Witching Hour (1934)

People actually took this film seriously?

Amazing.

This wild tale has a young man in love with the daughter of  a rich gambler. When the gambler hypnotizes his future son in law he unconsciously puts the suggestion in his head that he should kill a certain rival. When its realized what has happened-the young man has no memory of the killing-the hunt is on to find an attorney who will defend him and make a jury believe what has happened.

Based on a play that played for 212 performances several decades before it was turned into a film Witching Hour is the sort of film they don't make any more for good reason- it would be laughed off the screen. At the same time when seen as a film from long ago it's entertaining.

I doubt that you'll buy any of this, from the gambler's ESP to the ghostly appearance of our hero's grandmother to how the case is won, it's all faniciful speculation and contrivance- and yet you'll keep watching. Why? because it's so wonderfully out there you'll have to see how it all is going to come together.

Wacky doesn't begin to describe it.

Its a great deal of fun and should you run across it give it a look.