Whistling in Brooklyn (1943)

Lack of good storyline.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Back in 1933, Ernest Truex starred in "Whistling in the Dark" and it was a charming little comedy/mystery. Eight years later, the film was remade with Red Skelton and is the much more famous version of the story--though I prefer the original. Despite my preference, the Skelton film was so popular that it resulted in two sequels...first "Whistling in Dixie" and then "Whistling in Brooklyn".A series of murders have occurred and the police are baffled. However, when radio personality Wally Benton (Skelton) seems to know too many details about the killings, they assume he's the killer. Suddenly, cops are pouring out of the woodwork to arrest the guy. At first, he thinks that it's all a gag. After all, he and his fiancé (Ann Rutherford) are on their way to get married and his co- workers are always playing tricks on him. However, when he realizes they are firing REAL bullets, he and his girl and his idiot chauffeur are on the run. Soon, they are not just dodging the police but crooks as well and EVERYBODY seems to want to kill him.The best part of the film is towards the end, where Wally pretends to be a baseball player in order to alert the police who the real killer is. But he has to be disguised and sports a beard...and knows nothing about playing ball. But, miraculously, all the stupid things he does seem to work! Overall, enjoyable and pretty much more of the same for the short-lived franchise.

This was the third and final of the "Whistling In..." series of B movies starring the young Red Skelton. And in my view, it's the best, although "Whistling In The Dark" (the first in the series) was darned good. This series was the first time Skelton got top billing in a film, and he really makes the most of it. MGM "got" what Red Skelton did best in this early series. Unfortunately, later they forgot what he did best, and although his performances in musical comedies are interesting, it's when it's pure comedy that he best succeeds.Red plays Wally Benton again here -- radio's "The Fox" -- a detective yarn. This time he gets mixed up with the "Constant Reader"...someone who tells of impeding deaths. For a while, the police think he is Constant Reader. So, the police are after Benton (Red), as are the gangsters.Ann Rutherford is along again as the love interest, with Jean Rogers as her competition. Both ladies excel. Rags Ragland is the buddy again here, as he was in the second and third films, although here his role seems a bit diminished. Venerable character actors Ray Collins (later in "Perry Mason") and Henry O'Neill have decent roles here. William Frawley has a minor role as a detective.Lots of slapstick here, and it all works quite well. Tune in for Red in his third starring role. But, three times was enough. Time to move on after this third installment.

The third and final movie in the Wally "The Fox" Benton series starring Red Skelton. In this one, Wally and sweetheart Carol (Ann Rutherford) are still trying to get married. Their plans are interrupted by the police thinking Wally is a killer. So Wally, Carol, and Chester (Rags Ragland) all find themselves on the run from the cops. Along for the ride is a reporter (Jean Rogers) trying to get a story.Red's funny as usual. Ann gets less to do and not as many funny lines as the previous two movies. Rags Ragland, the only constant in the series besides the two leads, is hilarious here. The scene arguing with the telephone operator is a hoot. Other highlights are the elevator shaft scene and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Good cast includes William Frawley, Henry O'Neill, Sam Levene, and Ray Collins. Each movie in the series had a second prominent female actress behind Ann Rutherford. This time it's the very likable Jean Rogers. This was Rutherford's last film on her MGM contract. She would continue acting for decades and even have decent roles in a couple of big movies. But, for the most part, her career trajectory started to decline after she left MGM. Which is a shame. It's a fun movie, better than the second but not as good as the first. Skelton fans will no doubt enjoy it.

The man of many talents, Red Skelton, has some of his funniest moments on screen in this third and final installment of his amateur radio detective, Wally 'The Fox' Benton, series. Keeping up with him most of the way are the marvelous Rags Ragland as Chester the chauffeur, aka press agent, and the vivaciously funny dippy blonde, Jean Rogers, as a dumber than Rags (would you believe?) reporter. Two "dolls" are better than one in a comedy gangster flick. So the viewer is treated to the curvaceous Ann Rutherford as Wally's bride-to-be, Carol Lambert, who has fewer funny lines than the others, but is still delicious icing on the cake.There are several scenes that are as fresh today as they were sixty-three years ago. One displays the comedic ability of Rags Ragland, who left us way too soon, to illustrate what perfect timing he could bring to a humorous sketch. He is attempting to use the telephone to assist his new client, Wally, when he is driven to anger by an aloof operator. Ma Bell would not receive such a lampooning again until the equally brilliant Lily Tomlin appeared as Ernestine, the telephone operator, nearly thirty years later. Watch too when the comic quartet is trapped in an elevator shaft. All four are dangling in the air, holding on to a precarious cable. Rags exclaims, "I didn't know I weighed so much." It's also a pleasure to see the Brooklyn Dodgers participating in all the shenanigans at the ball park, with Leo Durocher in the limelight. Then there's the final slapstick-filled sequence that ties the loose ends together. There may be a few clinkers here and there, such as Wally's jibe,"You'll live the life of Riley...that is, if Riley don't come home," a joke that was already stale in 1943. But when a comic is on a roll, there are bound to be a few stale puns. Even Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy fall flat sometimes.Enjoying the antics of these four clowns may cause the viewer to forget what the plot is about. Which is OK since it's nothing new. The story deals with the mob getting even, police corruption, and a popular radio personality, Wally "The Fox," being mistaken for a hit-man, The Constant Reader. All poor Wally wants to do is get married, honeymoon at Niagra Falls, and take a break from his job. Before he can do that, he must clear himself of the murders he is accused of committing.Red Skelton's many fans will love this film. Those unfamiliar with Red's humor may miss many of the inside jokes, such as "I dood it," but should enjoy the rest, especially if fans of old-time radio and lovers of slapstick.