Chess in the Movies (1903-1947)

by Bill Wall

In August 1903, perhaps the first movie with a chess scene was A Chess Dispute. It
was a British 1-minute black-and-white silent comedy film. Two dapper gentlemen
play a game of chess at an outdoor cafe. As one of the players look away, the other
player shifts his king and takes an enemy piece off the chessboard. A fight then
ensues following a disputed chess move. From squirting with a seltzer bottle to a
fist fight, the players wrestle each other to the floor. They continue the fight out of
the camera's view, hidden by the wooden table until the water arrives to haul the
chess bums out. The director was English film pioneer Robert W. Paul (1869-1943)
and produced by his studio, Paul's Animatograph Works. One of the actors was
Alfred Collins.

On April 18, 1906, Game of Chess was released by the Winthrop Press.

In February 1908, Partie d'echecs (Playing at Chess) was released in France by the
Pathe Freres Production Company. An old gentleman with his pretty wife and a
male friend go out for a walk. They reach a cafe and they seat themselves at a table.
The husband invites his friend to a game of chess, and the latter accepts. But as
soon as they are engaged at the game the wife signals to the young man that she
will wait for him at a table outside. He understands; and soon the husband becomes
so engrossed in the game that he does not see that the man has departed, but
continues to figure out the board with his eyes glued on the pieces. The other player
meanwhile is kissing the wife to mutual satisfaction; and then he sees through the
window that the husband has at last made his move. He dashes back to the table
and makes the last move, winning the game. The old fellow congratulates him, and
the trio depart, the husband suspecting nothing.

In February 1909, A Game of Chess was released by the Lubin Manufacturing

Company.

In May 1910, After Many Years was released by the Selig Polyscope Company.
One evening, when the father is interested in a game of chess, the son comes to him
with a letter from the governmental office telling him of his appointment to an
engineering post in Virginia.

In August 1911, The Assigned Servant, directed by Australian director Jack Gavin
(1875-1938), was released. This Australian silent film is about an English convict
(Jack Gavin) who is transported to Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land). He is assigned
as a servant to a settler and falls in love with the daughter of the house (Agnes
Gavin). They play chess. He secretly marries her but when this is revealed he is
sent back to prison. He escapes by and swims to freedom. He then robs the mail
coach. He is saved by his aboriginal friend during a fight with police. After learning
his wife has died he returns to England.

In September 1911, Mated by Chess was released in the USA. It was produced by
the Societe des Etablissements L. Gaumont in France. Edwin and Marjorie are two
lovers whose fathers, not being on friendly terms, will not consent to their
engagement. The two fathers are pitted against each other in a chess match. Each
places his child as a stake in the game. Each loses a game and using these results as
an omen of good, the fathers consent to the children's engagement. (source: Moving
Picture World, September 1911, p. 644)

In October 1911, His Stubborn Way, produced by Siegmund Lubin (1851-1923),

was released. Samuel Blumstead played chess with Will's father.

On January 1, 1912, Cinderella, adapted and produced by Colin Campbell (1859-

1928), was released in the United States by the Selig Polyscope Company. It had a
small chess scene. The release flier for the movie showed a chess table and chess
set in front of the cast members. The cast included Mabel Taliaferro (1887-1979) as
Cinderella, Thomas J. Carrigan (1886-1941) as Prince Charming, Frank Weed,
Lillian Leighton, Josephine Miller, and Olive Cox. (source:
http://digitalcollections.oscars.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15759coll1/id/273)

On August 18, 1912, A Game of Chess silent film was released. The action takes
place around a chess game being played by two very old men. One of the old
fellows is the father of a delightful daughter (Mabel Trunnelle (1879-1981)), and
she is in love with the handsome son (Herbert Prior (1867-1954)) of the other old
man. However, at a close point in the game the fathers quarrel bitterly and sever
their friendly relations. The young folks appearing then, each take the part of their
father and the engagement is broken off. The young man wheels his father away in
his invalid chair while the girl remains by her father as weeps. Both old men fall
asleep. The young couple have a change of heart. They place the chair in its former
position and rearrange the chessmen in about the same positions they occupied
before the quarrel. The old men wake up and go on playing chess, each believing
that the previous events had been nothing but a dream. (source: Moving Picture
World, Aug 10, 1912, p. 552)

In October 1912, The Old Chess Players was released in the USA by the Lubin
Manufacturing Company. Two old men, a German cobbler and a Jewish
pawnbroker, have been friends since youth. The pawnbroker, a widower, has a boy
twenty year of age. The cobbler (Richard Travers) and his wife have a daughter.
Their places of business are near one another and after their day's work, Dora
Brand (Dorothy Mortimer) and Isa Stern (Travers) spend their evenings in their
favorite game of chess.
In September 1913, L'Incarnation de William Sherp, directed by Georges-Andre
Lacroix (1880-1920), was released by Gaumont in France. It was also known as the
Double Incarnation of William Sherp (Sheep). It had several chess scenes. It starts
out with William Sherp becoming ill and stays home. While staying home, he
studies a chess problem. Later that evening, Sherp plays a game of chess against his
tailor and creditor, Nicolas Pickles, in order to clear his debts. Whilst playing. Both
players fall asleep. Sherp falls into a dream where he encounters a mysterious man
(Harry Brown) at a chess club who has the power to take his identity. Sherp loses a
chess game to Brown. He loses his soul which ends up haunting him. In the chess
scene, the board is set up wrong (black square to the right, rather than white
square).

In May 1914, On the Chess Board of Fate, directed by Frank Crane (1873-1948),
was released. The only chess reference in the film seems to be the title.

In July 1914, Een partij schaak (A Game of Chess), directed by Louis Chrispijn
(1854-1926), was released in the Netherlands. The film was described as a "mime
drama." A husband (Johan Gildemeijer) suspects his wife (Annie Bos) of cheating
with a younger man (Jan van Dommelen). While playing a game of chess with a
young friend of the family, the husband falls asleep. The young man takes
advantage of the situation to make a declaration of his love to his friend's wife, but
she, loving her husband, rejects his advances. The gentleman wakes up suddenly,
suspects his wife of having done something improper, becomes angry, maltreats her
and then faints. When he regains consciousness, he believes that he has had a bad
dream. The wife and the friend pretend that nothing has happened. In any case, the
husband is now - rightly - convinced of his wife's unswerving love.

In November 1914, The Wishing Ring: An Idyll of Old England, directed by

Maurice Tournier (1876-1961), was released. After being expelled from college,
Giles (Chester Barnett) runs away from home and meets a young lady who he falls
for. Sally (Vivian Martin), the local parson's daughter, plays chess very well. She
visits with the Earl of Bateson (Alec Francis) every day to play chess and distract
him from the pain he suffers from gout. A newspaper advertisement of the day
shows Sally playing chess with the Earl of Bateson. (source:
https://centuryfilmproject.org/2015/01/28/wishing-ring-1914/)

In January 1915, A Fool There Was, directed by Frank Powell (born in 1886) and
produced by William Fox (1879-1952), was released in America. It starred Edward
Jose (1880-1930) and Theda Bara (1885-1955), the screen's first sex symbol. The
film was called a psychological drama. There is a chess scene in the film near the
end where a chess set is set up on a table. Four people sit around the table, but no
one plays chess. The film popularized the word vamp (short for vampire) which
describes a femme fatale who causes the moral degradation of those she seduces.
John Schuyler (Edward Jose), a rich Wall Street lawyer and diplomat, is a husband
and a devoted family man. He is sent to London and Italy on a diplomatic mission
without his wife and daughter. On the ship (the "Gigantic") he meets the "Vampire
woman" (Theda Bara) who uses her charms to seduce men, only to leave after
ruining their lives. Schuyler is later disgraced and dismissed from his post.

On January 14, 1915, a two-reel film called Pawns of Fate, was released. Frank
Marston, played by Frank Lloyd (1886-1960), and his daughter Helen, played by
Helen Leslie, start a game of chess while waiting for her fiancee to come to take
her to a party. After they leave, Frank looks at the chessmen and sees the black
knight change into himself, the white queen into Anita, a Mexican girl (played by
Gretchen Lederer), and a white knight into a man called Marc Bailey (Marc
Robbins). A gunfight is started and Anita is shot. The scene fades back into the
library. The black knight has disappeared, and the white queen lies prostate on
chessboard. (source: Motography, Jan 16, 1915, p. 109)

In 1915, a film was made at the Manhattan Chess Club covering the opening of the
New York, 1915 masters' tournament. Jose Capablanca and Frank Marshall appear
in the film. The film was directed by Raymond J. Brown for Pathe-Freres News.
(sources: Motography, May 8, 1915, p. 752 and American Chess Bulletin, May-
June 1915, p. 91)

On May 1915, a film was released by the Edison Company called His Peasant
Princess. The king of Steinfeldt and the king of Rodenkurst quarrel over a game of
chess, and for years the kings are on anything but friendly terms. The barons of
both kingdoms try to effect a reconciliation by suggesting the marriage of Karl of
Rodenkurst to the Princess of Steinfeldt. However, Karl is in love with a beer maid
near his school and refuses to meet the princess. He turns his back when the
princess enters, and she greets him with "Will you have a stein of beer?" It turns
out the princess, to escape the public, worked as a bar maid. The lovers become
married and peace is restored in the two kingdoms. (source: Motography, May 15,
1915, p. 802)

In 1916, Shakmaty Zhizni (Chess Game of Life), directed by Alexander Uralsky,

was released in Russia. The film tells about a woman who morally "degenerates"
with the help of love. Inna, played by Vera Kholodnaya (1893-1919), waltzes on
top of a large chessboard at the end of the film. She was the first star of a Russian
silent film.

In February 1916, the German film Als ich tot war / Wo ist mein Schatz? (When I
Was Dead / Where is My Treasure?) was released. It was directed and starred Ernst
Lubitsch (1892-1947). The husband (Der Gatte) gets a note inviting him to the
chess club (Der Schachklub). He spends the evening at the chess club (he is playing
a very slow player), despite the protest of his wife (Die Gattin) Paula (played by
Louise Schenrich), and his mother-in-law (Schwiegermutter), played by Lanchen
Voss. He returns home late in the evening but is locked out of his house by the
mother-in-law. He enters his house the next morning. He reads a note from his wife
that one of them has to leave the house, so he chooses to leave. He later disguises
himself as a servant and gets a job at his own house.

In March 1916, The Chess Queen, directed by Charles Allan Gilbert (1873-1929)
and produced by John Randolph Bray (1879-1978), was released. It is an early
American silhouette animation of Greek stories. There are no known prints of this
film.

