Prof. James Houghland (Charles Hill Mailes) has invented a new technology for that newest of new products: the television. Multiple companies want his invention, and secretive people threaten him. During his demonstration, he is murdered. Nelson, the chief of police (Henry Mowbray) has many suspects, including Houghland’s assistant Dr. Arthur Perry (Bela Lugosi), medical experimentalist Dr. Henry Scofield (Huntley Gordon), Richard Grayson (George Meeker), and the two servants, Isabella – the Cook (Hattie McDaniel) and Ah Ling – The Houseboy (Allen Jung), and he is keeping them all close at hand until he finds the murderer.
In 1935, this was science fiction. Transmitting moving images from multiple locations around the world onto a large screen was something yet to happen. It would be nearly a decade before commercial television broadcasts were more than just a lark. Now the technological death ray of this film, and the “science” of determining who could be a killer by examining their brain… Yeah, those things haven’t happened yet, and the second was stupid at the time. So, this is science fiction—very slow and dim science fiction.
But no one watches this film based on that genre. With its name including the word “murder” and the presence of Bela Lugosi, Murder by Television is often classified as horror. How does it stack up as horror? Significantly worse than it does as a mystery or science fiction. It’s not tense or frightening, nor does it try to be either. It’s plodding, with each clue examined and discussed two or three times longer than necessary. As a procedural, it’s tedious.
The characters are mostly forgettable, though not the subservient, hysterical Black cook or the fortune-cookie quoting Asian house boy. Yes, he’s a “house boy.” When the white woman sees someone who looks like the dead man, she calmly tells the others that she’s seen something she can’t explain. When the cook sees the same thing, she comes screaming into the room, yelling “Oh’lordy Lordy!” and drops to her knees blubbering about ghosts. I’ve seen more racist portrayal, but Hattie McDaniel is usually a bit less embarrassing.
The only other actor to make a mark doesn’t make me cringe. Bela Lugosi doesn’t have much of a part to work with, but he’s charismatic enough that I didn’t mind most of the overly long discussions that he was a part of. Although even he couldn’t pull off the never-ending speech at the end, where there are long pauses as the camera frames one person, then the next, and then the next. Yes, I know they are all listening. Maybe you could show them while he’s talking instead of giving us a few words, then a couple second shot of each and every person in the room, and then a few more words, rinse and repeat.
Murder by Television isn’t terrible. It’s just not very interesting, and the basic filmmaking skill is lacking. This was made in 1935, when most of the industry was getting the hang of how to make films in the sound era. I’d have bet this was made in 1930 if I hadn’t seen the date. It’s primitive next to Dracula, which was made four years earlier. Lugosi isn’t enough of a reason to spend an hour with Murder by Television. Just watch Dracula again.