Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Good idea lost in the noise

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Master detective Nick Carter as played by Walter Pidgeon tangles with fifth columnists in Sky Murder. During the course of the film a murder does take place in a millionaire's private plane and at the climax another is attempted, but foiled.United States Senator George Lessey tips the famous private eye to this nest of traitors, but the leaders are an illusive group. His Senate investigating committee is looking into this and he'd like Carter to work for them.Of course Walter Pidgeon does things in his own way with sidekick Donald Meek with his ever present bees. They key seems to be refugee girl Kaaren Verne who is being pressured and not quite leveling with Pidgeon or anyone else about her situation.Once again Donald Meek whom I usually love as a character actor is downright annoying in this as he was in the other Nick Carter films as the bee man. Sometimes he's more of a danger to Pidgeon than the bad guys.Take note of Dorothy Tree in this film, she plays a hardcore Bundist type and well. Tree who later had blacklist troubles saw the other side of the struggle as the underground leader in the famous camp classic, Hitler - Dead Or Alive.There's a little more MGM type gloss to these Carter films which is also a bit out of place. But MGM didn't know how to do it any other way in the days of Louis B. Mayer.

This is a series B-movie from MGM, and since it had a much higher budget and production values by Bs at Monogram and Columbia Studios, it was rather pretty to look at--even if the plot was a bit silly and some of the characters were ridiculous.Walter Pidgeon went slumming in this film, as the usual A-list actor was cast as the detective, Nick Carter. His sidekick (practically a requirement in all B-detective films) was a highly unusual choice, as Donald Meek looked and acted nothing like the usual assistant. At first, I did not like this (though I usually love Meek in films). I think this was because they made Meek's character too bizarre and downright loopy! Him and his stupid bees--what a dumb plot idea. However, later, when you see Meek (one of the smallest and most harmless looking supporting actors) beating the snot out of the Nazi spies, the film really heated up!! Oddly, Pidgeon seemed mostly asleep in the film--and did very little. Most of the time, cute little Donald Meek was the one who sprang into action to save the day!! While I liked Meek, I definitely detested the lady detective played by Joyce Compton. While she often played ditsy ladies in films, here she is practically an imbecile and was a major hindrance to the plot. No detective is THAT stupid and I tired of her one-note performance.Still, despite its many flaws, the film was fast-paced and reasonably fun--making it an excellent time-passer.

"Sky Murder" turned out to be Nick Carter's final case, which is a shame. The series had a lot going for it, including handsome, commanding Walter Pidgeon as Carter in one of his best roles. "Sky Murder" is a fast-moving mystery involving subversives - Nazis no doubt. Ten years later and it would have been Communists. After a murder in a locked airplane compartment, a German refugee (Kaaren Verne) becomes a suspect, and Nick is sure she didn't do it. It's never easy for Nick to work on a case because of people who won't leave him alone, and this time is no different. Donald Meek as Bartholemew is still around with his bees, and he has a hilarious fight scene. There's also a pseudo-detective, Christine Cross (Joyce Compton) who is a complete airhead.This series had a nice, chaotic and humorous feel to it, with the anchor ably provided by Pidgeon who puts up with Bartholemew and here, Compton, but never seems to get flustered. Really fun. It's a shame there were so few of the Nick Carter films.

Walter Pidgeon played Nick Carter, detective, in only three films from 1939 - 1940. Sky Murder was the last of the series and it is a real bomb. Walter himself is not too bad, but the rest of the cast does very little to deliver a film that is worth watching today. There are lots of detective sidekicks, but Walter Meek's portrayal of "Beeswax" Batholomew is simply annoying. Fortunately Tom Conway is not on screen long enough to warrant serious criticism. The plot involves fifth columnists, damsels in distress, and the interference of a female private detective that should have been left on the cutting room floor. A critical car chase suffers from continuity problems. Most of the gags fall flat. A murder does take place in the sky and by the time we see the solution, it is hard to care. Not worth your time.