I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

1935's The Spanish Cape Mystery is an Ellery Queen story starring Donald Cook as Ellery and Helen Twelvetrees. Now, that's a name out of the past! She stopped working in 1939.Ellery Queen goes on vacation to California with one Judge Macklin. They stay at a rented cabin, and before they know it, they are engulfed in murder and mystery. It all involves the Godfrey family who live on the Spanish Cape in a fabulous showplace.Ellery, smitten with Stella (Twelvetrees) tries to stay out of it, but too many murders, and the police detective arresting a new person every day, means he must step in. I have seen Ralph Bellamy do Ellery, and he's a warmer actor, more sarcastic, and more interesting than Cook, who nevertheless enjoyed a prolific career in film and on stage. Considering this film was probably made in a few days it's not bad. It's a little stagy, and the police detective yells at the top of his lungs through the whole movie, which is annoying.I enjoyed the opportunity to see Helen Twelvetrees. I found Donald Cook on the bland side, but Ellery is a cerebral detective, and it's easy to see why he wouldn't register much personality. I did like it, though not as much as some of the other Ellery Queen films.

The Spanish Cape Mystery may be formulaic and clichéd, but that's doesn't mean it's necessarily bad. In fact, I had quite a bit of fun with it. The plot is just what you've come to expect if you've seen a number of these mystery films from the 30s. Ellery Queen goes on vacation (if you're staying next to a detective on vacation, head home) when a series of murders breaks out nearby. One odd aspect of the murders is that all of the victims were found wearing their swim clothes. Once Queen (finally) starts to investigate, it's not long before a killer is unmasked.When I say the movie is formulaic and clichéd, it's filled with things we've all seen a thousand times in movies like this: a crotchety old patriarch, a house full of relatives trying to secure their inheritance, a beautiful young daughter for our detective hero to fall for, a bumbling local sheriff who can't seem to get anything right, and suspects galore. But somehow it all works. The movie is nicely paced and at 73 minutes, events unfold quickly. The acting is overall better than I expected. Highlights for me included Helen Twelvetrees (what a revelation) as Queen's love interest, Harry Stubbs who plays a bumbling sheriff as well as anyone I've seen, and Berton Churchill as Queen's judge friend. In fact, I thought Donald Cook in the main role of Ellery Queen was the weak link. He's too bland. Decent production values for a 30s era B-quickie, nice sets, and some interesting dialogue make this one a fun, late-night film. Overall, a very strong 6/10 from me.

If you see "The Spanish Cape Mystery", set your expectations accordingly. In other words, this is clearly a B-movie--with a relatively low budget and a somewhat familiar sort of story. It isn't intended to be an Oscar contender or high art--just dandy entertainment for the masses. And, in this capacity, it is very successful. I give this movie a 7 because it succeeds very well as a B-mystery--on par with the better Charlie Chan or Boston Blackie films.The film begins with a short little mystery involving Jack LaRue that is wrapped up in mere minutes. However, following this, viewers today KNOW that murders are about to occur. How is that? Well, Ellery (Donald Cook) and his friend, the judge (Berton Churchill), are going on vacation--and in B-mysteries and TV shows (like "Murder, She Wrote") this means that someone MUST die in order to keep the hero from his well-earned vacation! Heck, if I'd ever met any of these private detectives, I would have run for the hills because of this strong propensity for folks to die all around them!! However, Ellery is a bit different in that he doesn't seem all that inclined to investigate the murder. Instead, he'd rather just stand back and make fun of the dopey sheriff investigating. The sheriff, true to the cliché, is a bit of an idiot and he comes up with theories and then tries to find facts to prove his theory! Eventually, Ellery gets off his very sarcastic butt to help once a lady he's infatuated with (Helen Twelvetrees) is accused of the killings! And, not surprisingly, Ellery wraps everything up through the use of a ruse--a little trap--which, again, is a VERY familiar plot device for such a film.While it's obvious that this movie is very formulaic, it gets high marks anyway because the characters are fun. While Donald Cook was not a big-time actor, he did a very good job. It's a shame, then, that he was not asked to reprise the role--as he was the first and probably the best of them. Churchill was also nice, as he was a fun, blustery old guy in films and made for a different sort of sidekick. And, the film managed to do things well all around--with a slightly longer than usual running time for a B, good direction and decent production values. Fun and well worth seeing.

"The Spanish Cape Mystery" is much more fun than you'd expect from a low-budget 1935 murder mystery that failed to launch the series it was probably intended to (an Ellery Queen film series WAS made a few years later, but with a different actor as the title character). A likable hero (who shows his crime-solving credentials early on), a cute heroine, a clueless sheriff, a suspicious butler, and all the other eccentric and shady characters you'd expect - and want - from the genre are here, exchanging lively and often humorous dialogue. I have to admit that the identity of the murderer becomes quite guessable after a point, but several hows and whys remain appropriately baffling. Fans of the genre will enjoy this one. **1/2 out of 4.