Collins Crime Club, often referred to as the Crime Club, was a British publishing imprint specializing in crime and mystery fiction. It was established by Collins Publishers in 1930 and gained a reputation for publishing some of the finest detective and thriller novels of its time.
Collins Crime Club published works from a wide range of celebrated authors in the genre, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham, among others. These authors and their novels became synonymous with the Crime Club and contributed significantly to its popularity and success.
Murder on the Orient Express, 1st UK Edition 1934 with Crime Club "book of the month" band
Similar to its American counterpart, the Doubleday Crime Club, the Collins Crime Club had a distinct logo that appeared on its book covers. The logo featured a black crow perched on a skull and crossbones, adding an air of intrigue and mystery to the books.
The Crime Club novels were known for their intricate plots, well-developed characters, and captivating storytelling. They spanned various subgenres within crime and mystery fiction, including classic whodunits, psychological thrillers, and suspenseful tales.
Throughout its existence, Collins Crime Club published a significant number of crime and mystery novels, becoming an influential force in the British publishing scene. The imprint continued to release books under the Crime Club name until the mid-1990s, providing readers with decades of gripping and engaging stories.
In summary, Collins Crime Club was a renowned British publishing imprint specializing in crime and mystery fiction. It published works from acclaimed authors and played a pivotal role in shaping the genre. The imprint's distinctive logo and its association with top-notch crime fiction made it a respected and sought-after publisher for fans of detective novels and thrilling mysteries.
Doubleday vs. Collins
The Doubleday Crime Club and the Collins Crime Club were two separate publishing imprints that focused on crime and mystery fiction, operating in different countries and catering to distinct markets. Here are some of the key differences between the two:
Location: The Doubleday Crime Club was an American publishing imprint, while the Collins Crime Club was based in Britain. They catered to readers in their respective countries and had different publishing strategies tailored to their specific markets.
Publishers: The Doubleday Crime Club was a division of Doubleday & Company, a major American publishing house. On the other hand, Collins Crime Club was part of Collins Publishers, a prominent British publishing company.
Book Selection: The Doubleday Crime Club primarily published American crime and mystery novels, featuring works from notable American authors such as Ellery Queen, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Mary Roberts Rinehart. The Collins Crime Club, on the other hand, focused on British crime and mystery fiction, featuring works from renowned British authors like Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery Allingham.
Logo and Branding: The two crime clubs had distinct logos and branding. The Doubleday Crime Club logo featured a gunman fashioned from the letters C, R, I, M, and E. The Collins Crime Club logo, on the other hand, incorporated a black crow perched on a skull and crossbones, adding a unique visual element to their book covers.
Publishing Period: The Doubleday Crime Club had a longer publishing history, beginning in 1928 and continuing for several decades. The Collins Crime Club, established in 1930, also had a significant publishing run, but it eventually phased out in the mid-1990s.
Geographic Reach: The Doubleday Crime Club primarily focused on the American market, although some of their books were distributed internationally. The Collins Crime Club primarily targeted the British market, but their books also gained readership worldwide.
While both crime clubs shared a common goal of publishing quality crime and mystery fiction, their unique origins, target markets, and author selections distinguished them from one another. Each imprint left its own mark on the genre and contributed to the rich history of crime and mystery literature.
The Crime Club books became instantly identifiable thanks to their unmistakable logo prominently displayed on the covers. This distinctive logo prominently featured the iconic Crime Club gunman, capturing the fascination of mystery enthusiasts and serving as a powerful symbol of the imprint's identity. The inclusion of the logo on each book cover created a visual connection for readers, instantly signaling that they were about to embark on a thrilling and suspenseful journey within the pages.
The Crime Club's decision to adopt the gunman logo was a strategic move that solidified their unique brand identity in the minds of readers. The logo became synonymous with the gripping and captivating nature of their novels, generating a sense of anticipation and excitement. Whether browsing bookstore shelves or perusing online listings, the presence of the Crime Club logo with the distinctive gunman design immediately grabbed attention, drawing mystery lovers to explore the intriguing stories within.
