FOILED  Educational Film Exchanges, Inc., 1931) Produced and directed by G. C. Reid..
Yet another entry in the William J. Burns Detective Mysteries series, which were apparently based on actual cases from the disgraced former Director of the FBI’s years as the head of the detective agency that bore his name.  The story opens on a gathering of society swells gambling in a posh hotel and the murder that quickly ensues.  After viewing more than a dozen of these shorts, it’s clear that Educational used an ensemble cast, with certain actors falling into fairly defined stock types.  The big winner at the poker table here is a familiarly snaky fellow with a pencil-thin moustache and, if previous screenings of the films in the serious are any indication, we know he’s likely not long for this world.  Jealousy, threats of violence, murder, deception, a suspicious hotel dick and a plot that turns on a wardrobe malfunction, this installment in the series has it all.  Unfortunately, it also has a rather uncomfortable dose of racial stereotyping, though we'll have to chalk that up to the context of the times.  (Tim Lanza)