Detective Lloyd (1932) User Reviews (2)

Time to get it correct

[horn-5 · 23 August 2008]

DETECTIVE LLOYD (the correct name of this 12-chapter serial) was produced/financed by Action Pictures Inc., the serial-producing unit of Universal Pictures Corporation, headed by unit-manager/producer Henry MacRea. It was filmed entirely in London and the cast was made up completely from actors in UK films and the UK stage, and other than the writers and MacRae, all of the crew members, such as cinematographer Desmond Dickinson, were UK-based. It is an American-company production, and it is a USA country-of-origin film, and "Lloyd of the C.I.D" is the UK aka-title and not the primary nor country-of-origin title. The UK-version also differs in that the title of the first chapter was "The Green Spot Murder" on country-of-origin prints, and was changed to "The Green Spot Mystery" on the UK-aka "Lloyd of the C.I.D" version. The UK certificate board was seldom fond of 'murder' in any title, even the first chapter/episode of an America-produced serial. And Chapter Nine in the USA-primary title "Detective Lloyd" was "The Fatal Plunge" but was changed to "Imprisoned in the Tower" on the UK prints.

Henry MacRae gave the lead role of "Chief Inspector Lloyd of the C.I.D" to an Australian-born actor named Claude Saunders, then appearing on-stage in a London play. For the film, MacRae changed the actor's name to Jack Lloyd, in one of those actor-and-characters share names deals. There was already a Jack Lloyd who had appeared in some earlier Universal films. Saunders' only film experience had come a few years earlier in an Australian-film, and the title role in "Detective Lloyd" appears to be his only other cast-credited film, albeit by two different names.

The plot centers around a sacred amulet that once adorned the royal arm of the boy-Pharaoh Tutankhamen and is now in the possession of Lord Randall Hale of Deep-Deen Manor. The zealous and ruthless priests of the Temple of Amenhotep want it back, and a gang of international crooks are also after it, led by Giles Wales aka The Panther (and it's never a secret just who The Panther is to the audience and most of the cast, which is why actor Wallace Geoffrey gets to show off his disguise-talents several times.) Scotland Yard Detective Lloyd, in the serial correctly called DETECTIVE LLOYD (and known in the UK as "Lloyd of the C.I.D") strives mightily to see that the amulet remains with Lord Randall Hale, especially since Detective Lloyd is rather fond of Hale's perky niece from Canada, Diana Brooks.

Interesting if not overly exciting

[microx96002 · 6/10 · 13 February 2005]

This 12 chapter serial was the first one I had the pleasure of watching in it's entirety, one chapter per week on Britain's ITV network back in the early 1980's. Raiders of the Lost Ark had brought a new interest in this type of entertainment, as it itself was based on the amazing exploits of serial adventurers in the 1930's and 40's. This is no Raiders of The Lost Ark tho. The star seems to have disappeared apart from Saps at Sea (Laurel and Hardy) he doesn't appear to have any other movies after this one. And IMDb.com seems to have his d.o.b wrong, as this would've made him (Jack Lloyd) only 10 years old in this movie. It is today considered to be lost, as are several of Universal's early talkie serials. The plot concerns several groups, including master of disguise The Panther in search of a valuable ancient Egyptian amulet. It's been 25 years since I saw this movie, so details of the plot are vague now.But if memory serves me correctly, it plays out like an old dark house type mystery.