In June 1916, The Mystery of the Leaping Fish, directed by John Emerson (1874-
1956) and Christy Cabanne (1888-1950), and starring Douglas Fairbanks (1883-
1939), was released. Coke Ennyday (Fairbanks), a cocaine-shooting detective,
surrounds himself with chess and checkerboard squares. His clothes and car are
checker-board squared. He plays a game of checkers on his car that has a
checkerboard, but no chess.

In August 1916, Fate's Chessboard, was completed, but may have never been
released (one source says it was released in December 1916). It also had the
working title of Fate's Bond. The film was made by the Florida Feature Films
Company. The film was about the Florida Seminole Indians. Another source says it
was released in 1920.

In December 1916, The Wharf Rat, directed by Chester Withey (1887-1939) and
written by Anita Loos (1889-1981), was released. It has a chess scene. The film
starred Mae Marsh (1894-1968) as Carmen Wagner, Robert Harron (1893-1920) as
Edward Holmes, and Spottiswoode Aitken (1867-1933) as the grandfather, Carl.
Edward plays chess with the grandfather.

In January 1917, Malombra, directed by the Italian director Carmine Gallone

(1885-1973), was released, starring Lyda Borelli (1884-1959) and Amleto Novelli
(1885-1924). There is a chess scene (Una partita a scacchi) halfway in the film. The
men are playing chess in the study. One of the men resigns and Marina di
Malombra (Lyda Borelli) comes over to play a game of chess with Doctor Corrado
Silla (Amleto Novelli). Marina lives in a castle in the middle of Lake Como prior to
her wedding. She begins to read letters written by an ancestor called Cecilia. She
finds out that Cecilia was driven to her death by her uncle. Marina identifies with
Cecilia and takes revenge on her behalf by murdering her uncle. After she has done
this, Marina commits suicide.

In 1917, No. 5 of the Selig World Library news reel features human figures in a
game of chess on a huge chess board in Chicago. (source: Moving Picture World,
Sep 8, 1917, p. 1532)
In April 1918, Rich Man Poor Man, directed by J. Searle Dawley (1877-1949) and
starring George Backus (1857-1939) and Marguerite Clark (1883-1940) was
released. Following the death of her mother, Betty Wynne (Clark) becomes the
drudge of the boarding house until one of her friends introduces her as the missing
grandchild of John K. Beeston (Frederick Warde). When the deception is
discovered, Betty has made such an impression Beeston that he insists that she
remain, and since the man she loves is the real missing heir, she quite readily
consents to becoming a member of the household. There is a scene where Wynne
holds a chess piece as a man tells here she will have a castle one day. This is
considered a "lost" film, which means that no surviving copies are thought to exist.

In 1919, the film Summer Girls was released. A poster for the movie show a couple
playing chess with a tagline that says, "What's the Answer, Chess or No!" (source:
Chess Amateur, Oct 1919, p. 11)

In May 1919, The Cry of the Weak, directed by George Fitzmaurice (1885-1940),
was released. District Attorney Dexter (Frank Elliott) plays chess with his neighbor
Judge Creighton (Walt Whitman). It is considered a lost film. (source: The
American Film Institute Catalog, 1911-1920)

In October 1919, Die Pest in Florenz (The Plague of Florence), directed by Otto
Rippert (1869-1940), was released in Germany. Fritz Lang (1890-1976) wrote the
screenplay. The film is set in renaissance Florence in 1348 just before the Black
Plague hits. Two members of the clergy in Florence play chess.

In December 1919, His Wife's Friend, directed by Joseph de Grasse (1873-1940)

and starring Dorothy Dalton (1893-1972), Warren Cook, and Richard Neill, was
released. The film was adapted from the 1918 novel The White Rook, by John
Burland Harris-Burland (1870-1926) (see
https://books.google.com/books?id=909AAQAAMAAJ&printsec). There is a chess
scene where Lady Marion Grimwood (Dalton) plays chess with Lord Waverly
(Neil). Sir Robert Grimwood (Warren Cook) is addicted to chess and lives to play
chess. The poster for the film shows a man holding a white rook in front of Dorothy
Dalton and advertised that this is a game of chess for human lives. (sources: The
Film Maker's Guide, 1911-1920 and
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dorothy_Dalton_His_Wife%27s_Friend
_Film_Daily_1919.png)

In November 1920, Dangerous Business, directed by Roy William Neill (1887-

1946) and starring Constance Talmadge (1898-1973), was released. Its alternate
title was The Human Chess-Board. Nancy Flavell (Talmadge) escapes matrimony
by declaring that she is already married to her rich father's secretary. The film is
based on "The Chessboard," published in Young's Magazine by Madeline Sharp.
In March 1921, The Charming Deceiver, directed by George Sargent (1863-1944),
was released. Edith Denton Marsden (Alice Calhoun) invites John Adams Stanford
(Charles Kent) to sit down as her grandfather is anxious to beat him in chess.

In March 1921, Bobby Bumps Checkmated, directed by Earl Hurd (1880-1940),

was released. It was a short, animated film. Bobby and his dog, Fido, play chess.
(source: Moving Picture World, April 9, 1921, p. 630)

In May 1921, The Lost Romance, directed by William D. deMille (1878-1955),

was released. Dr. Allen Erskine's maiden aunt Elizabeth attempts to save her
nephew's floundering marriage by staging the kidnaping of her nephew's son, in the
hope that the married couple will be drawn closer together by the experience. Mark
Sheridan (Jack Holt) and Dr. Allen Erskine (Conrad Nagel) play chess.

In July 1921, The Conquering Power, directed by Rex Ingram (1892-1950) and
starring Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926), Alice Terry (1900-1987), and Ralph
Lewis (1872-1937), was released. After losing his father, the banker's son and
playboy moves in with his miserly uncle in Paris, who seeks to cheat him out of his
inheritance. Charles Grandet (Valentino) plays chess with his uncle, Monsieur
Grandet (Lewis). There are several chess scenes.

In August 1921, The Three Musketeers, directed by Fred Niblo (1874-1948) and
produced by Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (1883-1939), was released. Fairbanks played
d'Artegnan. At the beginning of the film, there is a title card that says, "...its men
and women merely pawns in a game." It starts out with a chess game with the board
set up wrong (corner light square on the left instead of the right) and the king and
queen on the wrong squares. King Louis XIII, played by Adolphe Menjou (1890-
1963), plays chess with Cardinal Richelieu, played by Nigel De Brulier (1877-
1948).

In September 1921, The Affairs of Anatol, directed by Cecil B. DeMille (1881-

1959) and starring Gloria Swanson (1899-1983), Wallace Reid (1891-1923), and
Elliott Dexter (1870-1941) was released. Vivian Spencer (Swanson) plays chess
with Max Runyon (Elliott Dexter) using large chess pieces. The board was set up
wrong.

In October 1921, Les Trois Mousquetaires, directed by Henri Diamant-Berger

(1895-1972), was released in France. Chess is played in the king's court.

In March 1922, Geld auf der Strasse (Gold in the Street), directed by Reinhold
Schuenzel (1888-1954), was released in Austria. There is a chess scene where two
men are playing chess.
In April 1922, The Man Beyond, directed by Burton King (1877-1944) and starring
Harry Houdini (1874-1926), was released. Frozen for a century in a block of arctic
ice, Howard Hillary (Harry Houdini) is freed by a group of explorers. They bring
him back to New York City, where he runs into Felice Strange (Jane Connelly), a
woman who bears a striking resemblance to his onetime fiancee. Felice plays chess
with her father, Dr. Crawford Strange (Albert Tavernier) who is falling asleep.

In May 1922, Tracks, directed by Joseph Franz (1884-1970), was released. A man
cheats in a game of chess.

In July 1922, The Prisoner of Zenda, directed by Rex Ingram (1895-1969), was
released. When the king is drugged and abducted by his ambitious brother, a
lookalike relative must take his place to keep the evil sibling off the throne.
Princess Flavia (Alice Terry) plays chess with Marshal von Strakencz (Edward
Connelly) in her apartment in the palace.

In October 1922, Robin Hood, directed by Allan Dwan (1885-1981) and starring
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (1883-1939) was released. An hour into the film, a chess set
on a table can be seen in the background in one of the scenes as Robin Hood enters
the castle of Prince John (Sam de Grasse).

In November 1922, Under Two Flags, directed by Tod Browning (1880-1962), was
released. It is a story of the French Foreign Legion in North Africa. Corporal Victor
(James Kirkwood) carves chess pieces and presents them to the Princess Corona
d'Amaque (Ethel Grey Terry). She takes one in her hand and the title card says,
"They are beautiful — are they for sale?" He responds (in a title card), "The honor
of your acceptance, if you will give that."

In January 1923, No Wedding Bells, directed by Mort Peebles and Larry Semon
(1889-1928), was released. Larry (Larry Semon) is in love with The Girl (Lucille
Carlisle), the daughter of a chess player (Oliver Hardy (1892-1957)). Larry is about
to tell his prospective father-in-law when he is on the edge of winning his first
game in 20 years against his friend (Glen Cavender). Larry accidently upsets the
chess board and all the pieces when he crawls under the board to retrieve a burning
cigar.

In March 1923, Daddy, directed by E. Mason Hopper (1885-1967), was released.

Jackie Savelli (Jackie Coogan) plays chess with Cesare Gallo (Cesare Gravina).

In May 1923, A Tale of Pekin appeared in Chicago theatres. It depicted Chinese

singing and dancing by Bartram and Saxton. It starts out with Bartram and Saxton
playing chess on a small table. They start singing while seated but rise at the
conclusion of the verse.
In September 1923, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, directed by Wallace Worsley
(1878-1944) and starring Lon Chaney (1883-1930) as Quasimodo, was released.
An hour and a half into the film, a chess set and two players sitting at the table can
be seen in the right foreground in the tavern, just before they are called to arms.

In December 1923, White Tiger, written and directed by Tod Browning (1880-
1962) and starring Raymond Griffith (1895-1957), was released. Three crooks pull
off a magnificent crime. As they're forced to hide out together they slowly begin to
distrust each other. A chess automaton (similar to The Turk) plays chess with a
customer at a wax musee in London. It was called the most baffling of all the
exhibits — the mechanical chess-player. It was owned and operated by Roy
Donovan (Griffith), also known as "the Kid." The mechanical chess-player is taken
to New York and is used to smuggle Donovan into a wealthy man's home to rob
him. In one line, Dick Longworth (Matt Moore) comes in and says, "Bishop Vail
(Emmett King) is anxious to defeat your chess-player — may I have you arrange
another match?" The chess automaton was wheeled into a mansion with the words,
"And now the game — with its promise of financial independence or....prison." The
endgame was played with no kings. After the automaton wins, the film states,
"Heedless of the human pawns below, the chessman makes its master-move in the
greatest game it has ever played." The Kid stole some jewels and hid it in the
automaton. The automaton was later wheeled out and the thieves made off with 13
pieces of jewelry.

