Elinor Fairchild (Alexis Smith) has been engaged three times...only to have each of her suitors die or become crippled. People believe there's a curse on her. Unemployed Alex "Lucky" Downing (Wayne Morris) agrees to be engaged to her for $1,000. When he goes to stay at her house with her strange family it seems he's marked for death too...
It's a B film all the way (just look at the cast) but not a bad one. The script isn't that great--it wavers uncomfortably between comedy and horror. The comedy almost never works but there are some very spooky moments (especially a visit to a crypt). Also there's a very lively score and this was filmed on some beautiful sets (I'm assuming they were from an "A" film being done at the time).
The cast all plays the roles to perfection--especially Morris and Brenda Marshall as a newspaper woman. Smith also is VERY beautiful. But there's one thing that I find very annoying about this picture. That's Willie Best--he plays a black valet named Clarence. He manages, in the course of 70 minutes, to reinforce every negative black stereotype in existence at that time. We're encouraged to laugh at his being a coward, doing bug-eyed expressions ad naseum and CONSTANTLY running away from everything. I realize this attitude was OK in 1941 but it's downright disgusting to watch in this day and age. I really feel sorry for Best--he WAS very good. That treatment really spoiled the film for me (For the record, I'm a white guy). For that I can only give it a 6.
It's a B film all the way (just look at the cast) but not a bad one. The script isn't that great--it wavers uncomfortably between comedy and horror. The comedy almost never works but there are some very spooky moments (especially a visit to a crypt). Also there's a very lively score and this was filmed on some beautiful sets (I'm assuming they were from an "A" film being done at the time).
The cast all plays the roles to perfection--especially Morris and Brenda Marshall as a newspaper woman. Smith also is VERY beautiful. But there's one thing that I find very annoying about this picture. That's Willie Best--he plays a black valet named Clarence. He manages, in the course of 70 minutes, to reinforce every negative black stereotype in existence at that time. We're encouraged to laugh at his being a coward, doing bug-eyed expressions ad naseum and CONSTANTLY running away from everything. I realize this attitude was OK in 1941 but it's downright disgusting to watch in this day and age. I really feel sorry for Best--he WAS very good. That treatment really spoiled the film for me (For the record, I'm a white guy). For that I can only give it a 6.