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It is a performances centric movie

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Loretta Young was borrowed from 20th Century Fox to appear opposite Franchot Tone in this British based drama about a rising young and titled attorney played by Tone who is expecting an appointment from the Crown as a new attorney general. Of course that will happen upon conclusion of the case he is prosecuting now of Dudley Digges accused of murdering his wife.In the meantime Tone's wife gets an intrusive visit at a dinner party by Henry Daniell. It seems as though he's in possession of some letters that Tone wrote to his wife indicating a nasty affair. But in the tradition of the old badger game Daniell at his sneering best is willing to take a payoff.What happens is that the wife of Daniell winds up dead and it's Tone looking good for it because he can't come up with an alibi. This strangely parallels the situation Tone has in court with Digges who cannot confirm his own alibi when his own wife is killed.The blend of British and American players seem to work well here as people like Tone and Lewis Stone who plays the Scotland Yard Inspector with their classical training fit well with the players of Hollywood's British colony. This could have been a lot better though. The Unguarded Hour seems poised to jump into comedy especially when Roland Young is on the screen. But it never quite makes it. Still Young gets a few droll lines in as everybody's favorite house guest.Fans of the stars and some of the most well known character players from Hollywood's golden age should approve.

Yes, Loretta Young was Beautiful (Clark Gable obviously thought so), and She Had a Screen Presence and Acting Abilities. But Her Turn Here is Overshadowed by a Heavily Worded and Drawn Out Script that Makes its 87 Minute Running Time Feel Twice that Long.The Scene where the Hypothetical Crime is Laid Out Between Franchois Tone and Roland Young is Laborious and Irritating. Henry Daniel Makes for a Slimy Villain, but Miss Young's Beauty and Ability are All but Lost Behind this Melodramatic Courtroom Caper that by the End there are So Many Loose Ends and Misdirections Tied Up that it is Breathtaking.Overall, Worth a Watch for Loretta Young Fans, but Don't Expect Anything Noteworthy, and for those Liking Stage Play Personas and Wordy, but Hardly Witty Dialog Displays. It's Tense in Spots but Tenaciously Chatty.

This film begins with a slick blackmailer (Henry Daniell) approaching a young wife (Loretta Young) and telling her he has letters from Young's husband (Franchot Tone) to a married woman. The letters are VERY indiscreet and they were written years before Tone's marriage. But, considering Tone was cavorting about with a married lady, the letters could destroy his career. When Young later meets with the blackmailer for the payoff, she witnesses a man and his wife walking about the cliff. Well, the wife apparently fell soon after and people thought the man killed her--but Loretta knows that he's innocent. But, to go to the police, she might have to explain why she was there. It's a ridiculous coincidence, but it turns out later that her husband is to prosecute the accused killer! A bit later, the blackmailer's accomplice (his wife) contacts Tone. She, too, hopes to blackmail money from Tone for the letters. However, after going to meet her, a murder occurs and it sure looks like Tone killed one of the blackmailers! And, since Tone and Young haven't talked about the letters, both are being bled by these leeches. What's to happen next?! Overall, this isn't a bad film but it suffers from some problems. First, common sense would say that Young WOULD talk to her husband about the blackmailers and the two would work together--but they don't. In fact, several times during the film you find it hard to believe what the characters do--such as when Young meets with Daniell late in the film and the insanely bizarre ending (this made no sense at all). Second, the movie is a bit too mannered and talky--too many folks in tuxes talking around the subject instead of dealing with the crimes directly. As a result, the film is a bit cold and uninvolving when it should have been more exciting. Still, it's worth seeing and isn't a bad film at all--it's just that it should have been better.By the way, Henry Daniell played a wonderful blackmailer. He's even juicier in such a role in "The Suspect"--a dandy film and one of the best films of the 1940s.

Loretta Young, Franchot Tone, Lewis Stone, Roland Young, and Henry Daniell are all involved in "The Unguarded Hour," a 1936 film directed by Sam Wood.Young plays Lady Dearden, a newlywed whose husband's (Tone) promising career as a prosecutor is threatened by letters he wrote to another woman before he was married. The blackmailer (Daniell) gives Lady Dearden some complicated instructions by which to deliver the money to him. She follows his instructions but in doing so, she becomes the only witness in a case her husband is trying. Though a man's life is at stake, she doesn't want her husband to know of the incident.Pretty good if talky film, with the 23-year-old Young stealing every scene in which she appears with her glorious looks and gentle quality. There are still beautiful actresses, but Young truly had a special look and a gentility we probably won't see again. Franchot does a good job as her handsome husband, and Roland Young is delightful as a family friend. Henry Daniell, who played slimeballs so well, plays a slimeball here.Enjoyable.