The Crime Club logo
The logo's enduring impact is a testament to its effectiveness in leaving a lasting impression on readers. It became a recognizable mark of distinction, signifying quality crime fiction and enticing readers to delve into the mysterious worlds created by talented authors. The logo served as a visual representation of the Crime Club's commitment to delivering thrilling narratives, and its inclusion on each cover was a promise of engaging and suspenseful storytelling.
In summary, the Crime Club's distinct logo featuring the iconic gunman became a powerful and recognizable symbol associated with their gripping novels. It served as a visual representation of the imprint's unique identity and quality, capturing the attention and imagination of mystery enthusiasts who eagerly awaited each new release bearing the iconic Crime Club logo.
The logo appeared on every book published by The Crime Club, including the very first title, The Desert Moon Mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan in 1928.
The Desert Moon Mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan, 1928
The Crime Club Gunman Decoded
Surprisingly, the Crime Club logo conceals a hidden code that many may not have noticed at first glance. It was a revelation to me when someone pointed it out. Initially, I had simply perceived the logo's unconventional design as a product of the distinctive Art Deco style prevalent in the 1930s. Little did I realize that there was a deeper secret embedded within its seemingly peculiar appearance.
The Secret Code of the Crime Club Gunman
The specific designer responsible for creating the Crime Club logo featuring the iconic gunman is not widely documented or publicly known. The logo was developed and implemented by Doubleday & Company, the publisher behind the Crime Club imprint. The company likely collaborated with graphic designers or artists of the time to create the distinctive logo that would visually represent the Crime Club's brand and capture the essence of mystery and crime. Unfortunately, the individual designer's identity and their exact contribution to the logo's creation remain uncredited and undisclosed.
Einson-Freeman published three jig-saw puzzles for The Crime Club in 1933. Each puzzle consisted of 200 pieces and offered an engaging challenge for fans of crime-themed puzzles. These crime-themed puzzles were designed to provide both entertainment and mental stimulation for puzzle enthusiasts. As puzzlers assembled the pieces, they engaged in a visual exploration of crime-related scenarios, allowing them to immerse themselves in the mystery and use their problem-solving skills to solve the puzzles.
All three puzzles were based on new 16-page short stories written by Edgar Wallace, specifically for these puzzles:
The Death Safe by Edgar Wallace
The Torch Murder by Edgar Wallace
The Ringer's Revenge by Edgar Wallace
The original cost of each puzzle was 35 cents.
These three jig-saw puzzles were officially connected to The Crime Club by Doubleday in the USA, and featured the Crime Club gunman logo on the front and spine of each book-shaped box.
Crime Club Jig-Saw Puzzle #1 The Death Safe, by Edgar Wallace
The Crime Club jig-saw puzzle was a double-faced puzzle, which included a 16-page story of The Death Safe by Edgar Wallace. The idea of the puzzle was to read the story, and then solve the jigsaw clue so that you could solve the crime! Once you put the puzzle together, the solution to the mystery became clear.
The 16-page booklet of The Death Safe begins,
"Bash" was really clever. He stood out from all the other criminals in this respect. For the ranks of wrongdoers are made up of mental deficients--stupid men who invent nothing but lies. They are what the brilliant Mr. Coe calls in American criminals "jail bugs." The English criminal, because he does not dope, becomes a pitiable adn whining creature who demands charity, and the American criminal develops into a potential homicide.
Bash was a constant, but not, in the eyes of the law, an habitual criminal. He had never been charged because he had never been caught. He was an expert safe-breakers and worked alone.
Here is the copy from the back of the box:
THE CRIME CLUB
JIG-SAW PUZZLE
What was the secret of "THE DEATH SAFE?"
WHAT deadly thing lurked within? WHO was "The Ringer", mysterious avenger of crime? WHY did he kill "Bash the Brutal"? HOW did "Mr. Bash" meet his fate?
READ--
The thrilling 16-page story by EDGAR WALLACE--King of Mystery-story writers--most widely read author of "thrillers" in the world, then--
SOLVE--
The double-sided, 200 piece jig-saw puzzle--really TWO puzzles of 200 pieces each.
FIRST--put together the CLUE side--the torn letter and newspaper clipping. THEN put together the PICTURE side--in green and black--and you will
One of the clever parts of these puzzles was that they were shaped like books, and fit perfectly on a bookshelf alongside your collection of the books by The Crime Club.
