Girl Missing (1933)
7/10
A comedy of manners?
4 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Although some DVD distributors obviously think otherwise, crime does necessarily induce a movie to fall into the category of film noir.

Take "Girl Missing" (1933), for example. Here we have a delightful "B" outing in which fast-talking Glenda Farrell and super-luscious Mary Brian try to penetrate the disappearing act Peggy Shannon stages on her wedding night.

All three women are most enticingly gowned by Orry-Kelly, while Arthur Todd's photography, as might be expected, tends to be appropriately light and bright.

In the main, although director Robert Florey handles the movie with speed and efficiency, he tends to concentrate more on the players (Ben Lyon, Guy Kibbee, Harold Huber, Helen Ware, Edward Ellis, Walter Brennan and company) and their pungent dialogue than on either the on-screen crimes (murder and attempted murder) or the actual mystery.

So, be warned! The situations in "Girl Missing" mainly serve to provide new twists in the plot. And that plot is mainly not what most customers would expect of a mystery thriller. Admittedly, there are a few thrills, but I would describe "Girl Missing" as mainly a comedy of manners.
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