In January 1924, A Lady of Quality, directed by Hobart Henley (1887-1964), was

released. In 1690, Clorinda Wildairs breaks off an affair with Sir John Ozen to
become engaged to a rich nobleman, Mertoun, the Duke of Osmonde. Clorinda
accidentally kills Sir John when he, infuriated by her forthcoming marriage,
threatens to blackmail her. She buries the body in the cellar and admits her act to
the forgiving Osmonde before marrying him. Chess is played in a tavern.

In May 1924, A Game of Chess, directed by James Wallace and R.C. Turner, was
released in New York as a Broadway play. It was about the struggle between the
castes of Russia. The aristocrat (Warren Ives) and the peasant (Thomas Scofield)
play chess in a room in the house of the aristocrat during the reign of the Czar.

In November 1924, Das Wachfigurenkabinett (The Waxworks), directed by Paul

Leni (1885-1929) and starring Emil Jennings (1884-1950), was released in
Germany. The Caliph of Baghdad, Haroun-al-Rashid, (Jennings) plays chess with
his Grand Vizier (Paul Biensfeldt). The title card reads, "The Caliph kept his brain
from becoming as fat as his stomach by a daily game of chess with the Grand
Vizier." The caliph gets checkmated and he swipes some of the pieces of the board
with his cane. The board is set up wrong.

In November 1924, Le Miracle des loups (The Miracle of the Wolves), directed by
Raymond Bernard (1891-1977), was released in France. The narrative takes place
in the 15th century, when Louis XI (Charles Dullin) was at odds with Charles of
Burgundy. The king's forces are attacked by the Burgundian troops and Beauvais
must be defended until reinforcements can arrive. The defense of the city is led by
Jeanne Hachette. There are scenes in which wolves attack some of the opponents of
Louis XI. In one scene, Bische (Bernard) studies a chess position. The director is
listed in the credits as a chess player.

In December 1924, Entr'acte, directed by Rene Clair (1898-1981) and starring

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) and Man Ray (1890-1976), was released. It was a
French short avante-garde film shown between the acts for a ballet (Relache) at the
Theatre des Champs-Elysees. Duchamp and Ray play chess with a wooden board
on top of a building in Paris. Later on, water is poured over the board, washing
away the pieces.

In December 1924, He Who Gets Slapped, directed by Victor Sjostrom (1879-

1960) and starring Lon Chaney, Ruth King, and Marc McDemott, was released. A
clown endeavors to rescue the young woman he loves from the lecherous count
who once betrayed him. Baron Regnard (Marc McDermott) and Marie Beaumont
(Ruth King) play chess in a Paris villa. The king and queen are set up wrong on the
board.

In January 1925, Visages d'enfants (Faces of Children; Mother), directed by

Jacques Feyder (1885-1948), and starring Henri Duval and Victor Vina, was
released in France. In the Swiss Alps, a man whose wife has died remarries, and his
new wife has a daughter of her own from a previous marriage. The man's young
son, however, resents his father's new wife, not wanting her to take the place of his
beloved mother, and makes life miserable for his new stepsister. Canon Taillier
(Duval) plays chess on a large chessboard with another member of the clergy, and
loses.

In January 1925, A Thief in Paradise, directed by George Fitzmaurice (1885-1940),

and starring Claude Gillingwater (1870-1939) and Alec Francis (1867-1934), was
released. Noel Jardine (Gillingwater) and Bishop Saville (Francis) try to play chess
but are often interrupted. The Bishop loves rousing his friend's fiery temper by
trying to help himself to an extra move in chess, but he never gets away with it. The
board is set up wrong. The film is considered a lost film. (source: Motion Picture
Magazine, Mar 1925, p. 59)

In October 1925, the Broadway play Arabesque, directed by Norman-Bel Geddes,

opened in New York City. The setting was the Middle East. Chess is being played
by a younger Arab (Victor Hammond) and an older Arab (Conrad Cantzen).

In December 1925, the classic chess film Chess Fever (Shakhmatnaya Goryachka),
directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin (1903-1953), was released. It is a 28-minute
comedy about the Moscow 1925 chess tournament. The film combines acted parts
with actual footage from the tournament. The hero's (Vladimir Fogel)
preoccupation with chess leads to him missing his own wedding ceremony, but the
marital peace is restored with the help of the World Chess Champion, Jose Raúl
Capablanca.

In January 1926, Three Pals, directed by Wilbur McGaugh (1895-1965) and Bruce
Mitchell, was released. Colonel Jefferson Girard (Joseph Swickard) and Major
Peter Wingate (William Turner) play chess every day.

In February 1926, Die Abenteuer Des Prinzen Achmed (The Adventures of Prince
Achmed), directed by Lotte Reininger (1899-1981), was released in Germany. It is
the oldest surviving animated feature film. It was an animated film with a
silhouetted chess game played by Dinarsade, daughter of the Caliph of Baghdad,
against one of her attendants.

In April 1926, Dinky Doodle in Egypt, directed by Walter Lantz (1899-1994), was
released. This animated cartoon has Dinky Doodle visiting Egypt. Dinky falls in
love with a beautiful princess, whose father plays chess with a mummy.

In April 1926, Beverly of Graustark, directed by Sidney Franklin (1893-1972), and

starring Marion Davies and Antonio Moreno, was released. Beverly Calhoun
(Davies) impersonates, Oscar, the Prince of Graustark to claim his birthright while
he recovers from a skiing injury. In the meantime, she falls for her bodyguard
Dantan (Moreno). Oscar plays chess with Dantan. An advertisement for the film
shows Marion Davies playing chess with Antonio Moreno, as she says, "Your
move." There is no chess in the film. (source: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-
beverly-of-graustark-marion-davies-1926-128353041.html)

In October 1926, Mat (Mother), directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin (1893-1953), was

released in the Soviet Union. In 1968, the film was restored and a sound track was
added. It depicts one woman's struggle against Tsarist rule during the Russian
Revolution of 1905. At the workers' rest area, there is a table with a chess set and
board on it.

In 1927, Oktyabr (October), directed by Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948), was

produced in the Soviet Union. The film recreated the events of October 1917. There
is a scene showing an empty chessboard with Kerensky (Nikolai Popov)
constructing a chess king from 4 pieces. He then puts a crown on the reconstructed
chess piece.

In January 1927, Le Joueuer D'Echecs (The Chess Player), directed by Raymond

Bernard (1891-1977) and starring Charles Dullin was released in France. The film
was made for the Societe des Films Historiques. Elements of the plot are drawn
from the story of the chess-playing automaton known as The Turk. In 1776, an
inventor, Baron von Kempelen (Dullin), conceals a Polish nobleman in his chess-
playing automaton, a machine whose fame leads it to the court of the Russian
empress, Catherine II (Marcelle Charles). Inside the Turk is the Polish
revolutionary, Boleslas Vorowski (Pierre Blanchar). The Turk wins a chess game in
front of the empress. She then orders the execution of the Turk by firing squad.
Von Kempelen switch places with Vorowski and gets shot and killed instead to
protect the Turk's secret. The film took more than 8 months to produce. (source:
The Educational Screen, June 1927, p. 275)

In February 1927, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, directed by Alfred
Hitchcock (1899-1980), was released, starring June Tripp and Ivor Novello. A
landlady suspects her new lodger is the madman killing women in London. Daisy
(Tripp) and the lodger (Novello) play chess in the lodger's room. The board is set
up wrong and an impossible position in a normal game.

In April 1927, Napoleon, directed by Abel Gance (1889-1981) and starring Albert
Dieudonne (1889-1976) as Napoleon, was released in France. The title card says,
"A game of chess was bound to attract two strategists like Bonaparte and Hoche.
Napoleon plays chess (using Staunton pieces, which has not been invented yet)
with General Lazare Hoche (Pierre Batcheff) at the Victim's Ball. Another title card
has Napoleon saying, "Take Care. I'm about to you're your queen." Napoleon
moves a knight and the title card has General Hoches saying, "I've lost. You're
decidedly a better general than I. Napoleon wins as Josephine de Beauharnais (Gina
Manes) watches and entices Napoleon with her charms. . In a later scene, a white
king is superimposed over Napoleon's heart.

In October 1927, A Man's Past, directed by George Melford (1877-1961), was

released. Dr. Henry Fontaine, played by Ian Keith (1899-1960) shoots Lieutenant
Destin, played by Arthur Edmund Carewe (1884-1937), during a game of chess.
Dr. Paul LaRoche, played by Conrad Veidt (1893-1943), operates on Destin and
saves his life.

To commemorate the 11th Anniversary of the Russia Workers' Revolution, the

Communist Party of Great Britain screened a film depicting the British Workers'
Delegation to the USSR in November 1927. The film revealed sociological as well
as economical aspects of the USSR, including a workers' club where men play
chess. (source: Close Up, Dec 1928, p. 64)

In January 1928, Woman Wise, directed by Albert Ray (1897-1944) and starring
William Russell (1884-1929), June Collyer (1906-1968), and Walter Pidgeon
(1897-1984), was released. An American consul is forced to shield a rakish
American friend who has incurred the enmity of a ruling pasha. Russell sits with a
chessboard and pieces in front of him. The film was lost after a 1937 Fox vault
fire.

In February 1928, Alice Through the Look Glass, directed by Walter Lang (1896-
1972), was released. It had a few chess references.

In February 1928, Four Sons, directed by John Ford (1894-1973), was released. It
is a family saga in which three of a Bavarian widow's sons go to war for Germany
and the fourth goes to America. Chess is being played in a store as one of the
players gets bad advice on a move by the storekeeper.

In November 1928, Ungarische Rhapsodie (Hungarian Rhapsody), directed by

Hanns Schwarz (1888-1945), was released in Germany. It depicts the life of an
impoverished Hungarian aristocrat. Chess is played by two aristocrats.

In December 1928, L'Argent (Money), directed by Marcel L'Herbier (1888-1979)

and starring Alfred Abel (1879-1937), was released in France. Banker Alphones
Gundermann (Abel) plays chess with a friend in his hidden antechamber. The
floors in the bank and antechamber look like squares of a chessboard.

In 1929, Bolnye nervy (Ill Nerves), directed by Noi Galkin, was released in the
Soviet Union. It had a chess scene at the end of the movie Baturin (Sergei Minin),
makes a chess move at a rest home against another man, and says checkmate.

In January 1929, The Shady Lady, directed by Edward H. Griffith (1888-1975),

was released. Rival arms smugglers in Cuba try to be the first to send their weapons
to the revolutionaries in Central America. One of the smugglers uses a woman to
dupe the other smuggler into tripping up. Unfortunately, the woman, who has
criminal problems of her own, ends up falling in love with the rival. Blake (Robert
Armstrong) and Professor Holbrook (Louis Wolheim) play chess.

