Review

  • This is obviously a sequel to Dangerous Blonds (1943). So why did their names change?

    I guess now any male crime solver who is assisted (or hindered, as the case may be) by his wife is a "Thin Man" ripoff. The price of success, I suppose. Does that mean Bringing Up Baby (1938) is a "Thin Man" ripoff? How about A Shot In The Dark (1964)? At least in that one, the crime solver was a cop.

    (In case anyone is interested, which I doubt, my favorite "Thin Man rip-off" is There's Always A Woman (1938), which I also reviewed.)

    There are a few interesting stars in this one. Nina Foch, who was great in Escape in the Fog (1945), is mostly wasted in a small part. Edgar Buchanan, who played Uncle Joe on Petticoat Junction, younger and skinnier (although not actually skinny) and with more hair than I've ever seen him. Shemp Howard in a rehash of a routine that originally was about dividing up money but now is about filling a laundry bag. (If you want to see Shemp in a great role outside The Three Stooges, check out The Bank Dick (1940)).

    The humor is a step up from the 3-year-old level of the Three Stooges. More like the 8-year-old level. Enjoyable enough, but I didn't keep it. I did keep Dangerous Blonds, though, which is a shade less juvenile, although still very silly and ridiculous.