A Shot in the Dark

"A Shot in the Dark" is a slickly produced B-mystery from Warner Brothers. And, just like in his film "The Case of the Black Parrot", William Lundigan plays a smartypants newspaperman who helps the cops solve the mystery. But, unlike "Black Parrot", this later film suffers from a poor mystery...so poor that at the end of the film, the two main characters discuss the case and explain to the audience what actually happened! In other words, the film is poorly written and could have been a lot better. Imagine...watching a mystery that really makes no sense and then relying on the characters explaining what you saw! As a result, while I like a nice B-movie, here I cannot recommend it because of the Swiss cheese-like holes in the story.

William Lundigan stars in "A Shot in the Dark" from 1941, which also stars Regis Toomey, Ricardo Cortez, and Nan Wynn.

Phil Richards (Cortez) a friend of police detective Bill Ryder, has decided to sell his nightclub and other properties to a buyer from out of town, although a mob boss has offered him a higher price. Richards has always been clean, and is determined that his businesses are sold to someone with the same values.

Newspaperman Peter Kennedy (Lundigan) goes to the airport to interview the buyer; after a brief interview, the man is shot dead. Ryder dogs his detective friend as he works on the case.

Nan Wynn turns in a lovely performance as Dixie, the club singer, whom both Kennedy and Ryder are interested in. Sadly, this actress' career ended in 1947 when a cancerous growth was removed from her throat.

Not very good, but I do appreciate goofball Lundigan. He at least is lively. At the end, Ryder and Kennedy recap the case since the script wasn't written well enough to follow.

Appearing as Richard's girlfriend is the beautiful Maris Wixon. Her biography says she it all going to be a star but somehow didn't make it. She was much in demand for magazine covers, and the great photographer George Hurrell loved her. Warners put her under contract and loaned her to Monogram, a poverty row studio!

With the #metoo situation getting so much publicity today, and the fact that this actress was married for 59 years, one wonders if her refusal to play the Hollywood casting couch game didn't contribute to her lack of success. That actually happened quite a bit in Hollywood. And still does.

The Bill Lundigan one. Peter Sellers made another (unrelated) one in 1964. When Richards (Cortez) sells the Royal Club to an out of towner, the murders start. The locals team up to figure out who dunnit. Singer Dixie (Nan Wynn) and Kennedy the reporter (Lundigan) offer to help Lt. Ryder (Regis Toomey) any way they can. This film is just filled with the usual ingredients in an old who-dunnit; competing for the girl, cracking stupid jokes while trying to solve the murder. In this one, the police lieutenant never seems to do any actual police work... he's always hanging around in nightclubs and bars, with his hands at his side. And why is Lundigan always hiding under desks and behind pillars? Is he five years old?? When he sits in a chair, he hangs one leg over the arm of the chair. Was the director trying to make him look like a teenager? This was released JUST before the japanese bombed pearl harbor... it would be all war films in just a couple months. And this one also has a strange ending. It's a short B film from Warner Brothers, so I guess the expectations were already pretty low. Directed by Bill McGann. Was a special effects guy on some real big films before turning director. Key Largo, Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

I just watched this on TCM this afternoon. It's a fast paced Warner Brothers B-movie that only lasts 57 minutes. Songstress Nan Wynn has the female lead and she sings three songs, enough to get this one labeled a musical murder mystery. William Lundigan plays the reporter and Regis Toomey is the police lieutenant. They trade witty banter while working together to try to solve a couple of murders. The plot gets complicated for only 57 minutes and you have to stay focused to keep the suspects straight. Watch closely for William Hopper and Dave Willock in uncredited roles. That's Frank Wilcox as the naval officer at the end. The wild car chase is exciting and well done, but the best part of this movie is the singing by Nan Wynn.

Typical, unpretentious Warner Bros. 'B' programmer. A brash reporter and a dour homicide cop investigate the murder of a nightclub owner. The film zips along at such whiplash speed (running time a mere 57 minutes)that you may well lose track of the complicated plot. No matter. William Lundigan is lively and likeable as the newsman, and, as a special bonus, this is one of the few films featuring the delectable Nan Wynn (best-known for her luscious dubbing of most of Rita Hayworth's musicals). Wynn is a fetching delight in the female lead as a nightclub singer, and sings three songs with style to spare. Why Nan Wynn didn't become a musical movie star in her own right (instead of being Rita Hayworth's 'Marni Nixon') and why Lundigan never joined the 'A' list of leading men are unanswered questions more mystifying than anything in the plot of "A Shot in the Dark."