In January 1929, Waterloo, directed by Karl Grune (1890-1962), was released in

Germany. The film depicts Prussia's victory over Napoleon at the Battle of
Waterloo in 1815. Grafin Tarnowska (Vera Malinovskaya) and Lieutenent
Reutlingen (Oscar Marion) play chess in her apartment. She then shakes the table
and knocks most of the chess pieces off the board.

In February 1929, Erotikon, directed by Gustav Machaty (1901-1963), was released

in Czechoslovakia. A young woman is seduced and abandoned by a man who was
invited to stay at his home by her father in a stormy night. Noticing that she is
pregnant, the girl decides to leave home and start a new life. Chess is played in the
film by Jan (Luigi Serventi) and George Sydney (Olaf Fjord) as Andrea (Ita Rina)
looks on and gives hints to Sydney on what to move. The board is set up correctly
in one scene but set up incorrectly in another scene (black square to the right).
Sydney then says, "I think you will lose." After Andrea tries to provide more help,
Jan asks Andrea, "Do you want me to lose?" Sydney gives check, but Jan makes his
next move and says checkmate.

In November 1929, Napoleon auf St. Helena (Napoleon at St. Helena), directed by
Lupu Pick (1886-1931), was released in Germany. The film depicts the final years
of Napoleon between 1815 and 1821 during his period of exile on the British
Atlantic island of Saint Helena following his defeat at Waterloo. Napoleon (Werner
Krauss) plays chess at St. Helena with one of his British protectors.

In December 1929, General Crack, directed by Alan Crosland (1894-1936), was

released. It stars John Barrymore (1882-1942) in his first full-length all-talking
feature. The film takes place in the 18th century Austria and revolves around Prince
Christian, the Duke of Kurland, commonly known as General Crack (John
Barrymore). A nobleman marries a gypsy woman but when at court he falls in love
with a princess. Leopold II (Lowell Sherman) plays chess with Countess Carola
(Jacqueline Logan).

In January 1930, The Bishop Murder Case, directed by Nick Grinde (1893-1979),
and starring Basil Rathbone (1892-1967) and Leila Hyams (1905-1977), was
released. When the body of a man nicknamed "Cock Robin" (Joseph Cochrane
Robin) is found with an arrow in the heart on an archery range along with a wooden
black bishop as a clue, Philo Vance investigates. The neighbor is John Pardee
(Charles Quartermaine), a chess enthusiast. Another man, John Sprigg (Carroll
Nye) walking in the park is killed. He has a black chess bishop in his hand. Adolph
Drukker (George Marion) mentions that he solved a chess problem that was found
in the house. He soon is murdered. The next victim, Miss Drukker, is found dead
with a chess bishop in her hand. Pardee is later found dead with a chess bishop left
behind. Philo Vance (Rathbone) and Belle Dillard (Hyams) are shown playing
chess. The film is from a novel by S. S. Van Dine, the pseudonym used by Willard
Wright (1888-1939).

In April 1930, The Benson Murder Case, directed by Frank Tuttle (1892-1963), and
starring William Powell (1892-1984), Eugene Pallette (1889-1954), and E.H.
Calvert, was released. A ruthless, crooked stockbroker is murdered at his country
estate, and detective Philo Vance just happens to be there; he decides to find out
who killed him. Philo Vance (Powell) and District Attorney John Markham
(Calvert) sit at a chess table with chess pieces at Philo's apartment, as Sgt. Ernest
Heath (Pallette) walks in. Earlier, Markham had been shot. The story is from a
novel by S. S. Van Dine, the pseudonym used by Willard Wright (1888-1939).

In July 1930, Hell's Island, directed by Edward Sloman (1883-1972) and starring
Jack Holt (1888-1951), was released. Chess is played in one of the scenes.
In September 1930, Die Drei von der Tankstelle (The Three from the Filling
Station), directed by Wilhelm Thiele (1890-1975), was released in Germany. Hans
(Heinz Ruhmann) and Kurt (Oskar Karlweiss) play chess in their room as their
black dog watches. White illegally castles queenside.

In March 1931, Echec au Roi, directed by Leon D'Usseau (1885-1963), was

released in France. It was the first sound film that United Artists release abroad. It
is a French-language romantic drama about a European king and queen at odds
over who's in charge of the royal family. There is a scene where the king (Emile
Chautard) is playing chess while another man observes the game. The board is set
up wrong.

In May 1931, Hell Bound, directed by Walter Lang (1896-1972), was released.
Platinum Reed (Lola Lane) plays chess with Dr. Robert Sanford (Lloyd Hughes).
"Your King can't move," the doctor points out. "He's covered on all sides."The
chatter of a submachine gun startles them. "What's that?" Platinum wants to know.
"It's only a motorboat on the lake," he reassures her, adding, "Well, the game's
ended; let's start over again."

In May 1931, Svengali, directed by Archie Mayo (1891-1968) and starring John
Barrymore, was released. Through hypnotism and telepathic mind control, a
sinister music maestro, Svengali (Barrymore), controls the singing voice, but not
the heart, of the woman he loves. Taffy (Lumsden Hare) and The Laird (Donald
Crisp) sit on front of a chess set in their Paris apartment.

In July 1931, The Public Defender, directed by J. Walter Ruben (1899-1942), was
released. A mysterious phantom who calls himself "The Reckoner" vows to expose
the crooked bankers who embezzled their company's funds. John Kirk (Purnell
Pratt) and Charles Harmer (Frank Sheridon) play chess at their country club.

In August 1931, East of Borneo, directed by George Melford (1877-1961) was

released. A woman (Rose Hobart) braves snakes and alligators to find her doctor
husband, Dr. Allan Randolph (Charles Bickford) in the jungle. Chess with large
Staunton chess pieces is played outside in the jungle by Hashim, Prince of Marudu
(Georges Renavent), and Dr. Randolph. The prince says to the doctor, "You play a
very good game of chess." The doctor agrees and says, "I am a good chess player
and moderately civilized."

In August 1931, The Gables Mystery (The Man at Six), directed by Harry Hughes,
was released. A butler is found murdered in an unfurnished mansion house. A
valuable chess set that belonged to a museum is taken and given to a lady for a
drug.

In August 1931, The Smiling Lieutenant, directed by Ernst Lubitisch (1892-1947),

and starring Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972) and Mariam Hopkins (1902-1972),
was released. An amorous lieutenant is forced to marry a socially awkward
princess, though he tries to keep his violin-playing girlfriend on the side. Princess
Anna (Hopkins) holds a chessboard in front of Lt. Nikolaus von Preyn (Chevalier).
The king (George Barbier) plays chess with his daughter.

In August 1931, Guilty Hands, directed by W. S. Van Dyke (1889-1943), was

released. A district attorney, Richard Grant (John Barrymore) commits the perfect
murder when he kills his daughter's womanizing fiance with a gun and then tries
framing the fiance's lover. There is an inlaid chess set and board in Grant's trophy
room in the background.

In September 1931, Daughter of the Dragon, directed by Lloyd Corrigan (190-

1969), was released. Princess Ling Moy (Anna May Won), a Chinese aristocrat,
lives next door, unbeknownst to her, to Dr. Fu Manchu (Warner Oland), a brilliant
but twisted genius who is out to rule the world. Ronald Petrie (Bramwell Fletcher)
checkmates Rogers (Harold Minjir) in a game of chess as Ah Kee (Sessue
Hayakawa) watches.

In September 1931, The Squaw Man, directed by Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959),

was released. A British army officer, Captain James Wingate (Warner Baxter), is
left disgraced when he takes the blame for his cousin Henry's (Paul Cavanagh)
misappropriation of the regiment's charitable fund. There is a chess scene of a man
and woman playing chess.

In September 1931, Monkey Business, directed by Norman McLeod (1898-1964),

was released. Harpo Marx (1888-1964) and Chico Marx (1887-1961) kibitz a game
of chess that two men are playing on deck of a luxury liner. Then they start making
moves for the men. They finally steal the chess set. They try to play chess in a quiet
stateroom. The board is set up and there is a missing white king. Later, as they
leave the room, Harpo goes back to the chess set and pockets a chess piece.

In October 1931, To neznate Hadimrsku (Business Under Distress), directed by

Martin Fric (1902-1968), was released in Czechoslovakia. Chess is being played in
one scene.

In February 1932, The Greeks had a Word for Them, also known as Three
Broadway Girls, directed by Lowell Sherman (1888-1934), was released. Jean,
Polaire, and Schatze are ex-showgirls who put their money together in order to rent
a luxurious penthouse apartment. They are out to get wealthy boyfriends by
dressing and acting like millionaires themselves. Jean shows herself to be
determined and ruthless, leaving the other girls behind. The other two are more
sensitive and trustworthy but only one woman will be able to find a rich husband.
Schatzl (Joan Blondell) and Polaire (Madge Evans) play chess.
In February 1932, Naceradec, kral kibicu, directed by Gustav Machaty (1901-
1963), was released in Czechoslovakia. Richard Naceradec (Hugo Hass) plays
chess with Mr. Dundr (Jaroslav Vojta) in the clothing shop. There is a white pawn
on the first rank (impossible).

In April 1932, Chess - Nuts, directed by Dave Fleischer (1894-1979), was released.
It was an animated short film starring Betty Boop. A live action chess game
between two old men becomes a chaotic, animated quest for the favors of Betty
Boop. Betty comes to life as the black queen and Bimbo the Clown becomes the
white king. The black king, Old King Cole, wants Betty for himself and carries her
away to his castle. Bimbo must come to her rescue, with the assistance of Koko the
Clown and the other chess pieces. When Bimbo breaks into the castle, he engages
Old King Cole in a fight, which results in King Cole's death, with Bimbo, Betty,
Koko and the other chess characters parading along the chessboard. The two men
playing chess are shown to have been playing the game for so long that they grow
large beards with a spider in a web between the two beards. At the beginning of the
film, the board is set up wrong.

In April 1932, Symphony of Six Million, directed by Gregory La Cava (1892-

1952) and produced by David O. Selznick, was released. A Jewish boy (Felix)
grows up to become a successful doctor at the expense of family relationships.
Felix (Lester Lee) and his father, Meyer Klauber (Gregory Ratoff), play chess. The
father gets the chess set and board from top of the piano. Felix does not want to
play chess because he always beats his father. They play anyway as Felix reads a
book and moves fast against his father. The father, who has no patience for chess, is
checking Felix's king with his queen, but tries to move another piece. Too many
noises and interruptions affect his chess play. He quits playing and makes
complaints of the noises until he gets to excited and has indigestion.

