Sadly Over-hyped

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Director: TAY GARNETT. Screenplay: Ken Englund. Adapted by John Hunter Lay and Robert Tallmen from the 1939 novel Send Another Coffin by Frank G. Presnell. Photography: Merritt Gerstad. Film editors: Otho Lovering, Dorothy Spencer. Music composed and directed by Werner Janssen. Song, "We've Got Love" (Terry) by George R. Browne (lyrics) and Jules Styne (music). Art directors: Alexander Golitzen and Richard Irvine. Set decorators: Julie Heron. Costumes designed by Travis Banton. Sound: Fred Lau. Producers: Tay Garnett, Walter Wanger. Copyright 26 January 1944 by Walter Wanger. Released through United Artists: 22 December 1939 (U.S.A.), 15 May 1940 (New York opening at Loew's State), 15 April 1940 (U.K.), 5 April 1940 (Australia). 85 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Goodtime girl (Claire Dodd) is murdered in her luxury pent-house. A bizarre range of fast-talking, clam-baking suspects include sugar daddy Edward Arnold, ex-husband Doug Dumbrille, good friend Pat O'Brien, jealous teenager Ruth Terry, and gangster Bernard Nedell.COMMENT: In his autobiography, Garnett states that he was most unhappy with the way this movie was edited. The quick cuts and dissolves were not part of his original plan. Personally, I like the fast pace. I don't think anyone else will complain either, especially as the sound on the otherwise 7/10 Alpha Video is somewhat muffled and you miss a third of the dialogue anyway. What we have here is a screwball mystery thriller with some very noirish overtones. Production values, as we might expect from producer Walter Wanger are excellent. I really love all the super Travis Banton costumes that vivacious Ruth Terry (in her first starring role) models throughout.

The cast for "Slightly Honorable" has three top male stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. It also has some top supporting actors and three top supporting actresses of the day. Pat O'Brien is attorney John Webb and Broderick Crawford is his associate, Russ Sampson. Crawford's role is particularly interesting because, while energetic, it isn't as bombastic as his screen persona became in time. Edward Arnold plays their nemesis here in a somewhat muted role. He's a wealthy crime boss, Vincent Cushing.The film is billed as a comedy as well as a crime and drama. Eve Arden provides some of the comedy as Miss Ater, secretary to Webb and Sampson. Ruth Terry is a bubbly young singer at Pete Godena's Riviera Club, Ann Seymour ("Puss" to Webb). She takes to Webb, follows him everywhere, and provides some of the comedy. Claire Dodd, Douglas Dumbrille, Ernest Truex and a host of other actors contribute in this mystery mayhem. Before all is through, two dames are knocked off. The culprit is something of a surprise, but it's a bit hokey how Webb figures it out. The film quality isn't very good. The background music is terrible and very distracting. Fortunately, it only plays during moments of suspense. But, the story is fair and the film has some good action and lots of commotion that contributes to an interesting movie. The film is based on a 1939 crime novel by Frank G. Presnell, "Send Another Coffin."Here are a couple of my favorite lines. George Taylor (Dumbrille), "Who's conducting this inquiry – the police or this ambulance chaser?"Russ Sampson, toasting, "For the people!" John Webb, "For the $100,000 retainer fee."Pete Godena (played by Bernard Nedell), "Let's you and me have a nice little heart-to-heart talk, huh?" Alma Brehmer (Claire Dodd), "What would you use?"

I couldn't sit through the bad jokes, mildly okay acting and boring story - I simply could not finish watching this film. I mean patty-cake?! They were playing patty-cake! Is that suppose to be funny? I mean it's two lame characters that I don't care about so I didn't even enjoy that scene... really if it were characters that I liked I might have, and most likely would have, found humor in it but as it is that great scene had me fed-up with the film.Some people like this film while others of us found it boring, I'm in the latter group. It's far from a must see comedy mystery but I'm sure entertaining for some audiences - I'm just not one of them.If you are super bored one evening and catch this one on it might provide something to watch - it's just not a great watch.2/10

The overriding story of the film - the murder of a well-known party girl (Claire Dodd) whose body is discovered by crusading attorney John Webb (Pat O'Brien) who also happens to be a former boyfriend - and things don't look good for our hero who is instantly murder suspect number one. Furthermore Webb is trying to get the goods on graft king Vincent Cushing (Edward Arnold). Webb thinks Cushing did the murder and set him up to take the fall, and thus spends the rest of the movie trying to clear his name. The movie is well-paced and everything is moving along in an interesting fashion when every few minutes - like interference on a radio channel - in pops Ruth Terry's character and her incessant yammering. She has her eye set on Webb from the moment she sees him although she says she's 18 and he looks old enough to be her father. She lies about her background, so why couldn't she be lying about her age? If Webb were smarter he'd be equally as worried about getting involved in a statutory rape rap as he is murder. What girl of 18 gets dressed up in a revealing gown, goes to a party full of known hoods, and then is shocked when one puts the moves on her? Or doesn't have the sense to NOT take her dress off in front of a grown man when she's alone in his apartment? She's either 13 or she doesn't have all of her marbles.I waste so much time on Terry's character here because it distracts from what could have been a very good film. I took off two stars just for the annoyance factor alone. Other than that - and its a big "that" - the film is a great noir with an interesting twist at the end. Robert Osborne said that director Tay Garnett became ill during filming and Walter Wanger had to finish the film out himself with Garnett very upset at the end result. I can only guess that Mr. Garnett's objections were the same as mine.