Sing Sing Nights (film)
Encyclopedia
Sing Sing Nights is a 1934 American film directed by Lewis D. Collins
, based on the 1927 novel by American Author Harry Stephen Keeler (Hutchinson 1927, Dutton 1928, Ward & Lock 1929).
Lewis D. Collins
Lewis D. Collins, often known as Lew Collins or Cullen Lewis , was an American film director....
, based on the 1927 novel by American Author Harry Stephen Keeler (Hutchinson 1927, Dutton 1928, Ward & Lock 1929).
Plot summary
Three men have been convicted of the same murder of the, admittedly, quite reprehensible Floyd Cooper, and sit on death row awaiting execution the following mourning. However, only one bullet could have struck the victim first, so only one of the three men is actually guilty of murder, since "the other two shot into a corps," and so must be innocent; but which two? Professor Varney's machine, a kind of lie detector, will determine who is guilty as each man tells the story of how he came to know, hate, and kill the victim.Differences from novel
The film reflects and expands on the framing story, but omits original tales told by the three prisoners in Keeler's novel: The Strange Adventure of the Giant Moth, The Strange Adventure of the Twelve Coins of Confucius, and The Strange Adventure of the Missing Link. The second of these stories, The Twelve Coins, was the basis for the 1935 Bela Lugosi film The Mysterious Mr. Wong. The opening credits of Sing Sing Nights state that the film was "suggested by the novel by Harry Stephen Keeler." The original name of the victim, Howard Craynell is changed to Floyd Cooper in the film, as is the name of the novel's character Eastwood, who is called Howard Trude in the film, and whose nationality is also changed from English to American. The Nationality of the character McCaigh is also changed, in this case, from American to English. Finally, there is the added detail that only one man is actually guilty and the identity of the guilty party is determined by means of a lie detector.Cast
- Conway TearleConway TearleConway Tearle was an Anglo-American stage actor who went on to perform in silent and early sound films.-Early life:...
as Floyd Cooper - Ferdinand GottschalkFerdinand GottschalkFerdinand Gottschalk was an English film actor. He appeared in 76 films between 1917 and 1938. He was born and died in London, England....
as Prof. Varney - Hardie AlbrightHardie AlbrightHardie Albright was an American actor and the son of travelling vaudevillians.Born as Hardie Hunter Albrecht, he made his stage debut in one of his parents' acts at the age of 7....
as Howard Trude - Jameson ThomasJameson ThomasJameson Thomas was an English film actor. He appeared in 82 films between 1923 and 1939.He was born in London and died in Sierra Madre, California, it is said from Tuberculosis....
as Robert McCaigh - Berton ChurchillBerton ChurchillBerton Churchill was a Canadian actor.Born in Toronto, Ontario. As a young man interested in the theater, he appeared in stock companies as early as 1903 and later headed to New York City where he began an acting career that soon put him on the Broadway stage...
as Gov. Duane - Boots MalloryBoots MalloryPatricia "Boots" Mallory was an American film actress, dancer and model.-Career:Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mallory grew up in Mobile, Alabama, attended Murphy High School, and was working in the Lyric Theater as an usherette when the Ziegfeld Follies came to Mobile. Ziegfeld offered her a...
as Ellen Croft - Mary Doran as Anne McCaigh
- Henry KolkerHenry KolkerHenry Kolker was an American stage and film actor and director...
as Kurt Nordon - Lotus LongLotus LongBorn Lotus Pearl Shibata in New Jersey, Lotus Long was an American actor born to a father of Japanese ancestry and a mother of Hawai'ian ancestry. She came to Southern California during the 1920s to act in Hollywood films, and usually portrayed ethnic Asian female characters in supporting roles. ...
as Li Sung - Richard TuckerRichard Tucker (actor)Richard Tucker was an American actor. He appeared in 266 films between 1911 and 1940.He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was the first official member of the Screen Actors Guild and a founding member of SAG's Board of Directors...
as Attorney General - George Baxter as Sergei Krenwicz