Gloria Stuart was plunged into controversy before she had even appeared in a film. She became the subject of a bidding war between Paramount and Universal. Later on she regretted the fact she did not sign with Paramount but at the time she seemed happy to go to Universal as they were offering more money. Initially Universal had big plans for Gloria and had glowing praise for the actress they thought would star in their high class productions. But Universal's hopes drifted off course and while she was given roles in prestigious productions they were usually only set decoration. OK, Universal wasn't Paramount, but it did have James Whale to give a touch of class and make classics of a lot of its horror productions. Though not as successful as "The Old Dark House", "The Secret of the Blue Room" did have some effective moments and a "I never would have guessed it" ending. The eerie music as it introduced the stars (who wouldn't be scared by the look of terror on Robert Barratt's face) boded well for a gripping movie and I was not disappointed.

As the clock strikes twelve Robert Von Helldorf (Lionel Atwill) toasts his daughter Irene's (Stuart) birthday with a creepy phrase "No one will love you like I" - knowing Atwill you know he will definitely not allow anyone else to love her like him!!! The first red herring!! Irene's three suitors sit around the table until Tommy (William Janney) begs Robert to tell them about the blue room which has been locked for twenty years but he is very reluctant. It had been the scene of three uncanny deaths and now only Paul (Barratt),the ominous butler, has the key.

To prove their bravery the foolhardy trio vow to spend a night each in the blue room, Tommy going first and of course in the morning he is nowhere to be found. Irene is menaced by a strange man and Frank (Onslow Stevens) vows to wait for him - in the blue room, where else!!! And then there was one - Captain Walter Brink (Paul Lucas) quickly calls the Police Commissioner (Edward Arnold, sounding and acting more like a policeman than he did in "Remember Last Night"). All the usual suspects are paraded for his inspection, including a vindictive maid (Muriel Kirkland),a surly mechanic (Russell Hopton) who definitely looks and acts as though he has something to hide - I actually thought he was an undercover policeman, I must have a vivid imagination as the reality was much more down to earth!!! As well as a startling confession by Robert!! There were also secret passages, a chase along a dark, damp stairway and a car that went missing at inappropriate times!!!

1933's "Secret of the Blue Room" was a remake of a 1932 German film titled "Geheimnis des blauen Zimmers," and even uses a few exterior shots from the original, while all interiors were filmed on the same marvelous sets built for James Whale's "The Old Dark House" (1932),also seen in independents such as "The Vampire Bat" and "Strange People." The last of the vintage Universals to utilize Tchaikovsky's serene "Swan Lake" over its opening credits (following "Dracula," "Murders in the Rue Morgue," and "The Mummy"),it begins on a suitably blustery midnight, celebrating the 21st birthday of young Irene von Helldorf (Gloria Stuart),along with her father Robert (Lionel Atwill),and three determined suitors, police captain Walter Brink (Paul Lukas),newspaper reporter Frank Faber (Onslow Stevens),and the much younger Thomas Brandt (William Janney),who impulsively proposes marriage to Irene on the spot. Mocked by the others, the young Brandt brings up the locked blue room, where Irene's mother had died 20 years before, with two others falling victim within since the original tragedy, all at the stroke of 1:00AM. Betting each of his rivals that they must all spend a night in the forbidding salon, Brandt seeks to prove his bravery by going first, only to disappear without a trace before morning, the bed not even slept in. Von Helldorf is reluctant to phone the police, until on the second night, a shot rings out from the blue room, and Faber is murdered at 1:00AM. Lionel Atwill heads a superb cast in his Universal debut, and Edward Arnold turns in some solid sleuthing, as he later would in the 1935 James Whale whodunit "Remember Last Night?" Formerly husband and wife in Whale's "The Kiss Before the Mirror," are Paul Lukas and seductive Gloria Stuart (disrobing just as her jealous husband shoots her dead); she would next appear in Whale's "The Invisible Man," while Lukas would turn up in Whale's "By Candlelight." Part of the original SHOCK! package of vintage Universal horror classics released to television in 1957, this remake was itself twice remade by the same studio, in 1938 as "The Missing Guest," and in 1944 as "Murder in the Blue Room," both of which changed the backstory and added different characters (in this 1933 feature, no one solves the 20 year old mystery of the blue room). Neither of the two remakes were included in the SHOCK! package, but all three turned up on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, with four broadcasts for "Secret of the Blue Room" - May 18 1968 (following 1959's "Terror is a Man"),May 24 1975 (following 1940's "Chamber of Horrors" and 1943's "Calling Dr. Death"),Mar 5 1976 (following 1957's "The Deadly Mantis"),and Sept 10 1983 (solo).

Because it was released by the premier horror studio Universal, focuses on an old castle with a spooky room, and features horror star Lionel Atwill, SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM has been marketed as a horror film throughout the year. It's actually a whodunit with horror elements that influence but never dominate the film. But it would be close-minded to reject this film just because it's not a full-fledged chiller. SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM is an enjoyable film that projects an air of menacing mystery and efficiently moves the plot with a palpable suspense until the movie's resolution.

SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM benefits from attractive sets (leftover from THE OLD DARK HOUSE and FRANKENSTEIN) that convey an ornate yet forbidding castle milieu. Director Kurt Neumann, while no stylist in the James Whale vein, effectively utilizes the setting's atmospheric potential. He provides a suitably eerie aura with taste and restraint, avoiding obvious stunts like self-playing pianos. Such gimmicks would damage the film's mood and credibility.

On the whole, performances are good. The actors and actresses provide believable characterizations that help propel the plot. Particularly impressive are Lionel Atwill as the castle owner troubled by his estate's secrets and Edward Arnold as a detective who handles the castle's mysteries in a domineering, no-nonsense manner. Elizabeth Patterson is mildly annoying as a terrified maid, but fortunately her performance doesn't affect BLUE ROOM's atmosphere.

Curiously, a few of the plot's riddles remain unexplained at the film's end. It would have been logical for Universal to provide a sequel with the same fine cast in order to resolve everything. Instead, the studio chose to remake the film twice with different performers. But BLUE ROOM's minor plot holes shouldn't detract one from enjoying this well-made mystery.