THE PHANTOM (1931) is another of the seemingly endless 1930's "old dark house" movies which has been called by one wag on the internet movie database as "creaky beyond words". And one would be forgiven perhaps for thinking so during the film's first 15-20 minutes. However, it slowly dawns on the viewer that the film is actually meant to be taken as a comedy send-up of the whole genre which, even by 1931, had become cliched and overly familiar. The difficulty seems to be that this fact is not overtly telegraphed as the beginning of the film is played seemingly stone-faced straight. What immediately strikes the viewer is the apparent printing of the first take of every scene -- actors seem to stumble over their lines and hesitate -- but these have been left in the film. Uh oh, the viewer says to himself, this is going to be a heavy slog. The opening of the film takes place in the warden's office of a prison in which a fiendish villain known as "The Phantom" makes a daring escape by leaping from the prison walls onto a passing train and then is spirited away by an airplane trailing a long ladder up which The Phantom escapes. It is glaringly obvious that this entire sequence comes from some old silent movie; sound effects are added but the whole look of the sequence screams silent film. And, in fact, the same footage would AGAIN be used in the Bela Lugosi serial THE WHISPERING SHADOW a few years later. Wow, talk about shoestring budget, the viewer must by now be telling himself. But the intrepid viewer who manages to stick with it will slowly realize that this film is getting goofier and goofier and they couldn't possibly mean for it to be taken seriously. The goofiness, however, is somehow subtle -- if that's possible -- and creeps up on you like the Phantom himself.

And so the story goes: the escaped phantom taunts District Attorney Hamilton into meeting at his sprawling mansion. The cops stake out the DA's mansion and think they've caught the phantom when it turns out only to be a crusading reporter named Dick Mallory. Dick also happens to be in love with the DA's daughter Ruth (who is also a newspaper columnist). It turns out that while all this is going on, the Phantom is in fact inside the mansion and scares the wits out of Ruth and the hysterical ladies maid Lucy. A clue left behind by the Phantom causes Dick & Ruth to go to the second "creepy old mansion" of the film: the mysterious Dr. Weldon's insane asylum. Hysterical maid Lucy and her boyfriend chauffer Shorty stow away inside the car and all four gain entrance to the asylum. The slouch-hatted, cloaked Phantom is also inside (looking very much like the radio/pulp hero The Shadow which is probably NOT a coincidence). Dr. Weldon carries around a skull with him and blathers on about his plans for brain transplants. Dick and Ruth also encounter an apparent inmate of the insane asylum named Oscar who is perpetually wild-eyed and moves with the jerky movements of a bird. Naturally there are copious amounts of dark corridors to be chased through as well as sliding panels and secret passageways. Hey, there's even a rudimentary mad doctor's lab. That's about all I'm going to say about the plot because it really doesn't matter in this film; it's all just an excuse to put our characters through their "old dark house" paces.

The star of the film is Guinn "Big Boy" Williams who starred in countless silent cowboy roles but this time plays reporter Dick Mallory. The big lug (who incidentally got his nickname from Will Rogers) is easy-going and likeable as always; his face actually looks a great deal like fellow Texan George W. Bush (you should pardon the expression) if, however, rather than being a dopey pipsqueak Bush had been a strapping cowboy/football player type instead. Our pseudo-heroine Ruth is played by Allene Ray who had taken over as a popular cliffhanger serial star following the departure of Pearl White from the scene in 1920. Ray is adequate in her role as Ruth but not particularly noteworthy; she wouldn't do much more in the cinema after "THE PHANTOM". Violet Knights plays the cringing, whimpering maid Lucy; she remains amusing throughout (which is quite a feat for a character-type which can be very annoying). This role apparently was the last "credited" work she did in films although George E. Turner & Michael H. Price (in their seminal book FORGOTTEN HORRORS) claim she worked as a similar character in the classic Ken Maynard horror/western SMOKING GUNS in 1934. I'll have to rewatch that film and see if I can spot her. Hal Roach comic Bobby Dunn plays chauffeur Shorty a little less successfully but still manages to be a nice compliment to Violet Knights' maid. The cloaked homicidal maniac lurking around throughout the film is played by veteran lurker Sheldon Lewis (SEVEN FOOTPRINTS TO SATAN, THE MONSTER WALKS and TOMBSTONE CANYON) but he appears in the credits as "The Thing" instead of the Phantom. There is a reason for this billing but you'll have to watch the film to know it. Lewis is given not much more to do than creep around in the corners of scenes with his bushy eyebrows, large proboscis and cloak drawn up over his face; in this admittedly limited acting challenge Lewis plays it for all its worth. The most spectacular work in the film, however, is done by William Jackie as the bird-like, wild-eyed lunatic named Oscar. Jackie is quite simply phenomenal and you should see the film for his performance if for no other reason. His character does not appear till halfway into the film but his entrance is so arresting that the viewer's possibly flagging energy level will be immediately pumped up to maximum! While Ruth & Dick sit on a sofa inside the spooky insane asylum, a strange, bald figure suddenly slides up into view from behind an information desk; eyes wide and staring, head twitching and tilting like a bird. Allene Ray shuts her eyes tight while Guinn "Big Boy" Williams stares at the apparition as if he cannot believe his eyes. One wonders if this reaction was genuine and if Williams wasn't quite sure what Jackie would do as he levitated into view. Either way, it's an incredibly odd entrance. And things get odder! William Jackie's body movement range from rubbery to twitchy. At one point, as Jackie turns to exit a scene, his hands luxuriously smooth his non-existent hair as if part of the character's madness is to not acknowledge his male-pattern baldness. William Jackie also gives his character a comic Swedish accent. All throughout this comic performance, Jackie also manages to instill the character of Oscar with a vague sense of uneasy menace as well -- as if, at any time this so-far harmless lunatic could get homicidal and violent -- and we're never QUITE sure how to take him and never relax in his presence. This is quite some feat for an an unknown actor is an obscure horror comedy programmer. It's quite simply one of the oddest and most memorable performances in thirties horror/mystery films.

Director Alvin J. Neitz was cowboy star Ken Maynard's favourite director who, among other things, directed the aforementioned horror/western classic SMOKING GUNS. Neitz also wrote the screenplay for THE PHANTOM using the pseudonym of Allan James. Known as a good director of action films, Neitz's presence in THE PHANTOM's director's chair may seem odd; however, he does manage to keep the silliness moving (at least once we get past the first 15 minutes of rather talky and serious dialogue scenes and get to the first creepy mansion). The director's restraint towards the comedy in the first reel is perhaps something of a detriment since the viewer will not realize at first that this is meant to be a comedy. However, as I said before, once one gets past the first 15 minutes it becomes slyly apparent that this film is meant to be silly fun and one can then roll with it appreciatively. Because the later 3/4ths of the film carries it all off, I can't find fault with this directing choice although I will say that the slow and serious beginning was an extremely brave thing for Neitz to do. The film is indeed worth watching, then -- especially as soon as proceedings move to the insane asylum which encompasses the entire second half of the film (as well as introducing the wonderful Oscar character).

THE PHANTOM looks exactly like what it is: an early-30's talkie mystery/horror "old dark house" movie. But. Just as we think we've got it pegged, it veers quickly off to a deliriously goofy spoof of the genre which delivers its comedy delicately without the usual sledgehammer slapstick of many other films of its type. While I would in no way recommend the film as a classic, I would say that it should be enjoyable to those interested in the "old dark house" genre . . . with a twist. THE PHANTOM can certainly be called a little warped and twisted!