The film for October at Old City Hall is one that I don’t believe most of you may have ever seen.  The Mystery of Mr. X starring Robert Montgomery is as neat a thriller as ever written.  Evidently Montgomery thought so too, because he really threw everything he had as an actor into this role and the result is a sheer delight to watch.

In the story, we learn that Montgomery is a jewel thief.  Not just any sort of thief, but one of those sophisticated, nice-guy, well intentioned jewel thieves so popular in 1930s fiction and films.  With all that, and as handsome as he is, what woman would not want him holding her in his arms.  Certainly not his costar, Elizabeth Allan, who is as comely a lass as they come.

However, Montgomery has a problem.  While he is busy stealing a famous diamond, a London bobby is being murdered right outside the door of the very same house.  Putting two and three together, Scotland Yard assumes the two crimes were committed by the same man… one who has been murdering policemen all over the city.  From here the plot twists and turns as Montgomery attempts to prove that the killer, Mister X, is someone else.

Along the way he meets Elizabeth Allan and is literally swept off his feet by her. In their all too brief scenes these two are so good one can’t help but wonder if their attraction to each other didn’t continue in real life.  They are an absolute joy to watch.

The Mystery of Mr. X is one of those classic examples of an almost A film, starring A actors with a B budget.  Tightly-edited, well scripted, and well directed, it better represents the day-to-day film entertainment on the classic screen.. i.e., most films weren’t big blockbusters.

The Mystery of Mr. X is not available in the retail market. Turner has never made it available to the public, nor have they ever digitally restored it. This is the first, and will probably be the only time I have selected a film where the print is less than the highest quality. On a scale of 10, I’d rate it 8. Having said that, I think you’ll find this film so entertaining you’ll be wondering why you never heard of it. To quote another review, “This is one of those rare diamonds one comes across every now and then from the Golden Age of film-making.”

The Mystery of Mr. X will screen on Friday, October 16th, at 7 P.M. at Old City Hall.

See you at the movies…

Paul Becker