Instant Favorite.

Good concept, poorly executed.

Awesome Movie

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

There is a bit of truth in the utilization of that famous Noel Coward song in describing this odd murder mystery comedy that like Coward's old pal Elaine Stritch once responded to, "All those marvelous parties really weren't so marvelous", especially since much of it you couldn't remember. I've been to a few of those not so marvelous parties in my time, fun during the first 3/4 of them, but a blank slate for that last half where nobody remembered much of the last quarter, and if they did, they weren't talking about it. In the hands of the very flashy James Whale, this Universal film is a bizarre post code classic that seems to have somehow bypassed the Hays code in certain aspects. The opening flash of the party invitation indicates a five course meal at various locations, embellished with the promise of lots of cocktails, and a recovery breakfast to finish it all off. The idle rich become drunken fools, turning each location into an elaborate but decadent setting for all sorts of idiotic behavior, including a musical production number like sequence where they all of a sudden end up in blackface, complete with the big lips and stereotypical dialects, as the staff (lead by butler Arthur Treacher, minus his fish n' chips) looks on in disgust. The two leading members of this celestial event are Robert Young and Constance Cummings, and they are the ones who find a dead body among their partyers the very next morning. The arrival of Young's detective acquaintance Edward Arnold and his bumbling assistant Edward Brophy gets the investigation underway, and while nothing that follows the party itself can compare to the events of the intoxicating evening, the film itself becomes an unforgettable mix of bitchy humor and insinuations of guilt, with a rhythmic sense to its dialog that reminded me of "Love Me Tonight". The party sequence has each of the guests (which include Sally Eilers, Robert Armstrong and Reginald Denny) sparring with each other in passive/aggressive hateful undertones, making it clear that in spite of their being a part of the elite upper crust, they really can barely stand each other. Young and Cummings are fantastic in their parts, and seeing Ms. Cummings here makes me wonder why she never became a bigger film star. She was an able comedienne, charming and beautiful, yet many of her other film parts cast her in bland heroine roles. Treacher gets some of the very best lines in the film, and his exit in the final seconds of the film (along with a brilliantly written construction set car accident sequence) are the two funniest moments of the film which had me chortling hysterically. Through Whale's gorgeous eyes to detail, this film becomes an unforgettable romp in the high society hay, a far cry from his horror films, but near to the mark of his landmark 1936 version of "Show Boat".

Comedy-mystery about a murder following a night of hard partying from a group of young ne'er-do-wells. Fast-forward sixty years and this might feature people being eviscerated and a bouncy heroine in a revealing tank top running for her life. But these were (thankfully) simpler times so, instead, we get the great Edward Arnold coming in to investigate the case. It's one of those grand old "no one leaves the crime scene until I solve the case" murder mysteries, told with style and wit by the master of both, director James Whale.It's an enjoyable movie with a really good cast that includes Robert Young, Constance Cummings, Reginald Denny, Robert Armstrong, Edward Brophy, Jack La Rue, Rafaela Ottiano, George Meeker, and Sally Eilers, among others. But Eddie Arnold is the scene-stealer, as was almost always the case with him. The only reason I don't rate it higher is the "cute" gets old after awhile and I found myself wishing they would wrap it up about twenty minutes before they did. Still, worth a look for anyone who ever wondered what a murder mystery would be like if you filled the cast with characters from a screwball comedy. Also, I love the references to Bride of Frankenstein and Dracula's Daughter. The former was, of course, Whale's masterpiece. The latter was the movie Universal head Carl Laemmle, Jr. wanted Whale to direct. To get out of it, Whale pushed Laemmle to let him adapt a novel called The Hangover Murders. That became this film.

It's a very strange thing when you watch many films from the 1930s. Although the Depression hit everyone very hard and unemployment hovered around 30%, you sure wouldn't think this was the case when you watch most Hollywood films today. Many of them featured happy- go-lucky rich folks cavorting about...as if it was the best of all possible times. Most featured middle-class folks. And, oddly, few films featured the poor...despite MOST people being so very poor! Now I do understand that Hollywood was trying to sell optimism and folks wanted escapism but sometimes I find it hard to believe just how many obnoxious rich folks are the leading characters in many of the films. "My Man Godfrey" centered around a wacky but oddly likable rich family but other films, such as "Remember Last Night?", featured folks who were thoroughly detestable....and the sort of folks the populists of the era thoroughly hated. But not only the leftist...MOST folks watching the film would have thoroughly hated these spoiled rich jerks...and that must have made this film a very hard picture to sell to the general public.When the film begins, a young couple, Tony and Carlotta (Robert Young and Constance Cummings) are invited out for a riotous party with their rich and worthless friends. The party consists of the folks dressing up like black people* and slumming it as well as making a lot of noise and then running amok--driving drunk and incredibly recklessly as well. By the time the evening is over, any sane person would want to see the lot of them in prison! Fortunately, one good thing comes of it...when Tony and Carlotta awaken they discover one of these useless party-goers is dead. To make things worse, it turns out everyone was so wasted at the party that no one has any idea what happened the night before and the death is unexplainable. Soon a bright district attorney (Edward Arnold) and his addle-brained sidekick (Eddie Brophy) arrive to try to unravel the mystery. And, although they have no training whatsoever, Tony and Carlotta decide to try to help.Based on what I've said so far, it's not surprising when I say that a huge strike against the film are the rich folks. While I am very much a capitalist, these sort of folks are awful and it's hard to care at all about any of them. In fact, I found myself hoping that the murderer would strike a few more times!! I really think the writing was the problem---having the folks get drunk and not know what happened isn't a bad plot device. But having them all be so worthless and hateful is something that SHOULD have been softened in the script. So is the film watchable despite this serious problem? Well, on the positive side the cast is pretty good and the detective and his sidekick better than usual for a mystery film. And, when they aren't acting like spoiled, um...jerks, Young and Cummings are also pretty good. Plus, the film was directed by a competent director, James Whale of "Frankenstein" fame (which is funny as one of the lines in the film references the Bride of Frankenstein). But the script...well...it isn't terrible but isn't enough to overcome the premise about the spoiled rich brats. At times, it's pretty good--with some snappy dialog. At other times, unfortunately, it's overwrought and silly. As a result, I see it as a film that wastes some talent and should have been better had the characters been at least halfway likable and relateable. *While this scene might have offended just a few in the theaters in the 1930s, today it's enough to give most modern viewers coronaries! Yes, it IS in very bad taste and yes it IS very racist. While I love the good 'ol days, some things about them weren't so good...and it's a truly cringe-worthy part of the film.

An enjoyable stylized film directed by someone who really put his mark on his films (James Whale). There is even a satire on one of his films as Constance Cummings says to Robert Young, "I feel like the 'Bride Of Frankenstein' ". Edward Arnold was terrific as always. Robert Young never did a film where he wasn't good. Out of the 100 films he did he was always great. Young actors should study him and watch his films from the beginning of his career and watch his talents grow. Edward Brophy brought in the comedy relief and also never disappoints. Robert Armstrong as the 'Driver' has come down to be an underrated actor, was also great. Sally Eilers was also a great comic-dramatic actress. The other supporting actors including Reginald Denny, Arthur Treacher, Jack LaRue, Gregory Ratoff, Dewey Robinson, E.E. Clive were wonderful. We don't have these wonderful character actors today. They made each picture very special,including this one.