Father Brown, Detective *** (1934, Walter Connolly, Paul Lukas, Gertrude Michael, Robert Loraine) – Classic Movie Review 12,828

The pleasing 1934 American mystery thriller film Father Brown, Detective is a good little go at G K Chesterton’s 1910 story The Blue Cross. It stars Walter Connolly as the crime-solving cleric and Paul Lukas as infamous jewel thief Flambeau.

Director Edward Sedgwick’s pleasing 1934 Paramount Pictures American black and white mystery thriller film Father Brown, Detective is a good little go at G K Chesterton’s 1910 story The Blue Cross, 20 years before the Alec Guinness British film, Father Brown (1954), which is based on the same story.

It stars Walter Connolly as the crime-solving cleric Father Brown, Paul Lukas as the infamous jewel thief Flambeau, Gertrude Michael as Evelyn Fischer, and Robert Loraine as Inspector Valentine.

The 1934 film tells an identical yarn to the 1954 one: infamous diamond jewel thief Flambeau (Paul Lukas) plots to steal gem stones from the diamond cross being protected by crime-solving Roman Catholic priest-sleuth Father Brown (Walter Connolly).

Flambeau announces his intention to steal cross in Father Brown’s church, the priest has twin battles: to keep the cross and save Flambeau’s soul.

Both the performances and the yarn are very entertaining in this amusing little B-movie. Both Connolly and Lukas are well cast and give ideal performances, and there is some excellent character actor support, especially from Robert Loraine, Halliwell Hobbes, Una O’Connor and E E Clive.

The cast are Walter Connolly as Father Brown, Paul Lukas as Flambeau, Gertrude Michael as Evelyn Fischer, Robert Loraine as Inspector Valentine, Halliwell Hobbes as Sir Leopold Fischer, Una O’Connor as Mrs Boggs, E E Clive as Sergeant, Donald Gray as Don, Bunny Beatty as Jenny, Peter Hobbes as Peter, King Baggot as Priest, Douglas Gerrard as Constable, Robert Adair as Policeman, Gwenllian Gill as Flowershop Girl, Fred Walton as Waiter, Alyce Ardell as Maid, Charles Dunbar, George Kirby, and Yorke Sherwood.

Father Brown, Detective is directed by Edward Sedgwick, runs 68 minutes, is made and released by Paramount Pictures, is written by Henry Myers and C Gardner Sullivan, is shot by Theodor Sparkuhl, is produced by Adolph Zukor, Emanuel Cohen, Edward Sedgwick and Bayard Veiller, is scored by Heinz Roemheld, and is designed by Hans Dreier and Robert Usher.

Release date: December 14, 1934 (US).

American character actor Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940) appeared in almost 50 films from 1914 to 1939, but his best known film is It Happened One Night (1934). He occasionally starred: as Father Brown here in Father Brown, Detective, as Nero Wolfe in The League of Frightened Men (1937), in 5th Ave Girl (1939), opposite Ginger Rogers, and as Victor Herbert in The Great Victor Herbert (1939), his last film.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,828

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Father Brown (1954) US Title: The Detective.