Dressed to Kill (1941)

Memorable, crazy movie

Don't listen to the negative reviews

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The acting in this movie is really good.

In this entry in the Michael Shayne series at 20th Century Fox Lloyd Nolan is about to be married to Mary Beth Hughes. The plan is to go to Niagara Falls just as soon as he can dig up a proper suit to be married in for the wedding pictures at City Hall.But Nolan and Hughes stumble into a murder of a theatrical producer and his leading lady at the next door theater where the producer had a private entrance to his suite at the hotel and a few other hideaways and by ways. The man led quite a busy life with the ladies.In fact the whole thing revolves around a show he produced 25 years earlier and a performer whose wife he stole at the time. But being that the victim was an all around rat there are no shortage of suspects.Nolan makes a deal with one of the newspapers for an exclusive if he beats the cops to the solution. Not that it is all that hard because William Demarest the chief inspector is from the Keystone Academy of Police. Still there are laws about interfering with a police investigation. Stuff that private detectives like Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe or even Jim Rockford avoid doing or at least get caught at doing Shayne does with abandon.Other than the fact that the perpetrator commits a third murder of a witness you do feel kind of sorry for him. Nolan fits the role better than the glove fit OJ.

Dressed to Kill (1941)There are several movies by this name, and this is one of the lesser of them, a comic detective yarn with an improbable murder and some fun settings. Key to its success--because it isn't half bad--is the leading man, Lloyd Nolan, who has an ease and likability that makes his scenes fun to watch. And he's in every minute of the movie.This is one of a series of Michael Shayne movies (that's the detective's name), and the first seven of the thirteen movie versions star Nolan. It says something that I'd be willing to see another, for sure. But I think this is a television level drama (before t.v., but that kind of budget and level of intensity). These aren't like the great detective movies of the 30s and 40s, and not a bit like the noirs of the 40s and 50s, just to be clear.One of the surprising high points is the script--very witty, and unrelentingly clever. NiceExpect very good production values, a decent supporting cast, and a kind of over-convoluted Agatha Christie kind of plot with lots of characters that are really hard to get to know in just over an hour. In the big picture these are a little like the Sherlock Holmes or the Mr. Wong movies with Boris Karloff. Fun, but no great shakes.

Watching this and other Mike Shane entries in this series is truly a treat. They simply don't make them like this any more! Lloyd Nolan is a glib, fast-talking, somewhat arrogant Mike Shane but these traits only add to the character. This one was filmed on a set--unlike some of the others--and the viewer doesn't get a time-travel perspective of the way things looked in 1941. Even so, this little film is well worth watching and owning. Black cast members are given roles of ghost-fearing janitors and one--Mantan Moreland--has his name misspelled in the credits. Oh, if you like double-breasted suits, this film is for you. Shane and other male members of the cast wear them in every scene.

If ever a "B" could be said to have a surfeit of production values that movie is Dressed To Kill, the third in the seven-picture Fox series (that was then taken over for a further five films by Producers Releasing Corp). Just look at that cast! It's so richly extensive in name players that some of the top-billed people like Sheila Ryan are in and out before you can blink an eye. Mary Beth Hughes' fans are not well served either as she has an unsympathetic role (which she plays well). On the other hand, Mr Nolan exerts his fulsome presence in almost every scene and does his level best to squeeze the other players out of the action. Fortunately, it's mighty hard to steal scenes from a master of slapstick like William Demarest (the bit in which he falls into the orchestra pit is a hoot!) and director Eugene Forde is also on hand to see that actors like Henry Daniell get a fair shake. Forde even slows down his admirably fast pacing on occasions to allow his players time to breathe. Mystery fans will be pleased to note that the identity of the killer is very cleverly (but not unfairly) concealed. Beautiful camera-work and great sets add to the movie's appeal. In short, a most entertaining "B" that will appeal to everyone who can at least tolerate Lloyd Nolan.