Wednesday, July 6, 2016

"It Couldn't Have Happened (But It Did)"


Playwright Reginald Denny and Inez Courtney, the wisecracking secretary of the play's producers,  have come in the stage door of an unidentified theatre and are walking onstage at the beginning of Phil Rosen's charming film "It Couldn't Have Happened (But It Did)" (Invincible Pictures Corp. / states rights, 1936). 

The film also gives us a few additional backstage shots of this mystery theatre. Other than the backstage views, all the other theatre action was shot at the Mayan Theatre, 1038 S. Hill St. It's unknown why they couldn't shoot backstage -- perhaps the stage was occupied by a show at the time.

The film, set largely in a New York theatre, is about two producers (Claude King and Bryant Washburn) who get murdered. The police think one of the producers killed the other -- but it turns out the suspect had been killed earlier by a third party. It's up to the playwright to solve the mystery. And to wake up and realize the secretary is in love with him. Evelyn Brent is the show's leading lady. We also get a gangster (Jack La Rue) who wants a piece of the show -- or at least a part in it for his blonde girlfriend (Emily LaRue) who has been going to elocution classes. 



Here we get several more of the film's characters pulling up in front of the Mayan. It's evidently the theatre's first appearance in a feature film.  



A lobby scene at the Mayan with lots of plants.  



Another lobby shot. That's our gangster at the center. 



A nice conference at the rear of the auditorium. 


 
 Our playwright puts on a little show to reveal the murderer.



A look over toward the house left side stage during the reenactment.

See the Los Angeles Theatres pages on the Mayan Theatre for many photos of the 1927 legit house, a design of Morgan, Walls & Clements. The theatre, built as a musical comedy house, is now thriving as a music club.

On IMDb:"It Couldn't Have Happened (But It Did)"



A lobby card appearing on IMDb. Behind the performers is the purchase line for the asbestos curtain at the mystery theatre where the backstage shots were done. 

No comments:

Post a Comment