Complicated doings at a remote house off the coast of Maine, as Gregory Sloane (Hugh Trevor), the host of the party, shoots guest Mischa Kawelin (Ivan Lebedeff), who has been romancing the wife (Rita La Roy) of another guest (Lowell Sherman). But it’s all a put-up job between Gregory and Mischa, as Gregory (who is …
Woman in the Dark (RKO, 1934)
A parolee (Ralph Bellamy) too handy with his fists comes to the aid of a woman in distress (Fay Wray) who takes refuge in his cabin, and he then clashes with an old rival (Melvyn Douglas) and may have ended up committing the same sort of crime that had put him behind bars. The movie, …
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George White’s Scandals (RKO, 1945)
Impresario George White attained success on Broadway with his “Scandals,” annual revue shows similar to Ziegfeld’s “Follies,” and he brought the idea to the screen a few times, twice in the Thirties and a third time in 1945. As usual with such revues, the plot is pretty flimsy, with two couples bumping along the road …
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Cockeyed Cavaliers (RKO, 1934)
Crazy antics in a not-too-specific past full of striking costumes, as Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey are teamed again with Dorothy Lee and Thelma Todd for humor and music. The boys pretend to be the king’s physicians and make hay with the household of a boisterous baron (Noah Beery). Plenty of laughs. Recommended. Otto finds …
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Forty Naughty Girls (RKO, 1937)
Hildegarde Withers (Zasu Pitts) and Inspector Oscar Piper (James Gleason) investigate murders during a Broadway play they are attending. This is a weak entry in the series, with lots of comedy; Gleason is fine as always, but Pitts again fails to impress as the schoolteacher detective. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, …
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Tarzan’s Peril (RKO, 1951)
Crooks selling guns to the tribes are the main menace in this outing for Tarzan (Lex Barker), this time with actress Virginia Huston portraying Jane. The criminals are an interesting bunch, with the leader more than ready to kill anyone who gets in his way, including government officials, and hoping to stir up a war …
Dixiana (RKO, 1930)
Early sound musical set in New Orleans, notable for featuring the team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey in supporting roles, has little interest save as a historical curiosity. Although some of the singing and dancing is good, a hackneyed plot and a stiff leading man weaken the film; Bebe Daniels in the title role …
Super-Sleuth (RKO, 1937)
A bombastic radio detective, Bill Martin (Jack Oakie), with a dim view of the police finds himself the latest target of a “poison pen” killer. Is he up to the task of foiling the fiend? Can the woman (Ann Sothern) who loves him keep him alive and employed and on good terms with the police? …
The Cuckoos (RKO, 1930)
Early Wheeler & Woolsey vehicle is flawed but nonetheless entertaining. The loosely constructed plot has the boys as phony fortune tellers who get involved with a wealthy woman and her daughter, a fortune-hunting nobleman, and also gypsies, but what plot there is serves more as a vehicle to move from musical number to musical number, …
The Plot Thickens (RKO, 1936)
James Gleason gets top billing in this Hildegarde Withers movie, the fifth in RKO’s series, in which Zasu Pitts takes over the role of the spinster detective, and it’s easy to see why. His performance as Inspector Oscar Piper is polished and fun, and this time around, he’s the one who brings the investigation to …
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