In June 1932, Die Herrin von Atlantis (The Mistress of Atlantis), also known as
L'Atlantide, directed by Georg Pabst (1885-1967), was released in Germany.
People in Atlantis play chess. Saint Avil (Heinz Klingenberg) and Antinea (Brigitte
Helm) play a game of chess. She checkmates him.

In June 1932, Unholy Love, directed by Albert Ray (1897-1944), was released. The
gardener's daughter, Sheilla Bailey Gregory (Joyce Compton) and Dr. Daniel
Gregory (H. B. Warner) play chess. He says, "check" and she says, "you are mean."
The king and queen are on the wrong starting squares.

In July 1932, Monsieur Albert, directed by Karl Anton (1898-1979), was released
in France. There is a scene where two men are playing chess.

In August 1932, Moderne Mitgift (Modern Dowry), directed by E. W. Emo (1898-

1975), was released in Germany. There is a scene where two men are playing
chess.

In September 1932, The Most Dangerous Game, directed by Ernest Shoedsack

(1893-1979) and produced by David O. Selznick (1902-1965), was released. It also
starred Fay Wray (1907-2004). The plot concerns a big game hunter on an island
who hunts humans for sport. Fay Wray asks Bob Rainsford (Joel McCrea) what are
they going to do with him? Bob replies that he is going to be hunted. Count Zaroff
(Leslie Banks) says, "No, no! Outdoor chess. His brain against mine."

In September 1932, Les Vignes du seigneur (The Vineyards of Our Lord), directed
by Rene Hervil (1881-1960), was released in France. Henri Levrier (Victor
Boucher) plays chess.

In September 1932, Smilin' Through, directed by Sidney Franklin (1893-1972), and

starring Fredric March and Leslie Howard, was released. The adoptive father of a
young woman is horrified to learn she plans to marry the son of the man who
accidentally killed her aunt years before. Sir John Carteret (Howard) plays chess
with Dr. Owen (O.P. Heggie). John toasts Dr. Owen, saying, "A soldier, a
gentleman, but a miserable chessplayer." Sir John keeps falling asleep at the chess
table. Dr. Owen says to Sir John, "This is going to be a juice of a game if you are
going to sleep after every move." Sir John responds, "I wasn't asleep. And even if I
were, I could still beat you." They play a chess game on the patio. The board is set
up wrong and Dr. Owen makes an illegal move. In their last chess game at the end
of the film, Sir John asks Dr, Owen, "Would you care to play a game of chess?" Dr
Owen says, "You forgotten your chess?" Sir John says, "Forgotten more than you'll
ever knew." The king and queen are in the wrong position. Sir John dies while
playing chess. Dr. Owen says, "Well. I would like to play one game and have you
awake till the end."

In November 1932, Vstrechnoy (Counterplan), directed Fridrikh Ermler (1898-

1967), was released in the Soviet Union. It was one of the first Soviet talkies. The
plot involves an effort to catch "wreckers" (deliberate acts aimed against normal
functioning of state and cooperative organizations, such as giving deliberately
wrong commands) at work in a Soviet factory. Babchenko (Vladimir Gardin) plays
chess.

In December 1932, Alice In Wonderland was performed on Broadway and

produced by Le Gallienne Productions. Josephine Hutchinson (1903-1998) played
Alice. Howard da Silva played the White Knight. Eva La Gallienne played the
White Chess Queen. Leona Roberts played the Red Chess Queen.

In December 1932, F. P.1 antwortet nicht (F. P. 1 Doesn't Answer), directed by

Karl Hartl (1899-1978), was released in Germany. Floating Platform 1 is a project
to put a huge floating platform in the Atlantic for aircraft. Flieger Ellissen (Hans
Albers) and Johnny (Peter Lorre) play chess on the floating platform. The chess
players are drunk. One of the players knocks most of the chess pieces off the
board.

In December 1932, 20,000 Years in Sing Sing, directed by Michael Curtiz (1886-
1962), and starring Spencer Tracy (1900-1967) and Bette Davis (1908-1989), was
released. There is a chess set in the background of Warden Paul Long's (Arthur
Byron) room.

In December 1932, The Animal Kingdom, directed by Edward H. Griffith (1888-

1975), and starring Leslie Howard and Ann Harding, was released. Chess is being
played at a birthday party as Red Regan (William Gargan) brings by hors
d'oeuvres. Rufus Collier (Henry Stephenson) is playing a game of chess and the
Butler interrupts them.

In February 1933, Meidan poikamme merella (We Got Our Son off the Sea),
directed by Erkki Karru (1887-1935), was released in Finland. A sailor sits at a
table in a bar with a chess set in front of him as a band plays and a singer sings.

In March 1933, Today We Live, directed by Howard Hawks (1896-1977), was

released. During World War I, two officers, one an American pilot (Gary Cooper)
and the other in the British navy (Robert Young), compete for the same beautiful
young woman (Joan Crawford). Richard "Bogey" Bogard (Cooper) is in a scene
with a chess set in the foreground inside the barracks for the 36th Bombing Group.
A man is sitting at the chess table reading a book.

In May 1933, The Eagle and the Hawk, directed by Stuart Walker (1888-1941),
was released. The pilots of a Royal Air Force squadron in World War I face
physical and mental dangers in their struggle to survive while fighting the enemy.
At the beginning of the movie, the social room at the pilot's quarters has a Staunton
chess set and wooden board in the foreground. The scene includes the three main
characters, Henry Crocker (Cary Grant), Jerry Young (Fredric March), and Mike
Richards (Jack Oakie). It doesn't look like anyone was playing.

In August 1933, Voltaire, directed by John Adolfi (1888-1933), was released. In

1762, Voltaire (George Arliss) plays chess in Paris with his physician, Dr. Tronchin
(David Torrence). They use a Staunton chess set that hasn't been designed yet.
Voltaire moves his king, the doctor says he will check the king. Voltaire suddenly
declares that he does not want to protect the king. He tosses the king and resigns.
He then swipes away the pieces with his hand.

In September 1933, As the Devil Commands, directed by Roy William Neill (1886-
1946), was released. Wealthy invalid Charles Sellon is slowly dying, and he wants
his aide to end his suffering. His lawyer, in line to inherit millions, kills Sellon, and
then makes it look as though his aided did it. Dr. David Graham (Neil Hamilton)
and Robert Waldo (Alan Dinehart) play chess as Jane Chase (Mae Clarke) watches.
The board is set up wrong.

In December 1933, Alice in Wonderland, directed by Norman McLeod (1898-

1964), was released. Alice (Charlotte Henry) draws her attention to a chessboard.
The chess pieces are her imaginary friends. She talks to the White queen as she
knocks over the White king. Alice goes through the mirror and the Red Queen
(Edna May Oliver) tells her that Alice is a queen's pawn on a chessboard. Alice
make it to the 8th rank and become a queen. It was all a dream. (source: "Behind
the Scenes of Alice in Wonderland," Modern Screen, Feb 1934, p. 62-65)

In January 1934, Eight Girls in a Boat, directed by Richard Wallace (1894-1951),

was released. Chess is played at a Swiss girls' school.

In February 1934, Les Miserables, directed by Raymond Bernard (1891-1977), was

released in France. Marius Pontmercy (Jean Servais) plays chess.

In February 1934, Mandalay, directed by Michael Curtiz (1886-1962), was

released. Two men play chess in a Burmese bar in Rangoon while Tanya Lang
(Kay Francis) watches.

In April 1934, Betty in Blunderland, directed by Dave Fleischer, was released. In

this animated Betty Boop cartoon, Betty Boop passes through the looking glass and
meets some of the chess pieces.

In April 1934, Achtung! Wer kennt diese Frau? (Attention! Who Knows this
Woman?), directed by Franz Seitz (1887-1952), was released in Germany. A chess
set and board is in the foreground of one of the scenes.

In May 1934, The Black Cat, directed by Edgar Ulmer (1904-1972), was released.
Hjalmar Poelzig (Boris Karloff) says to Dr. Vitus Werdegast (Bela Lugosi), "Do
you dare play chess with me for her," referring to newlywed Joan Alison (Julie
Bishop). Poelzig checkmates Werdegast. Poelzig says, "Checkmate. You lose
Vitus."

In May 1934, Double Door, directed by Charles Vidor (1900-1959), was released.
A wealthy matriarch named Victoria Van Brett (Mary Morris) rules her clan with
an iron hand and proves she's not above murder to have her way. Dr. John Lucas
(Colin Tapley) plays chess with Anne Van Brett (Evelyn Venable). She makes a
good move and takes a piece, and he says, "Ouch. It looks like the end." She then
says, "Check." Later, he says, "Well, let's save the king."
In May 1934, Der Meisterboxer (The Master Boxer), directed by Fred Sauer (1886-
1952), was released in Germany. A man and a lady play chess as two other men
look on.

In July 1934, Shock, directed by Roy Pomeroy (1892-1947), was released. Captain
Bob Hayworth (Monroe Owsley), his brother Lieutenant Gilroy Hayworth
(Douglas Walton) and Captain Derek Marbury (Ralph Forbes) are in a World-War
1 trench on the front-lines in France. Captain Peabody (Reginald Sharland) is
playing chess with the colonel (Charles Coleman). The chess pieces are red and
white. Hayworth asks advice about a move from Sergeant Matthews (David
Dunbar) as the colonel steps out. When the colonel comes back in and sits down at
the chess board, Peabody makes a move and says check. The colonel rushes out.

In August 1934, Ein Walzer fur Dich (A Waltz for You), directed by Georg Zoch
(1902-1944), was released in Germany. Manja Tabandes (Maria Sazarina) and
Exfurstin Ludovica von Palamo (Adele Sandrock ) sit outside around a table with a
Staunton chess set and board on top of the table. The floor is checkered.

In August 1934, The Count of Monte Cristo, directed by Rowland Lee (1891-
1975), was released. After greedy men have Edmond Dantes (Robert Donat)
unjustly imprisoned for 20 years for innocently delivering a letter entrusted to him,
he escapes to get his revenge on them. Two aristocrats play chess.

In August 1934, Un Capitan de Cosacos, directed by John Reinhardt, was released.

Nicki Baglieff (Tito Coral) challenges General Fedor Petrovich (Andres de
Segurola) and Sergio Danikoff (Jose Mojica) to a game of chess.

In August 1934, Rosen aus dem Suden (Roses from the South), directed by Walter
Janssen (1887-1976), was released. Chess is being played by two men with three
other men looking on. One of the players is Johann Strauss (Paul Hoebiger).

In August 1934, Chained, directed by Clarence Brown (1890-1987), was released.

