The Most Dangerous Game (1932)

Directors:

Irving Pichel
Ernest B. Schoedsack

Writers:

James Ashmore Creelman (screenplay)
Richard Connell (story)

Release Date:

16 September 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Thriller | Horror | Mystery

Plot:

An insane hunter arranges for a ship to be wrecked on an island where he can indulge in some sort of hunting and killing of the passengers.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Hunter | Hunting | Reef | Most Dangerous Game

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Jan. 14

6:00 AM

TCM

Cast

Joel McCrea	...	Bob Rainsford
Fay Wray	...	Eve Trowbridge
Leslie Banks	...	Count Zaroff
Robert Armstrong	...	Martin Trowbridge
Noble Johnson	...	Ivan
Steve Clemente	...	Tartar Servant (as Steve Clemento)
Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian	...	Tarter Servant (as Dutch Hendrian)
William B. Davidson	...	Captain (as William Davidson)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Buster Crabbe	...	Sailor who falls off boat (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	First Mate on Yacht (uncredited)
Arnold Gray	...	Passenger on Yacht (uncredited)
Hale Hamilton	...	Bill - Owner of Yacht (uncredited)
Landers Stevens	...	'Doc' - Passenger on Yacht (uncredited)
Phil Tead	...	Passenger on Yacht (uncredited)

Directed by
Irving Pichel
Ernest B. Schoedsack

Writing credits
James Ashmore Creelman		(screenplay)
Richard Connell		(story)

Produced by
Merian C. Cooper	....	associate producer
David O. Selznick	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Max Steiner

Cinematography by
Henry W. Gerrard		(photographed by) (as Henry Gerrard)

Film Editing by
Archie Marshek		(as Archie E. Marshek)

Art Direction by
Carroll Clark

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Walter Plunkett		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Art Department
John Cerisoli	....	special props (uncredited)
Byron L. Crabbe	....	art department technician (uncredited)
Marcel Delgado	....	special props (uncredited)
Mario Larrinaga	....	art department technician (uncredited)

Sound Department
Clem Portman	....	sound recordist
Murray Spivack	....	sound effects (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Lloyd Knechtel	....	photographic effects (uncredited)
Harry Redmond Jr.	....	special effects (uncredited)
Vernon L. Walker	....	photographic effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Linwood G. Dunn	....	optical effects (uncredited)
Orville Goldner	....	miniatures (uncredited)
Don Jahraus	....	miniatures (uncredited)

Stunts
Buster Crabbe	....	stunt double: Joel McCrea (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert De Grasse	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Gaston Longet	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Norma Drury Boleslavsky	....	musician: piano (uncredited)
Emil Gerstenberger	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Bernhard Kaun	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures (a Cooper and Schoedsack production)

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1932) (USA) (theatrical)
• Radio Pictures (1932) (UK) (theatrical)
• Franfilmdis (1934) (France) (theatrical)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Bach Films (2003) (France) (DVD)
• Bach Films (2009) (France) (DVD)
• Castle Communications (1995) (Finland) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (1999) (USA) (DVD) (first print)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Genius Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (75th anniversary edition)
• Legend Films (2007) (worldwide) (DVD)
• Legend Films (2008) (USA) (DVD) (75th anniversary edition)
• Magnus Opus (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (video)
• Reel Media International (2005) (worldwide) (TV)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)

Other Companies

• Legend Films  colorization
• Legend Films  restoration

Also Known As:

Hounds of Zaroff (UK)

Runtime:

63 min | USA:78 min (preview version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 (1987) | South Korea:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #1348-R: 29 August 1935 for re-release) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1934) | UK:12 (re-rating) | UK:A (cut) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG | USA:PG (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Zaroff's dogs were Great Danes borrowed from Harold Lloyd. While big, Great Danes are not especially threatening, so with their coats subsequently darkened and they were filmed at an especially low angle to appear more menacing.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Rainsford and Zaroff are exiting the bedroom in a scene 14 minutes into the movie, Rainsford is quite clearly entering the door first. When we cut to the hallway, it is Zaroff who is leading the way.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Captain: The channel's here on the chart, all right, and so are the marking lights.
First mate: Then what's wrong with them?
Captain: Those lights don't seem to be in just the right place. They're both a bit out of position according to this.
First mate: Two light buoys means a safe channel between the world over!
Captain: "Safe between the world over" doesn't go in these waters.

Movie Connections:

Edited from Bird of Paradise (1932)

Soundtrack:

A Moment in the Dark

The Hounds of Zaroff

I must have been about 5 years old when I saw this film just before the WAR, in a flea-ridden "picture-house" in Dublin, Ireland, where I was born and brought up. It made such an impression on me that I remembered it all my life, but never remembered the name or any of the cast. I tried without success, and as time passed I began to believe that the Island owner was, perhaps, Conrad Veidt, this was the sort of persona he portrayed to me. I remembered that there were people on a luxury yacht, suddenly wrecked, and that a man and woman were washed up on an island, and after having been given hospitality by a recluse in a large house, were set loose to be hunted. The young man was a famous big game hunter, and he had only a knife with which he devised traps to catch their pursuer who hunted them with a bow and arrows. One trap, I remember was an old log which was triggered somhow to fall and kill whoever who set it off. This film always stayed in the forefront of my mind, and, when, at age about 70, I met a compatriot, a little older, I began to tell him about this film, asking him if he'd ever seen it or knew anything about it. He interrupted me to tell me that it was a story, and gave me the name of the writer, Richard Connell. How did he know this immediately, having barely heard the beginning of my story?? He was a retired English teacher who admired this story so much that,year after year, he always set it for his classes. So then I was able to look it up on the internet and not at all to my surprise found the close connection of the cast and scenery to KING KONG. You see, KING KONG has been my all-time favourite film. I think I've seen it at least 25-30 times and have several video copies of it.