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The Deceiver (film)
Encyclopedia
The Deceiver is a 1931 American mystery film
directed by Louis King
. The film stars Lloyd Hughes
, Ian Keith
and Dorothy Sebastian
. John Wayne
makes a minor appearance as a corpse. The film premiered on November 21, 1931.
Most of The Deceiver takes place in the Broadway
theater where matinee idol Thorpe (Ian Keith
) is starring in a production of Othello
. A rat with women, Thorpe has scattered broken female hearts all along the Great White Way, giving lots of people plenty of incentive to murder him. Sure enough, he is murdered, as is another fellow who holds a vital clue as to the identity of the killer. Second-guessing the detectives, hero Tony (Lloyd Hughes
) tries to solve the mystery himself, if only to clear heroine Ina (Dorothy Sebastian
) of suspicion. The guilty party is tricked into confessing by the cagey Tony.
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
directed by Louis King
Louis King
Louis King was an American actor and movie director of westerns and adventure movies in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. He was born on June 28, 1898 in Christiansburg, Virginia....
. The film stars Lloyd Hughes
Lloyd Hughes
Lloyd Hughes was an American silent film actor.-Life and career:Born in Bisbee, Arizona, Hughes received his education at the Los Angeles Polytechnic School. He sought a career as an actor early in life, and his clean-cut appearance and ability soon gained him recognition...
, Ian Keith
Ian Keith
-Life and career:Born Keith Ross in Boston, Massachusetts, Ian Keith was a veteran character actor of the legitimate theater, and appeared in a variety of colorful roles in silent features of the 1920s. His stage training made him a natural choice for the new "talking pictures"; he played John...
and Dorothy Sebastian
Dorothy Sebastian
Dorothy Sebastian was an American film and stage actress.-Early life and career:Sebastian was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. In her youth she hoped to be a dancer and later a film actress. Her family frowned on both ambitions, however, so she fled to New York at the age of 15...
. John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
makes a minor appearance as a corpse. The film premiered on November 21, 1931.
Plot overview
Actor Reginald Thorpe is found dead in his dressing room, stabbed in the back. Suspects abound.Most of The Deceiver takes place in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
theater where matinee idol Thorpe (Ian Keith
Ian Keith
-Life and career:Born Keith Ross in Boston, Massachusetts, Ian Keith was a veteran character actor of the legitimate theater, and appeared in a variety of colorful roles in silent features of the 1920s. His stage training made him a natural choice for the new "talking pictures"; he played John...
) is starring in a production of Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
. A rat with women, Thorpe has scattered broken female hearts all along the Great White Way, giving lots of people plenty of incentive to murder him. Sure enough, he is murdered, as is another fellow who holds a vital clue as to the identity of the killer. Second-guessing the detectives, hero Tony (Lloyd Hughes
Lloyd Hughes
Lloyd Hughes was an American silent film actor.-Life and career:Born in Bisbee, Arizona, Hughes received his education at the Los Angeles Polytechnic School. He sought a career as an actor early in life, and his clean-cut appearance and ability soon gained him recognition...
) tries to solve the mystery himself, if only to clear heroine Ina (Dorothy Sebastian
Dorothy Sebastian
Dorothy Sebastian was an American film and stage actress.-Early life and career:Sebastian was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. In her youth she hoped to be a dancer and later a film actress. Her family frowned on both ambitions, however, so she fled to New York at the age of 15...
) of suspicion. The guilty party is tricked into confessing by the cagey Tony.
Cast
- Lloyd HughesLloyd HughesLloyd Hughes was an American silent film actor.-Life and career:Born in Bisbee, Arizona, Hughes received his education at the Los Angeles Polytechnic School. He sought a career as an actor early in life, and his clean-cut appearance and ability soon gained him recognition...
as Tony Hill - Dorothy SebastianDorothy SebastianDorothy Sebastian was an American film and stage actress.-Early life and career:Sebastian was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. In her youth she hoped to be a dancer and later a film actress. Her family frowned on both ambitions, however, so she fled to New York at the age of 15...
as Ina Fontanne - Ian KeithIan Keith-Life and career:Born Keith Ross in Boston, Massachusetts, Ian Keith was a veteran character actor of the legitimate theater, and appeared in a variety of colorful roles in silent features of the 1920s. His stage training made him a natural choice for the new "talking pictures"; he played John...
as Reginald Thorpe - Natalie Moorhead as Mrs. Lawton
- 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 Mr. Lawton - George Byron as Speedy
- Greta GranstedtGreta GranstedtGreta Granstedt was a Swedish- American Movie and Television Actress.-Background:Irene "Greta" Granstedt was the second child of Theodore and Emma Granstedt born in Scandia, Kansas....
as Celia Adams - Murray KinnellMurray KinnellMurray Kinnell was an English actor. He appeared in 71 films between 1930 and 1937. He was best known as the two-timing petty-larceny hood Putty Nose in The Public Enemy...
as Breckinridge - DeWitt JenningsDeWitt JenningsDeWitt Clarke Jennings was an American film actor. He appeared in 153 films between 1915 and 1937.-Biography:...
as Inspector Dunn - Al Ernest GarciaAl Ernest GarciaAl Ernest Garcia was an American silent film actor. He starred with Charlie Chaplin in films such as The Circus.-Filmography:...
as Payne - Harvey ClarkHarvey Clark (actor)Harvey Clark was an American actor on stage and screen. He appeared in 198 films between 1915 and 1938.He was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and died in Hollywood, California, from a heart attack....
as Nat Phillips - Sidney Bracey as Barney
- Frank Holliday as Thomas
- Colin Campbell as Dr. Schulz
- Nick Copeland as Stage manager
- John WayneJohn WayneMarion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
as Richard Thorpe as a corpse