The Sphinx (1933 film)

Plot summary

A man comes out of the office of "Garfield Investment Company". He meets the janitor in the stairs and asks him for a match, and then what time it is. "It's nine" the Italian-American janitor Luigi Bacciagalupi (Luis Alberni) answers and wants to know from which apartment he came out. The man leaves without answering. Short after the janitor finds a dead man in the office of "Garfield Investment Company". Newspaperman Burton (Theodore Newton) from the Chronicle is there to talk with the inspector. Before he can see him he talks with the watching police officer and after a while he realizes that the Garfield Investment Company just that morning went bankrupt. "Another broker went down the flush". The janitor recognizes on the police-records the man that came out from the office, Mr. Breed. During the trial he sticks to what he has seen and what he has heard, though two different doctors testify that Mr. Breed is deaf and mute since birth.

Young chronicle newspaperman Jerry Crane, in love with his good looking girl-colleague, has a feeling that Breed is a strange guy and tries to convince her not to go for interview to his house. Meantime a young broker tells him he has a hint, if he gets enough money for it. Breed comes to see the young broker before at half past eight the Burton comes to his house. A second time Mr. Breed asks for the time after seeing his victim. The puzzling case has the parallel love story of the two newspaper-people of the Chronicle. While Burton, that wants to marry Crane, is skeptical about Breed, Crane is fascinated and dedicates him a series of articles. When Inspector Riley thinks he saw Breed hearing the playing of the piano when they are in his house, the next morning a third dead man is on the list.

Cast