Excellent, a Must See

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

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Early on in this pre-Code murder mystery the gorgeous Joan Blondell laments the monotony of her existence as a nurse and asks how it can be relieved; promptly answering her own question as far as the audience is concerned by immediately shedding her uniform and slipping down to her scanties.But she soon gets enough excitement to last her a lifetime when sent to tend to a wealthy woman whose nephew has just been shot dead under suspicious circumstances (we see a remarkably realistic-looking police photograph of the corpse at one point). Based on a novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart, there's an awful lot of talk, and new characters keep showing up making the story harder to follow without making things any more interesting (the final denouement was so complicated and so laboriously explained verbally that I've already forgotten whodunit despite having seen it only a couple of hours ago).Director Lloyd Bacon and cameraman Barney McGill go out of their way to compensate for the general lack of action by including a lot of creeping about in the shadows and by smothering Jack Okey's magnificent Old Dark House set in eye-boggling compositions juggling weird camera angles and deep focus. John Wray as Hugo the butler is so relentlessly photographed on the tilt throughout the film to make him look sinister (not to mention constantly exchanging shifty glances with housekeeper Blanche Friderici) that we know he can't possibly be guilty; while Elizabeth Patterson as the matriarch on her deathbed looks dramatically different from anything else I've ever seen her in. The most remarkable single shot in the entire film is probably one of Blondell and George Brent sliding out of focus and into darkness as seen from the point of view of a character whose life is slipping away; although throughout the whole film the frequent close ups of Blondell are always more than enough to revive interest if things start to flag.

The Best Thing that can be said about this Pre-Code "Old Dark House" Mystery is that the Print is Pristine. It Looks Smooth and Shiny, the Contrast is Excellent and it is just well, Swell.The Opening has Joan Blondell as the Title Character Stripping to Her Undies and a bit of Inner Thigh (a post code no-no) with Stockings is Exposed and there is some Talk with a Youngster about Visiting Her Boyfriend's Bedroom. That' the Extent of the "Forbidden Hollywood" Stuff.But this one is Played Very Light Anyway and it is Virtually Impossible to Keep it all Straight as there is so much Talk and so many Suspects that the Mystery gets Less Mysterious and More Confusing as Things Move Along.The Sets are Creepy Enough and some of the Characters Moving in and out of Suspicion are also Nutty, and there are Shadows Galore to Up the Spooky Level, with some Screams and Lurkers about. Worth a Watch, and take the Challenge to Decipher the Plot and Characters.

With Joan Blondell and George Brent, this should have been a lot better and I think it's very skipable. The film starts with a totally outlandish premise. A nurse (Blondell) is a bit bored by her routine, so to help her get a bit of excitement, her boss assigns her to work with the police as a "special agent". It seems that a man was murdered and they want Blondell to look after his aunt--as she might know something about the killing. Now think about it--there is a murder and the police recruit a civilian to get in the middle of it!! Considering there's a decent chance she, too, will be killed! There's certainly more to the film than this premise, but overall it's pretty dull and wastes good actors. Heck, you don't even see Blondell and Brent interact much until towards the end of the film. Perhaps this was because both were relatively early in their careers. Regardless, there are many, many more murder mystery films with more interesting material and dialog. Worth watching if you are an old movie buff, but probably not for most tastes.

This is an early entry in the comic/romantic mystery genre. Joan Blondell is bemoaning the boring existence of a hospital nurse when wham! She is commandeered by detective George Brent to help solve a murder case. It is he who, at her request gives her a title. The title is Miss Pinkerton.It's an old mansion with creepy servants and the whole deal. A young man has died. Suicide, it's thought; but we know better. The plot is a trifle complicated but not too far-fetched. And Blondell is as (almost) always a real joy.Brent is in it blessedly little and the supporting players all do what the need to do.