Best movie of this year hands down!

Such a frustrating disappointment

Pretty Good

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The sequel to "Whistling In The Dark" is about on the same level with the first film, quality wise: a non-stop barrage of gags, both visual and verbal, and some genuine suspense as well, particularly in an extended sequence near the end where our heroes come alarmingly close to drowning. Red Skelton overdoes the "spasms" gag at the start, but generally he hits the mark ("You don't say....you don't say....you don't say....- "Who was it?" - "He didn't say!") more often than he misses. "Rags" Ragland returns as Sylvester AND his twin brother Chester; creative editing allows the two brothers to interact, and Ragland is one (or two) of the high points of the film. Ann Rutherford is still delightfully scrappy (and sweet), but I missed the sarcastic presence of Virginia Grey. Not "the funniest film ever made", as an old poster proclaims, but funny enough. *** out of 4.

After capturing members of a murderous cult in "Whistling in the Dark", radio star Red Skelton heads down to the land of cotton (with his fiancée Ann Rutherford) where old times have definitely not been forgotten. There, he runs into the look-alike brother of his old rival (Rags Ragland) and the mystery of a missing local who had recently found a treasure chest full of old British coins (and worthless Confederate money). Guy Kibbee is the family patriarch, a sort of Tom O'Hara ("Gone With the Wind") in modern dress. His daughter (Celia Travers) and niece (Diana Lewis) are in a feud over the missing man (Mark Daniels), and all of a sudden, the escaped convict (also Ragland) shows up to add to the confusion.Some of the silliness goes overboard, giving recollection to a few recent Bob Hope films ("The Cat and the Canary" and "The Ghost Breakers") and many other comedy/mysteries of the era. But the conclusion (involving much of the cast) provides lots of slapstick as the group struggles to get out of a water filled fort, and continues as they fight the true villains. Then, the laughs come fast and furious. If you can get through the duller first half of the movie, this makes it all worth it.

Red Skelton and Ann Rutherford are "Whistling in Dixie" in this 1942 programmer also starring Guy Kibbee and Rags Ragland (in a dual role). Skelton played the role of Wally Benton a couple of times. On radio, Benton is "The Fox," a detective, but in his private life he gets dragged into real mysteries as well. This one is at the behest of a friend of his fiancé's (Rutherford) who asks them to come to Georgia to investigate a murder.There are some funny moments in this film, but it's rather silly, with a lot of corny jokes, funny faces from Skelton and slapstick. Actually Skelton is much better when he's straightforward - he comes off as sweet, sincere and natural.Some of the supporting cast has the worst southern accents I've ever heard. It's hard to blame them, though, because these types of films were made very quickly. I'm sure they had no dialect coach. However, the horrible accents were very distracting.Okay, but "The Fox" isn't one of my favorite detectives.

Although the slapstick is pretty heavy at times, especially toward the wild climactic scene that winds up the whole story, WHISTLING IN DIXIE has all the ingredients that made the Bob Hope films successful in the '40s, with Hope as the cowardly male lead being intimidated by gangster-type bullies.Here it's RED SKELTON who seems to have inherited Hope's gag writers, because all of the jokes could just as well have been hand-me-downs from Hope during his heyday. Skelton plays "The Fox", a radio sleuth who solves impossible crimes, and is lured to Georgia by his girlfriend when one of her friends is in a dire situation requiring the kind of help "The Fox" can offer.Lots of fun ensues when Skelton arrives at a spooky Georgian mansion, and some of the sight gags involving RAGS RAGLAND (in a twin role--one good, one bad), are quite funny although they tend to be overdone by the time the last reel is reached.ANN RUTHERFORD has a flair for light comedy that makes her a good mate for Skelton and the rest of the cast goes along with the gags and pratfalls in a professional manner. DIANA LEWIS lays on the Southern accent a little too thick, but this is probably for comedy effect. GEORGE BANCROFT, GUY KIBBEE and PETER WHITNEY have fun with good supporting roles.Summing up: Good fun, if you like these sort of slapstick murder mysteries.