I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Waste of time

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

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

Unfunny and unsuspenseful, this comedy-mystery is an almost total dud. The "plot" is based on such a stupid misunderstanding that it could be resolved in about 5 seconds (and eventually does in as much). It has an unusually high-profile cast for such a quickie, low-budget production, but the only part maybe worth seeing is Pert Kelton's "fan dance"; Thelma Todd is wasted in a straight role. *1/2 out of 4.

This early effort of screwball comedy just comes off as strange. There is so much wrong, I should point out it's best point- it is short. Several things make very little sense.Thelma Todd is considered the female lead in this film. Yet Pert Kelton as Fay the Fan Dancer actually gets more of a role and screen time. Pert would become a character actress in other films later and become the first Alice Kramden on the very early Honeymooners on Cavalcade of Stars before Dumont made the Classic 39 episodes. She is actually quite capable in her role here.The plot makes almost no sense. There is a murder in a mansion of the butler, yet the murderer for some unknown reason keeps hanging around the place until he finally gets caught. Thelma Todd and her father only show up halfway into the movie. They just add to the confusion as Steve is observed carrying the attractive young Fay the Fan Dancer (Kelton) on the balcony at the front of the house when Todd (Judy Nelson) arrives. This is after the murder.I guess you could say this one paved the way for better screwball comedies that would come after this one.

"Lightning Strikes Twice" is a dull murder mystery comedy...and, unfortunately, it's not especially funny due to the poorly written dialog. It begins with some apparent murders but a couple of the supposed dead guys are idiot cops who get stuck in the sewers. This bit wasn't funny...and was repeated throughout the film. The rest centers on some confidence men/women and a psychotic murderer...none of which really entertain.So is the film worth seeing? No. But if you must watch it, there are two things you should look for in the movie. First, the two female stars are mildly interesting due to their life outside films. Thelma Todd is famous for her suicide which many think was actually a mob murder and Pert Kelton was the first Alice Kramden on "The Honeymooners" but her career was damaged due to her politics and the Red Scare. Additionally, although this is technically a Post-Code film, I was surprised that the picture showed folks in bed together- -something specifically forbidden by the code. Plus two of them were guys...a definite no-no for this tough code! You know it's bad when I am looking at these sort of things to provide SOME interest.

This is a fast-moving farce, the type of thing that Leon Errol would be doing at RKO a few years later. Ben Lyon and Skeets Gallagher, drunk after a stag party, cause a slight accident with Pert Kelton and hubby Walter Catlett. The latter pair wind up disguising themselves as Lyon's fiancé and her father. Laura Hope "Aunt Pittypat" Crews is Lyon's loony aunt who finds the bogus pair charming. All the while John Davidson is sneaking around as a supposed murderer. Great comedy cast topped off in the third act by the entrance of Fred Kelsey as the detective. Thelma Todd is lovely (of course) as Lyon's real fiancé and her role is limited in that respect. Skeets steals the show and, for once, Chick Chandler's excessive mugging is charming and whimsical. All in all, lots of smiles for this fluffy RKO quickie.