Crime Club Jig-Saw Puzzle #2 The Torch Murder, by Edgar Wallace
A new 16-page story by Edgar Wallace, written specifically for this jig-saw puzzle format. The solution is only found when the jig-saw puzzle is completed.
All three of The Crime Club jig-saw puzzles were written by Edgar Wallace, so this one is not to be confused with The Torch Murder by Charles Read Jones, published by Dutton Clue Mystery in 1930.
Here's a review, written in April 1933 by Walter D. Hickman in The Book Nook:
The back of the box, booklet, and a few pieces of the double-sided puzzle:
Crime Club Jig-Saw Puzzle #3 The Ringer's Revenge, by Edgar Wallace
Another new story by Edgar Wallace specifically for this jig-saw puzzle format, based on his famous character, The Ringer.
The Ringer's Revenge, jig-saw puzzle by Edgar Wallace
The Ringer's Revenge, completed puzzle
Warning! Crime Club puzzlers never tell!
In each puzzle, a card was included that warned puzzlers not to give away the solution.
Don't give away the solution —but, after you have solved the crime yourself, you can play the amusing party game of "MURDER!"
When the party is all together, tell them just the outline of the mystery. Then send out one member of the party while you tell the rest the solution. When the one sent out returns, he should try to guess it by putting a series of questions to the others, the answer to which is "Yes" or "No."
Peter Cheyney authored the Crime Club card game, which was first published by Pepys (Castell Brothers Limited) in 1935. Peter Cheyney was a top author of British detective and mystery books in the 1930s and 40s, and to have him get personally involved in the creation of a card game for The Crime Club was quite a coup.
The set comes in a wonderful gold-lined box, featuring a sharp padded lid. The top of the box is embossed in gold, and a special card for Peter Cheyney is glued to the bottom of the box.
1935 (left) and 1939 editions of The Crime Club Card Game
The card game was released with two color varieties: the 1935 first edition features a padded dark purple box, with card backs of purple. The second edition, around 1939, had a dark green box with green-backed cards, so there wouldn't be any confusion.
The game contains 50 cards, mostly made of characters from Peter Cheyney's books (such as Lemmy Caution), however there are exceptions, such as Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. The cards are made up of 6 suits with 8 cards in each suit. There are 3 detective suits, and 3 crook suits. Each suit features characters, objects, and locations. There are also two jokers included in the set, as well as the instruction booklet and 4 value reminder slips. The back of each card features the masked Crime Club gunman on a geometric pattern. The card illustrations of Cheyney's Lemmy Caution and Carlotta are reissues of the classic architypes taken from John Pisani’s book cover artwork for the Collins editions of “This Man is Dangerous” and “Poison Ivy”.
The Detectives
Lemmy Caution, assisted by Carlotta
Hercule Poirot, assisted by Superintendent Battle
Inspector Macdonald, assisted by Peter Vernon
The Detectives and their Assistants
The Crooks
Mr. Colbeck, assisted by Dr. Harlow
Mr. Woodspring, assisted by Mr. Glapthorne
Mr. Evans, assisted by Janet Murch
The Crooks and their Assistants
How To Play The Crime Club Card Game
Setup: Gather the 50 cards included in the game, which are divided into 6 suits, with 8 cards in each suit. Each suit features characters, objects, and locations. Additionally, there are two jokers.
Deal: Shuffle the cards thoroughly and deal a predetermined number of cards to each player, depending on the number of players participating. The goal is to collect and make up a good hand.
First Part of the Game: In this phase, players focus on building the best hand. They strategically select and play cards from their hand, aiming to create combinations that will be advantageous in the second part of the game.
Second Part of the Game: Once all players have built their hands, the objective shifts to taking as few tricks as possible. A trick is won by playing the highest-ranking card of the suit led. However, players can strategically play lower-ranking cards to avoid winning tricks that may carry negative points.
Winning Strategy: As the game progresses, players will learn which combinations and card plays lead to the best hands and winning strategies. It is through experience and observation that players refine their approach and aim to score the fewest points by the end of the game.