A mistress of one man has a shipboard romance with another and is torn between
both men. Two old men, a bald man and a bearded man called Neptune (August
Tollaire), play chess on the deck of an ocean liner as Mike Bradley (Clark Gable)
and Diane Lovering (Joan Crawford) walk by. After walking by, Mike says,
"Neptune doesn't know what to do with his queen." Diane says, "Maybe his beard
is in the way."

In September 1934, The Spectacle Maker, directed by John Farrow (1904-1963),

was released. A mysterious stranger asks an eyeglass maker to design a lens that
shows only beauty to anyone who wears it. The Court Jester (Angelo Rossitto) and
the Grand Duke (Harvey Clark) play chess while the little princess (Cora Sue
Collins) watches. The board is set up wrong.
In October 1934, Marie Galante, directed by Henry King (1886-1982) and starring
Spencer Tracy, was released. Brogard (Sig Rumen) owns a Parisian bazaar and has
a hand carved Persian chess set in his display window. It is not for sale. A Japanese
owner, Tenoki (Leslie Fenton), of a nearby oriental curio shop has a hand carved
Chinese chess set made of genuine ivory. Ratcliff (Robert Lorraine) plays chess
with Brogard, putting him in check.

In November 1934, Ukikusa monogatari (The Story of Floating Weeds), directed

by Yasujiro Ozu (1903-1963) was released. Shinkichi (Joji Mitsui) and Kihachi
Ichikawa (Takeshi Sakamoto) spend their time together fishing and playing chess.

In December 1934, Fugitive Lady, directed by Albert Rogell (1901-1988), was

released. a young woman marries a dashing young man who, unbeknownst to her,
is a jewel thief. Donald Brooks (Neil Hamilton) plays chess while Ann Duncan
(Florence Rice (1911-1974)) looks on. Florence Rice was an enthusiastic chess
amateur. (source: Chess Review, Dec 1937, p. 291)

In December 1934, The Scarlet Pimpernel, directed by Harold Young (1897-1972),

was released. At the heart of the French Revolution in 1792, aristocrat Sir Percy
Blakeney (Leslie Howard) is secretly the Scarlet Pimpernel, leading an
underground group dedicated to freeing nobles from the brutal Robespierre. Two
nobles that were captured sit around in detention playing chess with 18th century
chess pieces before they are summoned to be guillotined. One of the players is
Count de Tournay (O. B. Clarence). The other player thanks heaven for chess so
that one can forget the more disagreeable things in life.

In January 1935, Clive of India, directed by Richard Boleslawski (1889-1937),

starring Ronald Colman and Loretta Young, was released. In 1748 at Fort St.
David, India, Robert "Bob" Clive (Ronald Colman), an East India Company clerk,
joins the British army to help combat the French. Clive escapes capture and leads a
courageous attack that saves the entire British army. There is a game of checkers
going on at the beginning of the film. There is a scene of living chess being played
on a large chess board in Northern India in the residence of King Suraj Ud
Dowlah.

In January 1935, The Right to Live (The Sacred Flame), directed by William
Keighley (1889-1984), was released. Maurice (Colin Clive) and Stella Trent
(Josephine Hutchinson) are happily married. When Maurice is crippled with a
broken back in an airplane crash, he and his mother send for his brother Colin
(George Brent) to come help keep Stella busy. Dr. Harvester (Leo G. Carroll) and
Maurice play chess. The board is set up wrong and the king and queen are on the
wrong squares.
In February 1935, The Little Colonel, directed by David Butler (1894-1979), was
released. In 1870s Kentucky, Colonel Lloyd (Lionel Barrymore) becomes
estranged from his daughter, Elizabeth (Evelyn Venable), when she elopes with
Northerner Jack Sherman (John Lodge). Six years later, when Jack goes
prospecting, Elizabeth comes back with her spirited daughter (Shirley Temple).
Colonel Lloyd and Shirley Temple play chess. Shirley plays army with the pieces,
then knocks over the pieces and table.

In March 1935, Hundert Tage (Hundred Days), directed by Franz Wenzler (1893-
1942), was released. Fouche (Gustaf Grundgens (1899-1963)) plays chess.

In March 1935, The Florentine Dagger, directed by Robert Florey (1900-1979) was
released. It has a chess scene with fancy carved figurine chess pieces. Dr. Lytton
(C. Aubrey Smith) plays chess with Karl (Egon Becher), the butler, at his home in
Vienna. The butler says to his guest, Juan Cesare (Donald Woods), "...I am giving
him a sound thrashing." Cesare observes the game and tells the doctor that he made
a very bad move.

In April 1935, Reckless, directed by Victor Fleming (1889-1949, was released. A

Broadway star's (Mona Leslie, played by Jean Harlow) sports promoter and
gambler Ned Riley (William Powell) sees her through the scandal of her marriage
to a drunken socialite named Bob Harrison (Franchot Tone). There is a chess board
and set in Colonel Harrison's (Henry Stephenson) bedroom. The Colonel tells his
son (who had just picked up a knight) not to touch the chess pieces, saying, "Hold
on, hold on. I am working out a problem." The son replaces the knight and the
Colonel moves another piece. The board is set up wrong.

In May 1935, Chasing Yesterday, directed by George Nichols Jr. (1897-1939), was
released. Lonely Parisian bibliophile Sylvestre Bonnard (O.P. Heggie), reminded of
his long-lost love, travels to her old country estate, where he meets his late former
paramour's teenage daughter, Jeanne (Anne Shirley). Sylvestre and Jeanne play
chess.

In July 1935, The Black Room, directed by Roy William Neil (1887-1946) was
released. Baron Gregor/Anton de Berghmann (Boris Karloff) plays chess with
Colonel Hassel (Thuston Hall). The Colonel says, "You play a remarkably bad
game of chess, my dear Anton. Your attack is as weak as your brother Gregor's was
brilliant. Chess, by the way, was the only virtue I discovered in him." They later
moved the chess table to the study. It was the same game they started 6 hours ago.
Later on, when resuming the game, the Colonel says, "You made exactly that same
move three weeks ago." He now knows Anton is Gregor. The board is set up
wrong.

In August 1935, China Seas, directed by Tay Garnett (1894-1977), was released.
Dashing captain Alan Gaskell (Clark Gable) is attempting to lead a more subdued
life with a new love interest, aristocrat Sybil Barclay (Rosalind Russell), when his
ship is taken over by pirates while sailing the South Pacific. A passenger (Donald
Meek), sits and watches two men playing chess in the lounge on a ship bound for
Singapore. Drunken Mr. McCaleb (Robert Benchley) says, "You see that chess
game over there? When I was 4 years old I played 10 people all at once —
blindfolded. ...I lost every game."

In August 1935, The Crusades, directed by Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959), starring

Loretta Young, was released. Conrad, Marquis of Montfessot (Joseph Schildkraut),
plays chess with Prince John (Ramsay Hill). Conrad gives check to Prince John.
After a few checks, the Prince says, "You're a treacherous man, Montfessot." While
moving out of check and hearing that his brother King Richard (Henry Wilcoxon)
may not return from the Crusades, the Prince accidently knocks his king.

In September 1935, Crime Unlimited, directed by Ralph Ince (1887-1937), was

released in Britain. An undercover policeman, Peter Borden (Esmond Knight),
infiltrates a notorious gang of jewel thieves headed by a mysterious leader. The
credits at the beginning of the movie shows a chess set in the background of the
credits. The board is set up wrong and the queens and kings are on the wrong
squares. Chess is seen throughout the movie. The mysterious bad guy, Conway
Addison (Wyndham Goldie) plays chess by himself. Borden and Conway talk with
a chess set in front of them while Conway moves the pieces. He says crime was
fascinating, like playing chess with life and death.

In October 1935, Die Ganze Welt dreht sich um Liebe (The World's in Love),
directed by Viktor Tourjansky (1891-1976), was released in Austria. Adalbert von
Waldenau (Leo Slezak) plays chess.

In October 1935, The Spanish Cape Mystery, directed by Lewis D. Collins (1899-
1954), was released. Detective Ellery Queen's (Donald Cook) vacation is
interrupted when murder strikes next door to his oceanside cabin. Leslie Court
(Arnold Gray) is playing chess with Walter Godfrey (Frank Sheridan) at Spanish
Cape in California. Leslie makes a move and says, "check." Walter says, "Check,
check, check. I know when I am checked." When Walter wasn't looking, Leslie
cheated and moved the queen.

In December 1935, East of Java, directed by George Melford (1877-1961), was

released. Survivors of a shipwreck find refuge on a tropical island--but so do the
ship's cargo of lions and tigers. Captain Wong Bo (Leslie Fenton) and Red
McGovern (Charles Bickford) play chess.

In December 1935, Kermesse heroique (Carnival in Flanders), directed by Jacques

Feyder (1885-1948), was released in France. It tells the story of the Spanish
invasion of Flanders. The priest (Louis Jouvet) plays chess inside a carriage with a
Spanish duke (Jean Murat).

In December 1935, A Tale of Two Cities, directed by Jack Conway (1887-1952),

was released. Chess is played in the background at a tavern. A man near the dock
concentrates on chess.

In 1936, Hell Unltd (Hell Unlimited), directed by Helen Biggar (1909-1953) and
Norman McLaren (1914-1987), was released in the United Kingdom. A mixture of
puppets, diagrams, animation and live action presents an anti-war message. The
film features a chess board and chess pieces, later replaced with war pieces, like
artillery shells, tanks, soldiers, and airplanes.

In April 1936, Till We Meet Again, directed by Robert Florey (1900-1979), was
released. Divided by war before they can wed, a London actor named Alan Barclay
(Herbert Marshall) and a Vienna actress (Gertrude Michael) become enemy spies.
Barclay plays chess with a lady.

In April 1936, Tudor Rose (Nine Days a Queen), directed by Robert Stevenson
(1905-1986), was released. Following the death of King Henry VIII (Frank Cellier)
in 1547, his 9-year-old son, Edward VI (Desmond Tester), takes the throne -- but
the real power lies with his adviser, the Earl of Warwick (Cedric Hardwicke). Lady
Jane Grey (Nova Pilbeam) plays chess.

In May 1936, Eine Kleine Konigstragodie (The King's Little Tragedy), directed by
Richard Groschopp (1906-1996), was released in Germany. It had a chess scene.

In May 1936, The Roaming Lady, directed by Albert Rogell (1901-1988), was
released. Joyce Reid (Fay Wray), a wealthy young debutante, stows away on a
cargo ship to China, carrying as passengers her dashing aviator sweetheart, Dan
Bailey (Ralph Bellamy), and her munitions-producing father, E. J. Reid (Thurston
Hall). Captain Murchison (Roger Imhof) and Dr. Wong (Paul Guilfoyle) play
chess.

