The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935)

The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935) is an adaptation of one of the Ellery Queen novels. Two cousins, Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee, who wrote a number of detective novels under the pseudonym of the title character. In this film, Ellery Queen is taking a vacation to California with his friend Judge Macklin.

Of course, they are not long into their vacation, when they find a young girl tied up in their cabin. She is the wealthy neighbor’s daughter. After taking her home, they discover a murder occurred at the estate. When the daughter becomes the main suspect, Ellery Queen decides to help solve the mystery. His infatuation with the Stella Godfrey, played by Helen Twelvetrees, is his main motivation.

Donald Cook, who played Ellery Queen in this film, was born on September 26, 1901. He was educated at the University of Oregon before beginning a stage acting career. He starred in a number of Broadway productions. He started working in films in the early 1930s. He played Mike Powers, the older brother of James Cagney’s Tom Powers, in The Public Enemy (1931).

While he did starring roles initially, he took supporting roles through most of the rest of his careers. Interestingly, he married a princess in 1937. They would remain married until his death from a heart attack on October 1, 1961 at age 60.

This film runs approximately 75 minutes. It is both a comedy and mystery. I found it to be very entertaining. Let me know what you think of it.

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