Number of Players: The Crime Club card game requires at least two players and can accommodate up to six players using a single pack of cards. For more than six players, it is recommended to use two packs of cards.
Enjoy the game as you navigate the world of characters, objects, and locations from famous crime novels, and strive to outwit your opponents by collecting the best hands and taking the fewest tricks possible!
Kings and presidents, bankers and senators, as well as surgeons, lawyers, and college presidents are ardent detective and mystery story readers. Many of them have joined the Crime Club to insure themselves the best in a vast flood of mystery fiction in order to avoid the mediocre and the dull.
Five noted experts in mystery will select for you each month the outstandingly thrilling story. The Crime Club Jury includes Grant Overton, critic, author, former fiction editor of Collier's -- Frances Noyes Hart, distinguished author of "The Bellamy Trial" -- John Kidd, Former President of the American Booksellers' Association -- Arthur T. Vance, editor of The Pictorial Review -- and William Rose Benet, associate editor of The Saturday Review. The jury has an absolutely free hand, and its decision, by ballot, is final.
EVERY CRIME CLUB MEMBER RECEIVES:
The CRIME CLUB Jury's Selected Detective Novel Each Month -- Mailed to you by your bookstore ten days or so before it can be bought by the public.
FREE -- Crime Club Annual -- As soon as you join the Club, you receive absolutely free the handsome full-size volume, "Masterstrokes of Crime Detection," compiled by Lassiter Wren. This fascinating book is comparable in every way to standard $5.00 non-fiction books.
Membership Certificate and special privileges -- You also receive a membership certificate, filled in with your name. And you will be kept posted about the latest in mystery literature.
In the late 1930s, Universal made a deal with book publisher Doubleday to use the publisher's The Crime Club imprint for a series of 8 Crime Club mystery films. The history of this series has been misreported in various sources, including the AFI Catalog of Thirties films, with 10, and sometimes 11 films attributed.
Each film was based on a popular mystery novel that had been published in hardcover under Doubleday's Crime Club imprint. You could buy Crime Club books at bookstores or get them in the mail as a subscriber. Beginning in 1928, Crime Club released four books per month. One book each month was designated the "Crime Club Selection," and that book was automatically sent to subscribers, just like the Book of the Month club.
Numerous Crime Club books were made into movies before the Universal series: Murder by the Clock (1931 Paramount), The Mystery of Mr. X (1934 MGM), and While the Patient Slept (1935 Warner Brothers) were all adapted from best-selling Crime Club novels. The '30s novels of The Saint were all published by Crime Club, as were many Bulldog Drummond and Fu Manchu novels, and obviously all of those characters had multiple screen appearences.
Reportedly, Universal licensed the rights to the novels but farmed out production of the movies to Starr, who brought them in on a cost-plus basis and was given access to Universal's salaried technicians and contract players, to keep production costs down. The series was produced by Irving Starr (with an uncredited assist from Matty Fox) under the auspices of Crime Club Productions, Inc., releasing through Universal.
