Fay Wray (r) helps Claude Rains after he collapses. Image: TCM
What would you do if you could see future events?
Would you concentrate on winning lottery numbers? Or maybe the outcome of a sporting event?
But what if you foresaw disaster? How far would you go to warn those involved? And what if your warnings themselves inadvertently caused said disaster?
The Clairvoyant (1935), starring Claude Rains and Fay Wray, is a British drama that explores these questions.
Rains and Wray portray a married couple who are stars of a Mind Reading act. They are modestly introduced as:
The Greatest Mind Reading and Telepathic Communication Act
the World Has Ever Known(!!)
While Rains is blindfolded on stage, Wray-the-assistant wades into the audience to solicit random objects. She holds each object aloft and asks, “What have I here?” or “What am I holding?”. The blindfolded Rains guesses the item in question, and he’s never wrong!
Of course, each of Wray’s questions is worded a certain way. So if she asks, “What am I holding?”, Rains knows it’s a wristwatch. If she says, “What have I here?”, it’s a tube of lipstick.
It’s a foolproof act, as long as they’ve memorized the questions, because Wray never accepts weird or unusual items. She simply waves them away.
But!
During one performance, Rains trips onstage and removes his blindfold. He sees a woman (Jane Baxter) in the audience staring at him, and he locks eyes with her. His expression changes, as though he’s being Taken Over by another entity, and with a flat voice he announces two prophecies before he collapses.
The prophecies come true, and Rains realizes he really is a clairvoyant. However, his ability is manifested only when Baxter is present.
Jane Baxter (l) is the Other Woman. Image: Streamline
This film belong to Claude Rains, because he is the title character, and he gives a superb portrayal, because he is Claude Rains.
Yet Wray is no Shrinking Violet. This may be Rains’s film, but she’s not overshadowed by him. Her charm and Stick-To-Itiveness are endearing.
Her performance shows us how an actress can magnify her role. For example, when Rains suddenly becomes popular enough to Name His Own Price, Wray realizes she’s no longer crucial to the act. She tells him her worries with an unusual mix of sadness and relief.
Then there’s Baxter, the Other Woman, who, in her oh-so-innocent way, starts nudging Wray aside: See how successful he is without you?
This would put a strain on any marriage. Never before has Rains had such Opportunity, but Wray needs to know Where She Stands. When she objects to his going to a fancy-pants banquet with Baxter, he gives her a flimsy, condescending promise re: dinner afterwards.
Seriously, Claude Rains?
Wray: “Do you really think you can eat two meals in one evening?”
Rains: “You’re being childish, darling.” (Exits.)
We’re all angry with Rains now – both Wray and we the audience. Two meals in one evening, indeed!
Wray can now see her own future. Her marriage and career are Over: She’s been squeezed out of both. Wray the actress handles this moment of realization beautifully. Her expression changes from despair to determination, and without a word, we know she’s had Enough.
Wray memorizing the List o’ Questions. Image: IMDb
In the mid 1930s, Hollywood actress Fay Wray went to England to make two movies with Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, a major film company in the U.K.
Not only did this opportunity provide travel and the chance to work with actors like Rains, it was a break from her marriage to troubled screenwriter John Monk Saunders. However, it wasn’t long before Saunders arrived in England, too, because producer Howard Hughes sent him overseas to write a film about dirigibles.
The couple would remain in Great Britain for a few more years because Wray started receiving more film offers – and rightfully so. Although she’s regarded as the original movie “scream queen”, she was an actress of depth and range.
We omitted many plot details because we urge you to see The Clairvoyant for yourself. We hope you’ll agree that both the film and Wray’s performance deserve to be better known.
This post is part of FAY WRAY AND ROBERT RISKIN, THE BLOGATHON hosted by Classic Movie Hub & Once Upon A Screen.
The Clairvoyant: starring Claude Rains, Fay Wray, Marie Clare. Directed by Maurice Elvey. Written by Charles Bennett & Bryan Edgar Wallace. Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, 1935, B&W, 81 mins.
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This sounds like a good one! I will have to see if I can find it.
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I think you’d really like this one, Karen. There’s kind of a neat little twist at the end.
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I haven’t seen this in ages but recall it as mesmerizing and a little heartbreaking. I want to see it now with a focus on Miss Wray. Thanks.
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I think Fay Wray holds her own against Claude Rains. If I didn’t know she was an American, I would swear she was British.
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Every time you review a film I want to see it 🙂
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Well, I only see the best films, don’tcha know? 😉
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Ha. Never hurts to be reminded.
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A great account, Ruth! I liked this one too.
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This is a real gem of a film, isn’t it?
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OOH, I’ve never seen this one and you certainly whet my appetite. I love even the idea of the Rains Wray pairing.
Thanks for joing us for the blogathon, Ruth!
Aurora
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Wray and Rains are terrific on screen. It’s a shame they didn’t make more films together.
Thanks for co-hosting this blogathon! It’s a wonderful tribute to two talented people.
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I must get my hands in the movie!!
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Love movies about psychics! Night Has a Thousand Eyes, The Dead Zone, Eyes of Laura Mars, etc. Clairvoyant is pretty awesome and it has Rains, who is just great. Wray is very good too. Nice review!
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Thanks! I have to admit I’m a bit behind in the psychic movie arena, but you’ve given me some good titles to check out.
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Must catch up on this one. Enjoyed your review.
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Thanks! I hope you get the chance to see The Clairvoyant. Casting is great and the story never falters for a second. It’s a real gem.
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I will have to watch!
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I hope you can see this film. I think you, in particular, might like it.
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This sounds so familiar. I think I saw this. Am I really this old…lol
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Haha! This film is WAY older than both of us put together.
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What a great plot! I think we forget, because of the lack of special effects and colour etc., that early movies were pretty darn good!
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You said it, sister! This film is engrossing from start to finish.
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You officially have me hooked. Love the idea now I need to see it.
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I hope you’re able to see this one. Great acting, and it raises some thought-provoking questions.
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Surprisingly the entire movie is on Youtube.
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Ah, the great tragedy of being a Cassandra!
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Haha! You said it!
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I’ve never seen this one and doubt I would have sought it out. But your review makes it sound so interesting that I think I will have to.
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This is a surprisingly good film…well, maybe not so surprising given the cast. I’ve been telling everyone I know about it.
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Thanks for the link, that sounds very interesting. An good companion piece might be Night Has a Thousand Eyes. It’s very good, unfortunately I don’t know if there’s a decent copy around. Also The Amazing Mr. X is a fun watch.
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I have yet to see Night has a Thousand Eyes, and I want to do so this weekend, if I can find something half decent online…
I hope you get a chance to see The Clairvoyant. Such a great cast, and it raises really interesting questions.
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I love this gem of a film and remember seeing it (and taping it) many years ago, on very late night television. I remember the shock of the train crash and Rains’ intensity in the role. But as you point out Fay Wray is not over-shadowed and it’s a shame that she is usually remembered as a ‘scream queen’ rather than as an actress with far greater depth. I am going to seek this great film out again – been too long between drinks! Thanks for a great review!
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You’re right about Claude Rains’s intensity. He must have been exhausted at the end of each shooting day.
As for Fay Wray, I love her performance in this film. If I didn’t know she was American, I would bet she was British.
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Loved reading this post, I am a clairvoyant and wish it was easy and been able to get lottery numbers lol. But sadly it doesn’t work that way I wish it did. I always get clients asking me if I can give them a winning racehorse or lotto numbers lol
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts. What do you think of the portrayal of clairvoyants generally in film and television?
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