The House of Secrets

1936's "The House of Secrets" has an interesting story and excellent cast, but unwinds in maddening fashion. Liverpool-born Leslie Fenton ("The Public Enemy") stars as an American in England, who finds his own inherited mansion already occupied by strangers armed with guns. Occasionally we hear wild screams, and there's rumored to be buried treasure, livened up by strong performers such as Sidney Blackmer, Morgan Wallace, Holmes Herbert, and perennial gangster Noel Madison. Love interest is supplied by the comely Muriel Evans, whose career in features never surpassed her extensive career in Hal Roach comedy shorts, working with Laurel and Hardy, Grady Sutton, and especially Charlie Chase (retiring by 1940, she died in 2000). Leslie Fenton had four more acting roles ahead, switching to directing in 1938, piling up an impressive total of 20 features by 1951 (he died in 1978). This was virtually the last gasp for Chesterfield Pictures, an independent outfit responsible for over 100 features over its 11 year lifespan.