There were eight films in the Universal Pictures series of The Crime Club, four released in the 1937-38 season and four in the 1938-39 season. In order of release they were:
1938 The Black Doll (based on William Edward Hayes novel of same title)
1938 The Lady in the Morgue (based on Jonathan Latimer's novel of same title)
1938 Danger on the Air (based on an "Xantippe" (Edith Meiser) novel, "Death Catches Up with Mr. Kluck")
1938 The Last Express (based on the Baynard Kendrick novel of same title)
1938 The Last Warning (based on Latimer's "The Dead Don't Care")
1939 The Mystery of the White Room (based on James G. Edwards' "Murder in the Surgery")
1939 The Witness Vanishes (based on James Ronald's "They Can't Hang Me")
The Crime Club Films
The Westland Case (1937)
Chicago businessman, Bob Westland, accused of murdering his wife, is soon to be executed. Charlie Frazee, a lawyer, has received an anonymous note claiming the writer knows that Westland is not guilty. He has hired a private detective, Bill Crane, to find the witness and prove Westland's innocence before his scheduled execution date. Among the people concerned are Emily Lou Martin, who was to have married Westland after his divorce from his wife; Westland's partners, Richard Bolston and Woodbury; the company's bookkeeper, Amos Sprague; and Miss Bentine, the secretary. Crane reviews the events of the night of the murder. Someone claiming to be Emily phoned Westland to say that Mrs. Westland was abusing her. Westland did visit his wife, but he says she was alive when he left. Mrs. Westland's body was found inside their locked apartment, and only she and her husband had keys. Her key was found on a table inside the apartment. She was killed with a gun like the rare one owned by Westland which cannot be found. Woodbury, his partner has a similar gun, but ballistic tests prove his gun was not the murder weapon. Crane identifies the anonymous witness as Manny Grant, a minor gangster. Before Crane can question Grant, however he is shot down in a restaurant. Sprague then tells Crane that he knows something that may save Westland, but he will not be sure until the following day. Dr. Shuttle, the Westlands' next door neighbor, admits that he neglected to change his clock to daylight savings time and was therefore mistaken about the time that Westland left the apartment. This bolsters Westland's story. When Sprague is run down by a car, Crane asks the police to check everyone's alibi. Crane and his assistant Doc Williams, discover that there was a splice in Emily's phone line, which leads them to believe someone had tapped it. Frazee informs them that stolen stocks and bonds were found when Mrs. Westland's will was probated. Crane finds Westland's gun where it was thrown in the Chicago River and proves that it was not the murder weapon. He tracks down the dealer of the murder weapon. Then only minutes before the scheduled execution, Crane gathers everyone at the prison. He tells the group that Bolston and Emily are married. Bolston called the butler away the morning Mrs. Westland's body was found and while he was gone Bolston used the key that Westland had given Emily. Emily actually did make the call that took Westland from his apartment. Bolston had been substituting stolen bonds for the legal ones which Westland was selling. When his deception was on the verge of discovery, he killed Mrs. Westland and tried to throw suspicion on Westland. He was able to slip the key back into the apartment because he accompanied the police when they broke in to find the body. Westland's name is cleared, and he is released from prison. (Synopsis by the American Film Institute)
Starring Preston Foster, Frank Jenks, Carol Hughes, Barbara Pepper, and Astrid Allwyn.
63 minutes. Directed by Christy Cabanne. Screenplay by Robertson White. Released on 31 Oct 1937.
The Black Doll (1938)
Everyone has a reason to hate Nelson Rood. He has threatened to prosecute his playboy nephew Rex Leland if he ever writes another forged check and he has quarreled with Laura Leland, his sister and Rex's mother. He has kicked private investigator Nick Halstead off the land where he is camping, and in the process alienated his daughter Marian, who is in love with Nick. He is cruel to his servants, Esteban and Rosita, so when he finds a black doll, a symbol of death, on his desk, he suspects almost everyone. He sends for two men, Walling and Mallison, who were involved in a Mexican mine with him years ago. The two men deny any knowledge of the doll, but they think it has something to do with the death of the fourth partner, Barrows, who was killed by Rood years ago. That night, Rood is stabbed to death as he stands at the door of Marian's room. Marian runs out to Nick's trailer, and he begins to investigate the murder when bumbling local sheriff Renick fails to find the murderer. During the night, Estaban is killed protecting Marian. Nick discovers another body, that of Mallison, and he also finds out that Dr. Giddings and Mrs. Laura were to have been married, but Rood prevented them. Nick suspects that Marian is not Rood's daughter, but Barrow's, and when that fact is confirmed, he knows that Giddings is the murderer. (Synopsis by the American Film Institute)
Starring Donald Woods, Nan Grey, Edgar Kennedy, and C. Henry Gordon.
66 minutes. Directed by Otis Garrett. Screenplay by Harold Buckley. Released on 30 Jan 1938.
