Murder in the Big House DVD

Murder in the Big House is a tight little crime-drama with some fine performances from its lead, particularly Van Johnson and Faye Emerson.

 

 

Murder in the Big House
— Warner Archive Collection —
(1942)

Genre(s): Drama, Crime
Warner Archive | NR – 59 min. – $21.99 | March 6, 2018

Date Published: 03/22/2018 | Author: The Movieman

 

MOVIE INFO: Directed by: B. Reaves Eason Writer(s): Jerry Chodorov (idea); Raymond L. Schrock (screenplay) Cast: Faye Emerson, Van Johnson, George Meeker DISC INFO: Features: None Digital Copy: No Formats Included: DVD Number of Discs: 1 Audio: English (Dolby Digital 1.0) Video: Full Frame 1.37 Subtitles: None Region(s): 1

 

 

PLOT SYNOPSIS

When a condemned killer gets fried ahead of schedule thanks to a freak bold of lightning, a trio of intrepid reporters wants to know who’s cheating the chair. Crime reporter Scoop Conner’s (GEORGE MEEKER) suspicions are raised when he witnesses high-society shyster Bill Burgen (DOUGLAS WOOD) promising condemned killer Dapper Dan Malloy (MICHAEL AMES) a reprieve from the governor after Dapper Dan threatens to name names. After Scoop helps Dan get wise, he takes a swan dive into a bottle, leaving news gal Gladys Wayne (FAYE EMERSON) to grab a new guy Bert Bell (VAN JOHNSON) and head to the pen to cover Dapper Dan’s execution. But a lightning strike on death row saves the state the trouble, and all three reporters smell something rotten at work in the big house.

 

SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5

No features were included.

 

VIDEO – 3.0/5, AUDIO – 3.0/5

The film is presented with a 1.37 full frame aspect ratio and no real surprise this is a sketchy looking with plenty of scratches, dust marks and specs permeating the picture, though some scenes don’t look half bad. The movie comes with a serviceable Dolby Digital Mono track with minimal pops or hisses and outputting clear enough dialogue.

OVERALL – 2.25/5

Overall, Murder in the Big House is a tight little crime-drama with some fine performances from its lead, particularly Van Johnson and Faye Emerson. This DVD-R release from the Warner Archive Collection has okay video and audio transfers but nary any features in sight.