Dressed to Kill

Dressed to Kill (1941)

There are several movies by this name, and this is one of the lesser of them, a comic detective yarn with an improbable murder and some fun settings. Key to its success--because it isn't half bad--is the leading man, Lloyd Nolan, who has an ease and likability that makes his scenes fun to watch. And he's in every minute of the movie.

This is one of a series of Michael Shayne movies (that's the detective's name), and the first seven of the thirteen movie versions star Nolan. It says something that I'd be willing to see another, for sure. But I think this is a television level drama (before t.v., but that kind of budget and level of intensity). These aren't like the great detective movies of the 30s and 40s, and not a bit like the noirs of the 40s and 50s, just to be clear.

One of the surprising high points is the script--very witty, and unrelentingly clever. Nice

Expect very good production values, a decent supporting cast, and a kind of over-convoluted Agatha Christie kind of plot with lots of characters that are really hard to get to know in just over an hour. In the big picture these are a little like the Sherlock Holmes or the Mr. Wong movies with Boris Karloff. Fun, but no great shakes.

"Dressed To Kill" was an excellent murder mystery and the third entry in the Michael Shayne detective series of the 40's. It is the first one I've seen and I enjoyed the way Lloyd Nolan fit the title character like an old shoe. It had a great supporting cast and a story to match, unlike many B murder mysteries of this era which are often formulaic and predictable.

This one took considerable thought, and both the denouement and deus ex machina are pretty clever. Shane/Nolan has to solve a double murder in which the victims are killed at a dinner table with two different guns, and along the way we get to meet some very interesting characters, played by some very interesting character actors. We also find out that he knows nearly everybody within shouting distance, which is a formidable number of people as this is New York City. It creates a cheerfully amiable atmosphere, despite the grumpy Chief Inspector, played by William Demarest in his customary bombastic style. Also on hand is Henry Daniell as a theatrical snob, and Mary Beth Hughes, maybe the prettiest B picture girl who never made the jump to more important pictures.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think I will buy the Shayne collection selling on Amazon. Always appreciate good, solid movie-making and "Dressed To Kill" is a sterling example. It played on FMC the other morning.

But it really is!

This is a fast-paced comedy/mystery starring Lloyd Nolan as Private Eye Michael Shayne, attempting to solve a double-murder. Nolan seems to figure everything out before the bewildered police inspector, played by William Demarest. The banter between Nolan and Demarest is great. Demarest rolls with the punches, getting conked on the noggin twice, and even getting a chair wrapped around his head. Mary Beth Hughes appears in a subplot as Shayne's fiancée, but their wedding plans keep getting interrupted by Shayne's pursuit of the killer (whose identity did surprise me). Milton Parsons has a juicy part, and Henry Daniell shows a flare for slapstick. Mantan Moreland is hysterical, and I do hope that he laughed all the way to the bank given the roles he was given during his career. Don't think too hard about this one, and you'll have a good time.

I have to admit, though, that just once, it would be interesting if the dumb police inspector actually turned out to be the killer. Now that would be a real surprise. And no, I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that.

Lloyd Nolan brightens up the screen as investigator Michael Shayne in "Dressed to Kill" from 1941.

While picking up his fiancé (Mary Beth Hughes) from her residential hotel so that they can finally get married, Shayne hears a scream from upstairs. Racing up there, he finds two people sitting at a dining table in costume and quite dead.

Eventually Shayne is led to a play done years earlier by the victims and begins looking at the other performers. Meanwhile, he's constantly tripping over both his angry fiancé and Police Inspector Pierson (William Demarest).

There's lots of comedy in this B movie, mostly provided by Demarest, who is one-upped every time by Shayne. The acting is terrific, with some really neat character actors: Virginia Brissac, Erwin Kaiser, Henry Daniel, and Mantan Moreland. Though in a stereotyped role, Moreland shows his talent as he does in the Charlie Chan films, this time even going into a dance.

Recommended.

Economical B movie that has a snappy pace and some terrific lines. Among the best "The stork that brought you should have been arrested for dope peddling!" Lloyd Nolan is perfect in the lead, attractive but believably an everyday guy that you'd run into as a private detective. Always a reliable supporting player whether cast as a heavy or a hero he gets a chance to hold down the star spot in this. One of the great things about the old lower budget films was the opportunities it presented for the quality secondary actors in A level productions to play parts with a bit more variety. William Demarest and Henry Daniell play their stock characters but as always extremely well and add zing to the picture. Something that probably came and went without much fanfare at its release this is a snappy little pic that will please most viewers.