The Lady in the Morgue (1938)
The body of a woman has been found hanging from her hotel bathroom door, and although she is registered as Alice Ross, the name is an alias. Gangsters Steve Collins and Frankie French believe the woman to be Arlene, Collins' wife, who was last seen in the same hotel. Wealthy Mrs. Courtland, however, is afraid the body may be that of her daughter Kathryn, and she hires private detective Bill Crane to investigate. Crane and his sidekick Spitzy visit the morgue, but before they can examine the body, the morgue attendant is murdered and the body is stolen. Chauncey Courtland, Kathryn's brother, also appears at the morgue. Crane bribes the elevator boy to let him into the room where the murder took place. He realizes the hook on the door would have pulled loose if the woman had actually tried to hang herself and he notices that all the clothes in the closets are brand new. Both Collins and French offer Crane money if he will give them the body. Meanwhile, Doc Williams, another investigator working with Crane, finds the woman who had the room next door to that of the murdered woman. Crane follows her when she makes a telephone call. The call summons Sam Taylor, the musician who was the last person to see "Alice Ross" alive. Taylor tells Crane that the woman who telephoned is his wife. He had asked for a divorce to marry Alice and accuses his wife of hounding Alice until she committed suicide. Crane and Doc visit another mortuary where they think the body might be hidden. They find another murder, but checking the records, they also find a listing for the last registered burial and plan to dig up the grave. When Courtland tells them that his mother received a letter from Kathryn, they know that she is alive, and want to end the investigation. He adds that Arlene is still alive and is using the name Kay Renshaw. Crane finds Arlene at a party and kidnaps her. After dropping her at Collins' place, Crane and Doc head for the cemetery. While they are waiting for someone to come for the body, Courtland appears and tries to kill Crane. Crane then orders Doc to gather all the suspects together. Crane reveals that "Mrs. Taylor" is Kathryn Courtland, Taylor's lover, and the body is that of the real Mrs. Taylor, whom Taylor killed because she would not give him a divorce. Courtland, Crane concludes, stole the body to save his mother from disgrace and accidentally killed the morgue attendant. (Synopsis by the American Film Institute)
Starring Preston Foster, Patricia Ellis, Frank Jenks, Thomas E. Jackson, Wild Bill Elliott, Roland Drew, and Barbara Pepper.
67 minutes. Directed by Otis Garrett. Screenplay by Eric Taylor. Released on 22 Apr 1938.
Danger on the Air (1938)
Inside the offices of the Consolidated Broadcasting Company, radio star Caesar Kluck flirts with Marian, a receptionist. Marian's father Tony, the janitor, resents the elderly Kluck's attentions to his young daughter. At the same time, Alexander "Mac" MacCorkle, head of the firm of MacCorkle, MacCorkle, and Fish Radio Advertising, and announcer Dave Chapman, prepare for the show. The overbearing Kluck, who fancies himself a ladies' man, is universally disliked because of his egotism and love of gossip. Benjamin Franklin Butts, the sound man, expels Kluck from the sponsor's booth, where Kluck is accosted by Joe Carney, a gangster, who demands $100,000 from him. Inside the booth, writer Christine "Queenie" MacCorkle punches Kluck to prevent his advances and leaves the room. Mac finds the dead body of Kluck a few minutes later, and upon hearing the news, Queenie faints. After removing Queenie's broach from the room, Butts notices that the ventilation has been altered so that the room could become a vacuum, and poison gas could be pumped in which would cause a chemical reaction like the one that killed Kluck and altered the color of his blood. Mr. Jones, head of Consolidated, demands that his employees be silent about the murder to prevent scandal. However, when Dr. Leonard Sylvestre claims that his patient died of heart failure, Butts exposes the cover-up by demanding an autopsy. Fired from his job, Butts is followed by the sympathetic Queenie, who is shot from a passing car by Joe. When they are safe, Butts admits to Queenie that he has loved her secretly for over a year. Later, a letter about poison is found in Queenie's missing purse, but she explains its presence by claiming she was researching a murder story for a future program. After Butts is hired by MacCorkle, MacCorkle, and Fish to investigate the murder, he and Queenie enter Kluck's apartment to break open his safe, where evidence against Joe is found. Although Butts suspects Sylvestre of the crime, Dave believes Tony is a suspect until he is found poisoned by the same gas that killed Kluck. Butts deduces that the gas came from a toy balloon that had burst in Tony's closet. District Attorney Francis gathers the suspects, and after Tuttle and Harry are exonerated, Butts points a balloon similar to the one that killed Tony at Dave, who confesses. Dave reveals that he murdered Kluck because he had caused his father's suicide after a business failure. Tony's death, however, was accidental. After Butts learns that he will become the studio's head of engineering, he leaves with Queenie on their honeymoon. (Synopsis by the American Film Institute)
Starring Nan Grey, Donald Woods, Jed Prouty, Berton Churchill, and William Lundigan.
