The Case of the Frightened Lady (1940)

When the chauffeur to "Lady Lebanon" (Helen Haye) is found strangled with one of her expensive silk scarves, Scotland Yard detective "Tanner" (George Merritt) and his slightly goofy sidekick "Totty" (Ronald Shiner) descend on her country pile to investigate. It's not long before we discover that there are plenty of suspects for the murderer of this rather odious gent - not least the frequent visitor "Dr. Amersham" (Felix Aylmer) and her son, the present "Lord Lebanon" (Marius Goring) whom she is pressuring to marry "Isla" (Penelope Dudley-Ward). The whodunit element is quite well stitched together, with Aylmer and Haye working well together with Goring to create just a hint of menace as the rather thin story heads for quite a quirky ending. The production benefits from the stately home scenario, there is quite a compelling effort from Goring towards the end and there are some nice old cars too. Though really quite a slow burn, it is still worth watching.