The disguises for Chester Morris and George E. Stone are getting a workout on this late entry, certainly past its prime. With film noir having caught on, the old form of detective story just didn't hold up as well, especially with the typical corny humor of Stone and dumb police sidekick Frank Sully. This one deals with the theft of pearls at a swell society party and Morris's determination to keep police lieutenant Richard Lane off his case.
Morris and Stone strive for laughs in drag, and when Morris picks up a woman's hat and proclaims "Gay!", it means something else today than probably what the writer intended. June Vincent, Patricia Barry and Fay Baker give the feminine touch, and for me, it was the first chance to see future soap queen Barry in an early film role. The tiresome efforts, though, to keep the series alive are obvious, and a few traits of film noir are prevalent, if not obvious. Morris maintains the character's fun, wisecracking nature, but the series seems stagnant, and no crime doctor can cure that.
Morris and Stone strive for laughs in drag, and when Morris picks up a woman's hat and proclaims "Gay!", it means something else today than probably what the writer intended. June Vincent, Patricia Barry and Fay Baker give the feminine touch, and for me, it was the first chance to see future soap queen Barry in an early film role. The tiresome efforts, though, to keep the series alive are obvious, and a few traits of film noir are prevalent, if not obvious. Morris maintains the character's fun, wisecracking nature, but the series seems stagnant, and no crime doctor can cure that.