66 minutes. Directed by Otis Garrett. Screenplay by Betty Laidlaw and Robert Lively. Released on 1 Jul 1938.
The Last Express (1938)
Underworld boss Frank Hoefle has evidence against him stolen, by his henchman Pinky, from the office of District Attorney Meredith, but is then stolen from Pinky, and the thief demands a ransom of $300,000 dollars for its return to Hoefle. The latter hires private detective Duncan MacLain and "Spud" Savage to follow the ransom-note demands and leave the money in a subway-station locker. Later, Eddie Miller, a pickpocket, lifts the locker key and MacLain follows him to an apartment house and overpowers Miller but not before he has sent the locker key up a dumb-waiter shaft. MacLain climbs up the shaft and finds Amy Arden with special prosecutor Paul Zarinka. He is knocked unconscious, and when he revives, Spud and Hoefle are there. Hoefle tells them to retrieve the evidence, "or else." Since he has a hard time telling the good guys from the bad guys, MacLain has a big job ahead of him. But he gets lucky and finds a 1914 newspaper story that explains all. (Most of the plot and much of the footage from this film was re-used in 1942 for Universal's "Gang Busters" serial.)
Starring Kent Taylor, Dorothea Kent, Don Brodie, Paul Hurst, Addison Richards, Greta Granstedt, Robert Emmett Keane, and J. Farrell MacDonald.
63 minutes. Directed by Otis Garrett. Screenplay by Edmund Hartmann. Released on 28 Oct 1938.
Sadly, a video of this is not currently available.
The Last Warning (1938)
Private detective Bill Crane and his assistant, Doc Williams, are invited to the Essex mansion by John Essex to investigate a rash of threatening notes he has received. Among the other guests are Paul Gomez, a fortune hunter after John's sister Linda, aspiring actress, Dawn Day, Carla Rodriguez, and Tony Henderson, a polo player engaged to Linda. John owes money to gambler Steve Felson, and his uncle, Major Barclay, refuses to advance him the money to pay off his debts. When Felson is murdered and Linda is kidnapped, Carla suggests that Gomez might have committed the crimes. Gomez, who is trying to start a revolution in his homeland, accuses Carla of having arranged his brother's death. After Dawn learns that she has been promised a screen test for the coveted role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind , Carla, having discovered that someone has been going through her room, asks Crane for protection. Before she can tell him why she needs it, however, she is killed. When John decides to pay the ransom for his kidnapped sister, Crane and Doc hide out to see who picks up the money. They do not see anyone, but later, they find Linda and release her. Crane reveals that Barclay was cashiered from the army for cowardice in action, and Higgs, the butler, blackmailed him for his job. John and Linda faked the kidnapping attempt in order to get the money from Barclay that John owed to Felson. John killed Felson and Carla, who was Felson's secret boss. (Synopsis by the American Film Institute)
Starring Preston Foster, Frank Jenks, Kay Linaker, E. E. Clive, Joyce Compton, and Frances Robinson.
62 minutes. Directed by Albert S. Rogell. Screenplay by Edmund Hartmann. Released on 6 Jan 1939.
The Mystery of the White Room (1939)
After the lights go out during surgery, a surgeon is found dead on the operating room floor with a scalpel in his back. Detective Mack Spencer of the police department arrives to investigate the case. Among Spencer's suspects is Dr. Bob Clayton, a young surgeon. Yet another murder attempt occurs when a hospital attendant stumbles upon the killer, who blinds him with acid. Clayton operates to restore the attendant's eyesight by transplanting the cornea from one of the dead man's eyes. The operation is a success, and the attendant, his sight restored, identifies nurse Lila Haines, who had been spurned by the dead surgeon, as his assailant. (Synopsis by the American Film Institute)
Starring Bruce Cabot, Helen Mack, and Joan Woodbury.
58 minutes. Directed by Otis Garrett. Screenplay by Alex Gottlieb. Released on 17 Mar 1939.
