate who's been bumping off"good comrades," the name given to members of an exclusive club of single men living together in Scotland's remote and desolate Drearcliffe House. The murder vacation of a lifetime ensues, along with all manner of haunted. house silliness, complete with a Mrs. Danvers-esque ripoff for a maid, sinister chums, stereotypical Scottish locals, and, of course, Watson firing a gun at ghosts in the dark.

Listen to good comrades Áine and Kevin pipe up about pips, dream vacations, Irish step-dancing, and the Cleveland Torso Murders. Come make yourself at home in the house of fear!

And send us mysterious and intriguing missives at mysterytomepodcast@gmail.com.

Mystery to Me is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nancy Drew ... Detective (1938) Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Nancy Drew ... Detective is a 1938 comedy crime film starring Bonita Granville, Frankie Thomas, and John Litel, directed by William Clemens.

Nancy is back, and this time she's doing what she does best: helping the elderly. (Seriously, like every other book in the series seemed to be about our favorite sleuth assisting some poor older person who is being conned or harassed by lowlifes). Ripping a page from the Drew book The Password to Larkspur Lane, Nancy must save a kidnapped (and wealthy) older lady who vanishes before she can make a big donation to Nancy's school.

Listen to Áine and Kevin chat about competitive swimming, the geekiness of ham radio operation, River Heights' fascination with an unfortunate local doctor.

And send us mysterious and intriguing missives at mysterytomepodcast@gmail.com.

Mystery to Me is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943) Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

Pack up your pipe, magnifying glass, and deerstalker cap, and refill your Metro card — we're going to Washington D.C.!

Sherlock Holmes in Washington is a 1943 film starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Marjorie Lord, and George Zucco, and the fifth installment of the Roy William Neill series. And let's just say that, while subplots in "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Valley of Fear" do indicate that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was fascinated with America, this movie is ridiculous!

The setup is simple: A British spy carrying key documents vanishes in Washington D.C. Naturally, Holmes is dispatched to the capital of the United States, along with his pal Watson. They've got enemy agents to catch, and monuments to gawk at!

Tune in to hear Áine and Kevin riff on villainous lamp-phones, acceptable bridezilla-ing, orange drinks from the 1980s, and the jolly cruelty of one Dr. John Watson. And check out this wacky film — truly the middle school Washington trip of the Sherlock Holmes universe!

Beware, this review contains spoilers!

And send us mysterious and intriguing missives at mysterytomepodcast@gmail.com.

Mystery to Me is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: "Chaos Theory" (2001) Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

"Chaos Theory" is the second episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's second season. The show stars William Petersen as CSI's fearless leader, Gil Grissom, with Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Jorja Fox, and Paul Guilfoyle rounding out the rest of the investigatory ensemble.

In this episode, the CSI squad hits the philosophy textbooks as part of the search for a missing college student. Paige Rycoff vanished from her dorm room just minutes before she was set to drop out and head home. And campus is populated with no shortage of sketchy characters who may have sought to do her harm.

CSI rookies Áine and Kevin shine some ultraviolet light on how the episode balances fun procedural cheesiness with sophisticated and satisfying storytelling choices. And stick around for the twist! A dead end might be the worst place to be on a missing persons case, but the conclusion to this episode is as lively and memorable as anything.

Beware, this review contains spoilers!

And send us mysterious and intriguing missives at mysterytomepodcast@gmail.com.

Mystery to Me is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dragnet 1966 (1969) Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

Ladies and gentlemen, the review you are about to hear is true. The names have not been changed to protect the innocent.

Dragnet 1966 is a 1969 made-for-TV movie starring Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Vic Perrin, and Virginia Gregg. This film helped bring about the Dragnet franchise's triumphant return to television, with creator and producer Webb once again starring as everyone's favorite stiff, Sergeant Joe Friday of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Friday and his elderly partner Bill Gannon find themselves tracking down a serial killer who preys on single women and models. The investigation takes them everywhere from the Garden of Eden to the dregs of Dogtown, as well as in the path of a number of exasperating Angelenos.

Áine and Kevin deliver more than just the facts, ma'am, in this review of the flick, ranting about the meandering plot, the oddly-fascinating Friday, the flippant treatment of a horrific series of real-life murders, and, of course, those dang hippies!

Beware, this review contains spoilers!

And send us mysterious and intriguing missives at mysterytomepodcast@gmail.com.

Mystery to Me is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Beware of Ladies (1936) Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Beware of ladies bearing notebooks, pens, and dramatic hats.

Beware of Ladies is a 1936 film from director Irving Pichel starring Judith Allen, Donald Cook, and George Meeker. In it, Allen stars as a sly reporter tasked with helping an idealistic candidate in a DA race snag the women's vote. But this savvy journalist may end up wrecking the lawyer's chances, as they're pursued by corrupt operators looking to smear the man as a wife-stealing creep!

Ladies aren't the only thing you have to worry about with this picture. Beware of the perils of low production values! Beware of bad, cliched writing! Beware of strange 1930s sexism!

Listen to Áine and Kevin try to salvage a decent time out of this muddled caper by making jokes about the Beatles, Game of Thrones, famous musicians, and beloved character actress Betty White.

Beware of ladies? No, beware of spoilers! Because this review is chock full of them!

And send us mysterious and intriguing missives at mysterytomepodcast@gmail.com.

Mystery to Me is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Homicide: Life on the Street: "Subway" (1997) Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

Stand clear of the closing doors, please! And pray that you're not too squeamish for this gritty, poignant episode of police procedural classic "Homicide: Life on the Street."

Directed by series producer James Yoshimura, this seventh episode of the sixth season aired December 5, 1997 and stars Andre Braugher, Kyle Secor, Clark Johnson, and John Seda, with a memorable guest star spot from a surly Vincent D'Onofrio.

D'Onofrio plays a commuter who gets trapped between the train and the platform during a rush hour scuffle at a Baltimore Metropolitan Transit Authority station. Detective Pembleton, played by Braugher, must interview this frantic, rude, and soon-to-be-dead victim to figure out what exactly happened.

Áine and Kevin discuss why the episode can be hard to watch, despite being a mold-breaking stunner of an example of television storytelling.

Beware, this review contains spoilers!

And send us mysterious and intriguing missives at mysterytomepodcast@gmail.com.

Mystery to Me is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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