In May 1936, Flitterwochen (Honeymoon), directed by Karel Lamac (1897-1952),

was released in Germany. A lady chess player in the hotel (Elisabeth von Ruets)
plays chess at her table with another lady chess player.

In July 1936, The Song of the Gringo, directed by John P. McCarthy (1884-1962),
was released. Tex (Tex Ritter) is sent to investigate miners being killed and their
mines confiscated. The culprit is Evans (Ted Adams) and after Tex joins the gang,
he is sent to kill two more miners. When Don Esteban Valle (Martin Garralaga) is
killed, Tex is put on trial for all three murders. Two men are playing chess by
candle light during a storm. One man makes a move and the other man says, "Very
Clever."

In July 1936, Inkognito, directed by Richard Schnedier-Edenkoben (1899=1986),

was released in Germany. Severin Matthias (Gustav Froehlich) and Friedel Reimer
(Hansi Knoteck) play chess.

In August 1936, Anthony Adverse, directed by Mervyn LeRoy (1900-1987), was

released. In 18th-century Italy, an orphan's debt to the man who raised him
threatens to separate him forever from the woman he loves. Anthony Adverse
(Fredric March) and his accountant, Fernando (Paul Sotoff), play chess in Africa.
As a drunken Adverse sits back down in his chair, Fernando says, "It's your move,
Mr. Adverse." He later falls asleep at the table, knocking all the chess pieces off the
board.

In November 1936, Ellis Island, directed by Phil Rosen (1888-1951), was released.
A gang of international crooks uses America's haven of hope for refugees for
clandestine purposes. There is a chess set and board in the waiting area on Ellis
Island.

In November 1936, Pennies from Heaven, directed by Norman McLeod (1898-

1964), was released. Before he is released from prison, Larry Poole (Bing Crosby
(1904-1977)) is asked by a death row inmate (John Gallaudet) to make sure his
family is all right. Patsy Smith (Edith Fellows) beats Larry in a game of chess.
Larry plays Susan Sprague (Madge Evans) in a game of chess. Gramp Smith
(Donald Meek) is sitting, playing a game of chess. The board is set up wrong.

In December 1936, Sensation, directed by Brian Hurst (1895-1986), was released.

A London crime reporter neglects his fiancee for his work and ends up getting the
scoop on a killer. There is a chess scene.

In February 1937, Die Kreutzersonate (The Kreutzer Sonata), directed by Veit

Harlan (1899-1964), was released. Set in Tsarist Russia. A happily married woman
falls in love with her husband's cousin through their mutual love of music. She
decides to stay with her husband, but he has become jealous and murders her. He is
acquitted but to be free and to go on living is the harder punishment. Dr. Raskin
(Walter Werner) plays chess with Peter Petersen (Andrej Posdnyschew). The board
is set up wrong.

In March 1937, The King and the Chorus Girl, directed by Mervyn LeRoy (1900-
1987), was released. Count Humbert Bruger (Edward Everett Horton) plays chess
with Duchess Anna (Mary Nash) at King Alfred VII's (Fernand Gravey)
apartment.

In April 1937, Men in Exile, directed by John Farrow (1904-1963), was released.
Mortimer Jones (Olm Howland) plays chess with General Alcatraz (Carlos De
Valdez) on the island of Carivo.

In April 1937, Wife of General Ling, directed by Ladislao Vajda (1906-1965), was
released. John Fenton (Griffith Jones), a British secret-service agent in China, is
given the assignment of learning how smugglers go undetected while delivering
guns into the interior for General Ling (Valery Inkijinoff). Tai Wong (Adrianne
Renn) inserts a poisoned needle in a chess piece. His chess opponent moves the
piece, pricks his finger, is poisoned, and dies.

In April 1937, Madame Bovary, directed by Gerhard Lamprecht (1897-1974), was

released. Emma Bovary (Pola Negri) and Leon Dupuis (Werner Scharf) play chess.

In April 1937, The Prince and the Pauper, directed by William Keighley (1889-
1984), was released. Chess is played at the Robbers Roost Inn by the Captain of the
Guard (Alan Hale) and one of his men (Robert Adair).

In May 1937, Charlie Chan at the Olympics, directed by Bruce Humberstone

(1901-1984), was released. Charles Zaraka (Morgan Wallace) plays chess with
Carlos (Arno Frey) at his mansion in Berlin. Zaraka checkmates Carlos.

In July 1937, The Lady Escapes, directed by Eugene Forde (1898-1986), was
released. Michael Hilton (Michael Whelan) plays chess. (source: Chess Review,
Dec 1937)

In July 1937, London by Night, directed by Wilhelm Thiele (1890-1975), was

released. Mr. Casey and Mr. von Krenz sometimes play chess.

In August 1937, Souls at Sea, directed by Henry Hathaway (1898-1985), was

released. After learning that the ship he's working on is carrying slaves, sailor and
abolitionist "Nuggin" Taylor (Gary Cooper) engineers the release of his vessel's
human cargo. English officials seeking to end the slave trade note his heroism, and
soon Taylor agrees to help the British raid a slave ship commanded by the no-good
Lt. Tarryton (Henry Wilcoxon). Taylor is a chess player. Chess is mentioned in a
conversation with Taylor and Powdah (George Raft) in a tavern.

In September 1937, Lost Horizon, directed by Frank Capra (1897-1991), by was

released. Bob Conway (Ronald Colman) plays chess with Chang (H.B. Warner)

In September 1937, The Prisoner of Zenda, directed by John Cromwell (1886-

1979), was released. Fritz von Tarlenheim (David Niven) plays chess. The castle
has sculpted bases that look like pawns.

In October 1937, The Bride Wore Red, directed by Dorothy Arzner (1897-1979)
and starring Joan Crawford, was released. Count Armalia (George Zucco) tries to
show that peasants and aristocrats are not that different by asking singer Anni
Pavlovitch (Joan Crawford) to masquerade as his wealthy friend, Anne Vivaldi.
She agrees and soon meets the dashing Rudi Pal (Robert Young). Contessa di
Meina (Billie Burke) plays chess with Admiral Monti (Reginald Owen). The board
is set up wrong.

In October 1937, The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel, directed by Hanns Schwarz
(1888-1945), was released. Chess is played in the background of the barracks.

In November 1937, A Girl with Ideas, directed by Sylvan Simon (1910-1951), was
released. Mickey McGuire (Walter Pidgeon) and John Morton (George Barbier) are
playing chess and Mary Morton (Wendy Barrie) picks up a white piece. The board
is set up wrong.

In November 1937, The Hurricane, directed by John Ford (1894-1973), was

released. Dr. Kersaint (Thomas Mitchell) talks about playing chess with Eugene
Delage.

In December 1937, Bulldog Drummonds Revenge, directed by Louis King (1898-

1962), was released. Chess is played on a ship by two passengers.

In 1938, Holka Nebo Kluk (A Girl or a Boy), directed by Vladimir Slavinsky

(1890-1949), was released. Two men play chess.

In January 1938, Lachine, directed by Fritz Kamp, was released. Hassan Ezzat
plays chess.

In February 1938, Arsene Lupin Returns, directed by George Fitzmaurice (1885-

1940), was released. It has a chess scene.

In March 1938, Jezebel, directed by William Wyler (1902-1981), was released.

General Bogardus (Henry O'Neill) plays chess.

In June 1938, Holiday, directed by George Cukor (1899-1983), was released. There
is a scene with a chess set in the background.

In July 1938, I'll Give a Million, directed by Walter Lang (1896-1972), was
released. Tony Newlander (Warner Baxter) plays chess on a ship, the Ceclia, in the
south of France.

In August 1938, Algiers, directed by John Cromwell (1886-1979), was released.

Chess is being played by two Algerians as Inspector Slimane (Joseph Callei) and
Gaby (Hedy Lamarr) walk through. Grandpere (Alan Hale) and Carlos (Stanley
Fields) play a game of chess.

In August 1938, Gateway, directed by Alfred Werker (1896-1975), was released.

Grandpa Hlawek (Maurice Moscovich) plays chess.

In August 1938, Four Daughters, directed by Michael Curtiz (1886-1962), was

released. In the final scene, Benjamin Crowley (Frank McHugh) plays chess with
Ernest (Dick Foran).

In September 1938, My Lucky Star, directed by Roy Del Ruth (1895-1961) and
starring Sonja Henie on ice skates, was released. People in chess costumes are in
the background with the Alice in Wonderland Through the Looking Glass theme on
ice.

In October 1938, Listen, Darling, directed by Edwin Marin (1899-1951), was

released. Buzz Mitchell (Freddie Bartholomew) plays chess with Pinkie Wingate
(Judy Garland).

In October 1938, Adrienne Lecouvreur, directed by Marcel L'Herbier (1888-1979),

was released. Maurice de Saxe (Piere Fresnay) plays chess.

In November 1938, Le Joueur D'Echecs, directed by Jean Dreville (1906-1997),

was released. Kempelen (Conrad Veidt) owns the chess automaton known as The
Turk and shows the empress. The Turk plays one of the aristocrats a few moves in
a game of chess. He brings in the Turk to play the emperor and shows all of the
drawers with mechanical moving parts. The kings and queens are on the wrong
squares.

In December 1938, Remontons les Champs Elysees, directed by Sacha Guitry

(1885-1957), was released. A chess board and set on a table is in the foreground.

In 1939, Pardosi was released. Chess is played in India.

In January 1939, The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt, directed by Peter Godfrey (1899-1970),
was released. A group of "spies" is after the plans for an anti-aircraft gun, and the
leader uses the opportunity to embroil the Lone Wolf in the plot. Trying to settle an
old score, this shady character implicates his old nemesis by forcing him to crack
the safe where the plans are stored. Spiro (Ralph Morgan) plays chess by himself in
his study. The credits at the beginning of the movie has a checkerboard squares in
the background.

In March 1939, Cafe Society, directed by Edward H. Griffith (1888-1975), was

released. Crick O'Bannon (Fred MacMurray) and Christopher West (Madeleine
Carroll) play chess.
In March 1939, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, directed by H.C. Porter
(1904-1977), was released. Two men play chess on stage.

In April 1939, Entente Cordiale, directed by Marcel L'Herbier (1888-1979), was

released. King Edouard VII (Victor Francen) plays chess.

In April 1939, Wuthering Heights, directed by William Wyler (1902-1981), was

released. Edgar Linten (David Niven) plays chess against his father (Cecil
Humphreys) and checkmates him.

In May 1939, Blind Alley, directed by Charles Vidor (1900-1959), was released.
Dr. Anthony Shelby (Ralph Bellamy) has a chess set in his study. The gangster, Hal
Wilson (Chester Morris), walks by a chess set and board and asks Shelby, "What's
this gadget?" Shelby responds, "It's a game called chess." Wilson picks up a knight
and calls it a sea biscuit.

