This is a very good little film in the comedy-horror genre. It could have been a vehicle for Red Skelton as in his "Whistling..." series by MGM at the same time, but the studio was also working to elevate Wayne Morris to the forefront, perhaps due to so many actors being off and involved in the war effort.
At any rate, the film only has one real flaw -- it's so obvious from early on who the serial murderer is. But, in this type of film, there are two ways to enjoy the action -- by figuring out who the perpetrator is, or by enjoying the journey by which the other characters find out who the perpetrator is. Here, it's the latter that makes this film very watchable.
Wayne Morris was a pleasant enough presence on the screen, though I doubt he was ever destined to become a real A-lister. He does nicely here as the slightly befuddled hero, who despite your early expectations falls in love with the right girl...although the film doesn't really give us enough of a reason why he falls in love with her. Alexis Smith -- the second lead and supposed romantic lead (a semi-wealthy young woman whose fiancees all seem to get murdered) -- does fine, but is upstaged by Brenda Marshall (playing a newspaper woman), who turns out to be the real flame in our hero's eye. Alan Hale (senior) is the butler. Helen Westley is dandy as the grandmother of Alexis Smith.
But the actor who really shines here is Willie Best, as the Black manservant of Wayne Morris. His role is more prominent here than in many films, and his comedic talent is very obvious. What a shame we never got to see Mr. Best in different types of roles; I have a feeling he would have been marvelous. But, that was not possible back in the 1940s, so he makes the most of his role here.
The cast is just loaded with slightly oddball characters, almost all of whom might just be the murderer, but you know from very early on that it's the man in the iron mask (so to speak). And there are the usual spooky locations (such as the dark basement), peep holes for spying, and secret doors. All rather standard for this genre of film.
It's fun. Enjoy it!
At any rate, the film only has one real flaw -- it's so obvious from early on who the serial murderer is. But, in this type of film, there are two ways to enjoy the action -- by figuring out who the perpetrator is, or by enjoying the journey by which the other characters find out who the perpetrator is. Here, it's the latter that makes this film very watchable.
Wayne Morris was a pleasant enough presence on the screen, though I doubt he was ever destined to become a real A-lister. He does nicely here as the slightly befuddled hero, who despite your early expectations falls in love with the right girl...although the film doesn't really give us enough of a reason why he falls in love with her. Alexis Smith -- the second lead and supposed romantic lead (a semi-wealthy young woman whose fiancees all seem to get murdered) -- does fine, but is upstaged by Brenda Marshall (playing a newspaper woman), who turns out to be the real flame in our hero's eye. Alan Hale (senior) is the butler. Helen Westley is dandy as the grandmother of Alexis Smith.
But the actor who really shines here is Willie Best, as the Black manservant of Wayne Morris. His role is more prominent here than in many films, and his comedic talent is very obvious. What a shame we never got to see Mr. Best in different types of roles; I have a feeling he would have been marvelous. But, that was not possible back in the 1940s, so he makes the most of his role here.
The cast is just loaded with slightly oddball characters, almost all of whom might just be the murderer, but you know from very early on that it's the man in the iron mask (so to speak). And there are the usual spooky locations (such as the dark basement), peep holes for spying, and secret doors. All rather standard for this genre of film.
It's fun. Enjoy it!