That's the story with the ghastly looking ghost who has this hideous grin which both Conrad Veidt ("The Man Who Laughs") and Lon Chaney ("The Phantom of the Opera") would have excelled in during the silent era. It's all about the murders of the various men engaged to wealthy socialite Alexis Smith and the private investigator (Wayne Morris) who agrees to become engaged to her so they can unmask the hideous nightmare who almost appears to be a dream. Smith's wacky family is an eccentric bunch of do-nothing rich people, sitting around basically waiting for the others to die so their inheritances will increase. There's salty matriarch Helen Westley (who hires Morris for the job in the first place), her cynical daughter (Lee Patrick) and the paunchy Alan Hale among others. Morris's sidekick (Willie Best) is both his secretary/chauffeur and becomes the desired model for an eccentric member of the family who collects heads (simply because he hasn't collected a black one yet), and Brenda Marshall is Morris's acquaintance, a lady photographer dying to unmask the killer herself.
While today, black character performers like Willie Best are looked back on as the example of how African American actors were typecast, if you simply look on them as characters, you will find them extremely likable and enjoy what they had to contribute, no matter how stereotypical they were. Willie Best made me laugh not because he was playing a cowardly or less than smart character. He made me laugh because he was funny. I certainly didn't look at him as an archetype for all blacks. His talent speaks for itself, and I certainly would have liked to have seen what he could do in a less degrading part.
Alexis Smith never really got the chance to explode on screen like she would later on stage, having "moments" rather than the glory she would find in live theater. It's obvious from the start that she's not going to get Morris, and when Marshall lets her have it, she wins a glorious victory. Poor Lee Patrick is totally wasted, and Helen Westley overdoes it as the cute, feisty old lady. This certainly has its share of amusing moments, but ultimately, those come from Mr. Best more so than the white members of the cast.
While today, black character performers like Willie Best are looked back on as the example of how African American actors were typecast, if you simply look on them as characters, you will find them extremely likable and enjoy what they had to contribute, no matter how stereotypical they were. Willie Best made me laugh not because he was playing a cowardly or less than smart character. He made me laugh because he was funny. I certainly didn't look at him as an archetype for all blacks. His talent speaks for itself, and I certainly would have liked to have seen what he could do in a less degrading part.
Alexis Smith never really got the chance to explode on screen like she would later on stage, having "moments" rather than the glory she would find in live theater. It's obvious from the start that she's not going to get Morris, and when Marshall lets her have it, she wins a glorious victory. Poor Lee Patrick is totally wasted, and Helen Westley overdoes it as the cute, feisty old lady. This certainly has its share of amusing moments, but ultimately, those come from Mr. Best more so than the white members of the cast.