In July 1939, Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation, directed by Norman Forster (1903-
1976), was released. Professor Hildebrand (Lionel Atwell) plays chess with
Handrick Manderson (Joseph Schildkraut) in the curator's office. Handrick says he
can't play chess with all these constant interruptions after Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre)
enters the room where they are playing chess.

In September 1939, Golden Boy, directed by Rouben Mamoulian (1897-1987), was

released. Mr. Bonaparte (Lee J. Cobb) plays chess with Mr. Carp (William Strauss)
in the store. The board is set up wrong and the kings and queens are on the wrong
squares.

In September 1939, Babes in Arms, directed by Busby Berkeley (1901-1971), was

released. Mickey Moran (Mickey Rooney) refers to a game of chess, "I referred a
game of chess between Japan and China."

In September 1939, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, directed by Michael
Curtiz (1886-1962), was released. Lady Penelope Gary (Olivia DeHavilland)
defeats Elizabeth (Bette Davis) in chess. Elizabeth then knocks all the pieces off the
board. The hand carved chess set for the film cost $1,000.

In October 1939, Jamaica Inn, directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980), was

released. A chess set is seen in the library of the mansion of Sir Humphrey
Pengaltan (Charles Laughton).

In October 1939, Mirele Efros, directed by Josef Berne (1904-1964), was released.
Two men play chess.
In October 1939, Ils etaient neuf celibataires (They Were Nine Bachelors), directed
by Sacha Guitry (1885-1957), was released. A chess set and several chess boards
are in the background of the nurses.

In November 1939, Fighting Mad, directed by Sam Newfield (1899-1964), was

released. Two men (Horace Murphy and Ole Olsen) play chess in the background
of the lodge.

In December 1939, Everything Happens at Night, directed by Irving Cummings

(1888-1959), was released. Ken Morgan (Robert Cummings) stops off at the chess
club. Dr. Hugo Norden (Maurice Moscovitch) is a chess master. Norden/Brunner is
later seen playing another man (Michael Vigaroff). The board is set up wrong.
Norden/Brunner also plays Otto, the woodcutter.

In December 1939, Balalaika, directed by Reinhold Schuenzel (1888-1954), was

released. Chess is played in a Russian tavern by Charles Ruggles. The kings and
queens are on the wrong squares.

In January 1940, British Intelligence, directed by Terry O. Morse (1906-1984), was

released. A chess set is on the officer's desk.

In February 1940, Northwest Passage, directed by King Vidor (1894-1982), was

released. There is a chess set in the foreground of a mansion.

In April 1940, Young Buffalo Bill, directed by Joseph Kane (1894-1975), was
released. Chess is played at the fort.

In June 1940, Susan and God, directed by George Cukor (1899-1983), was
released. Amos (Sam Harris) plays chess with Hutchie (Nigel Bruce) at a hotel.

In July 1940, The Sea Hawk, directed by Michael Curtiz (1886-1962), was
released. Don Jose Alvarez de Cordoba (Claude Rains) plays chess with his niece,
Dona Maria (Barbara Marshall).

In July 1940, Social Sea Lions, directed by Johnny Hines (1895-1970), was
released. Forbes Murray and Jack Hutchinson play chess. The board is set up
wrong.

In August 1940, Wiener G'schichten (Vienna Tales), directed by Geza von Bolvary
(1897-1961), was released. Josef (Hans Moser) and Ferdinand (Paul Hoerbiger)
play chess.

In August 1940, Foreign Correspondent, directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1899-

1980), was released. A chess game is being played at the police station.
In August 1940, The Man I Married, directed by Irving Pichel (1891-1954) was
released. Mr. Frieoff used to play chess with Heinrich Hoffman (Otto Kruger) in
Germany.

In September 1940, Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum, directed by Lynn Shores
(1893-1949), was released. It depicted a chess automaton with a chess set. The
automaton checkmates Dr. Cream (Henry Gordon).

In September 1940, The Howards of Virginia, directed by Frank Lloyd (1886-

1960), was released. Chess is played in a pub.

In October 1940, The Great Dictator, directed by Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), was
released. Mr. Jaekel (Marulee Maskovic) plays chess with Mr. Jagory. Black moves
a bishop, no realizing that black had white in check with the queen, which was
threatened by White's queen.

In November 1940, The Mark of Zorro, directed by Rouben Mamoulian (1897-

1987), was released. Diego (Tyrone Power) is waiting to start a game with Padre
Fray Felipe (Eugene Pallette)

In December 1940, Dark Streets of Cairo, directed by Laszlo Kardos (1905-1962),

was released. Abbadi (George Zucco) plays chess.

In December 1940, The Thief of Bagdad, directed by Ludwig Berger (1892-1969)

and Michael Powell (1905-1990), was released. Jaffar (Conrad Veidt) plays chess
with the Sultan of Basra (Miles Malleson). The chess pieces are red and white.

In December 1940, Flight Command, directed by Frank Borzage (1894-1962), was

released. Chess is played in the naval flight training recreation room.

In 1941, Cuando los hijos se van (When Children Leave Home), directed by Juan
Bustillo Oro (1904-1989), was released. Two men play chess.

In 1941, Padosi, directed by V. Shantaram (1901-1990), was released. There is a

chess scene.

In January 1941, Hudson's Bay, directed by Irving Pichel (1891-1954), was

released. The guards at the French fort near Montreal play chess.

On February 25, 1941, Ridin' the Cherokee Trail, directed by Spencer Bennet
(1893-1987), was released. A Texas Ranger goes after an outlaw who has his
operations based in the Cherokee Strip. There is a chess set in the bad man's house,
Forrest Taylor (Bradley Craven), in which he studies a chess position.
In March 1941, Federal Fugitives, directed by William Beaudine (1892-1970), was
released. Otto Liebermann (Victor Varconi) and Henry Gregory (George Carleton)
play chess.

In March 1941, Shadows on the Stars, directed by D. Ross Lederman (1894-1972),

was released. Tom Armitage (Miles Mander) plays chess on a small peg set. The
board is set up wrong.

In April 1941, Auf Widersehen Franziska, directed by Helmut Kautner (198-1980),

was released. Dr. Christoph Leitner (Rudolf Fernau) plays chess.

In April 1941, The Invisible Ghost, directed by Joseph H. Lewis (1907-2000), was
released. Paul Dickson (John McGuire (1910-1980)) plays chess with Charles
Kessler (Bela Lugosi (1882-1956)) at Charle's house as Charles's daughter, Virginia
(Polly Ann Young) looks on. Charles says, "You know, Paul, I'm afraid you have
me cornered."

In May 1941, Blood and Sand, directed by Rouben Mamoulian (1897-1987), was
released. Sulty socialite Dona Sol des Muire (Rita Hayworth (1918-1987)) shows
the chess board and set to the illiterate bull fighter Juan Gallardo (Tyrone Power
(1914-1958)) outside on the patio by the fountain. The chess pieces are red and
white. She says, "Would you like to play chess?" Juan says he does not know how
to play chess and is the most ignorant man in the world except for bull fighting.
The board is set up wrong.

In May 1941, U-Boote westwarts (U-Boat, Course West), directed by Guenther

Rittau (1893-1971), was released. Chess is played in a U-boat by two men near
their bunks. A third man in a bunk watches the game.

In May 1941, A Woman's Face, directed by George Cukor (1899-1983), was

released. Anna Holm/Ingrid Paulson (Joan Crawford (1905-1977)), a Swedish
blackmailer and accused murderer, gives a pocket chess set to Consul Magnus
Barring (Albert Bassermann) as a birthday present. He says, "That is exactly what I
wanted." Inside the chess set was a suicide note, discovered by the housekeeper,
Emma Kristiansdotter (Marjorie Main). She stole the note without reading it as she
assumed it was a love letter and part of a scheme by Anna to marry the Consul for
money.

In June 1941, Man Hunt, directed by Fritz Lang (1890-1976), starring Walter
Pidgeon and Joan Bennett, was released. A German doctor (Ludwig Stossel (1883-
1973)) plays chess with the white pieces while drinking beer. His opponent is
probably Major Quive-Smith (George Sanders), who looks over the position as
Black after the doctor walks out. The board is set up wrong (right corner square is
dark colored).

In June 1941, Dangerous Moonlight (Suicide Squadron in the USA), directed by

Brian Hurst (1895-1986), was released in Britain. There is a wooden chess set and
board sitting on the doctor's table. Pete Peters (Percy Parsons (1878-1944)) plays
chess with Steve Radetsky (Anton Walbrook (1896-1967) in the British bomber
squadron.

In June 1941, Underground, directed by Vincent Sherman (1906-2006), was

released. Erik Franken (Philip Dorn (1901-1975)) plays chess at Maxim's Bar and
Cafe with Professor Baumer (Frank Reicher). Erik is a chemist and an anti-Nazi
working for the underground.

In June 1941, Bachelor Daddy, directed by Harold Young (1897-1972), was

released. Baby Sandy moves chess pieces on the chess board.

In August 1941, This Woman is Mine, directed by Frank Lloyd (1886-1960), was
released. A girl stows away on a ship. It has a chess scene.

In October 1941, 49th Parallel, directed by Michael Powell (1905-1990), was

released in England. There is a Staunton chess set by the radio at Wilson Home
Post. A chess game is played by radio between Factor (Finlay Currie) and Russell
in Grand Rapids, Michigan (with a Brooklyn accent). They play 3 nights a week.
During the chess game, the algebraic notation is backwards and incorrect. Factor
gets help from the German engineer.

In October 1941, Smilin' Through, directed by Frank Borzage (1894-1962), was

released. Reverend Owen Harding (Ian Hunter (1900-1975)) plays chess with Sir
John Carteret (Brian Aherne (1902-1986)). Sir John dies of heart failure after
falling asleep in his chair while playing Harding.

In November 1941, Marry the Boss's Daughter, directed by Thornton Freeland

(1898-1987), was released. Putman Palmer (Hardie Albright) and J. W. Barrett
(George Barbier (1864-1945)) play chess in Barnett's study. Fredericka Barrett
(Brenda Joyce) makes a move for his father. Then she makes a move for Palmer.
Fredericka then calls her dog to come on, and the dog jumps on the chess table and
knocks most of the pieces over.

In December 1941, Design for Scandal, directed by Norman Taurog (1899-1981),

and starring Rosalind Russell (1907-1976) and Walter Pidgeon (1897-1984), was
released. To save his job, newsman Jeff Sherman (Pidgeon) offers to help his boss
get out of an alimony settlement. But his devious plan to compromise Cornelia C.
Porter (Russell), the judge on the case, while she