The Witness Vanishes (1939)
Joan Marplay journeys to London in search of her missing father, Lucius Marplay, the former owner of the Sun newspaper. Joan locates Lucius in an insane asylum where he was confined unjustly years earlier by his four partners who stole his newspaper from him. Through a ruse, Lucius escapes his captors after threatening to murder one by one the four men responsible for stealing his paper. In the office of the Sun , three of the men, Ellis, Partridge and Craven, tremble in fear for their lives while the fourth, Mark Peters, refuses to be intimidated and declares that he will continue to publish the paper. With the help of newspaper columnist Lord Noel Stretton, Joan gets a job as Craven's secretary, hoping to learn the truth about her father. Soon after, Ellis' obituary mysteriously appears in the paper, and when his associates rush to his office, they find him dead. With Ellis' death, Scotland Yard and a reporter named Allistar MacNab enter the case. Partridge is next on Lucius's list to die, and although a police officer guards the door to his office, Partridge falls dead to the floor. After Partridge's death, Joan tricks Craven, now hysterical with fear, into confessing into a dictaphone the plot against her father, but before she can secure the dictograph record, a shadowy figure breaks in, steals the record and kills Craven. Later, Flinters, an informant, invites all of the persons involved in the case to an auction for the record, but when they arrive, they find Flinters stabbed to death and the record demolished. Peters, the last of Lucius' enemies, then receives a death note informing him that he will die that night. As Peters awaits his fate, a wan and haggard Lucius stumbles down the steps and Peters raises his gun to fire. At that instant, the detectives arrive and disclose that they had been holding Lucius in custody and therefore he could not have committed the murders. MacNab then forces Peters into revealing that he is the murderer. After confessing, Peters commits suicide by smoking a poisoned cigarette. (Synopsis by the American Film Institute)
Starring Edmund Lowe, Wendy Barrie, and Bruce Lester.
66 minutes. Directed by Otis Garrett. Screenplay by Robertson White. Released on 22 Sep 1939.
Astor Pictures Reissue
The first four pictures (from 1937-38) were later reissued theatrically by Walter Futter through Astor Pictures. They were also made available to 16mm rental libraries beginning in 1948. On these four there must have been a financial arrangement similar to that of the first six Hopalong Cassidy pictures, which were financed independently and later sold off separate from the later films produced with Paramount money. It's thought that Matty Fox owned the controlling interest in the first four Crime Clubs, and that he made the deal with Futter. This reissue is likely the reason that all four films are available on DVD and YouTube.
The second group of four remained under Universal control. Most likely they were financed directly by Universal, with Irving Starr producing for a straight salary. When M-G-M bought rights to Baynard Kendrick's novels featuring blind detective Duncan Maclain (two of which the studio made into "B" movies starring Edward Arnold), they got The Last Express too -- which is why that film has not been seen since its original theatrical release. The other three films are available at the Internet Archive.
Shock!
Three of the Universal Crime Club films, The Last Warning, The Mystery of the White Room, and The Witness Vanishes, were packaged for TV as Shock! by Screen Gems, who syndicated Universal films until MCA took over.
Other Irving Starr Releases
The following films are generally confused for Crime Club pictures because they, too, were produced by Irving Starr for Universal release in the same basic time period. But they were not based on Crime Club novels and don't belong to the series.
1938 The Gambling Ship
1939 Inside Information
1939 House of Fear
. The idea of the puzzle was to read the story, and then solve the jigsaw clue so that you could solve the crime! Once you put the puzzle together, the solution to the mystery became clear.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
, critic, author, former fiction editor of Collier's -- Frances Noyes Hart, distinguished author of "
" -- John Kidd, Former President of the American Booksellers' Association -- Arthur T. Vance, editor of The Pictorial Review -- and William Rose Benet, associate editor of The Saturday Review. The jury has an absolutely free hand, and its decision, by ballot, is final. 
and 
novels, and obviously all of those characters had multiple screen appearences. 
") 
(based on an "Xantippe" (Edith Meiser) novel, "Death Catches Up with Mr. Kluck") 
novel of same title) 
' "Murder in the Surgery") 
") 
.jpg)
.jpg)
