The Lady in Scarlet

Reginald Denny is on good form in this rather formulaic whodunnit as "Oliver Keith" - an accomplished PI drafted in to investigate the killing of a wealthy art dealer. Once on the case, he discovers there is a lot more to the case than just the fatality - and there are no lack of suspects mired in this tale of greed and ambition. What helps this along nicely is the engaging double-play between Denny and his equally competent, if somewhat undervalued, assistant "Ella" (Patricia Farr) and Lew Kelly is quite good as the pretty hapless policeman. Only an hour long, but still a decently paced nostalgic look at crime fighting in days when everyone wore a hat and called themselves Mr. & Miss.

During the 1930s and 40s, the quality as well as cheapo studios made zillions of murder mystery films--so many that it's easy to get them all mixed up in your head. While some of the films were stand-outs, such as the Charlie Chan or Saint films, too many just weren't made very well or offered nothing but retreads of the same old same old characters and stories. In many ways, "The Lady in Scarlett" is yet another dreary mystery films--with the usual get 'em all together in a room and get one of them to incriminate him/herself at the end of the film finale. These were ludicrous but so many of the films followed this same sort of formula. In most ways, this film did too...but fortunately, it did offer two things to set it apart--Reginald Denny's erudite persona and his assistant, who was anything but! In fact, she was a complete smart aleck and kept me interested in an otherwise passable film. Well worth seeing just because of her!

Pretty decent presentation of a man who sets up his daughter for failure and poverty because he doesn't like her choice in men. Unfortunately, he meets his demise and that launches most of the plot. A couple of Nick and Nora type detectives get into the act at the behest of the young wife of the man. It turns out she really loves the old jerk and wants to see justice done. Many are dragged into the fray, but, of course, the facts will set you free. This is a fun movie because of the byplay between the two private detectives. There are lots of conflicting clues and some surprises. I have seen many of these types of films and have to admit that this one isn't half bad. It has a little bit of sexual tension which works pretty well.

John T. Murray is a collector and dealer in antiquities. He also has a disinherited son, a daughter he has just ordered his lawyers to disinherit, and a young wife in Dorothy Revier. So when she asks private detective Reginald Denny and his secretary Patricia Farr to come home, it is the three of them who discover Murray murdered.

It's a fairly drawn locked-room mystery, and some good chemistry btween Denny's off-handed PI and Miss Farr, even if her snappy lines often lack much snap. Director Charles Lamont knows how to keep a Poverty Row mystery like this one moving along, and a supporting cast that includes Claudia Dell and Lew Kelly is always worth seeing. The real mystery is the murdered man's address: 8 East 51st Street, which is Saks Fifth Avenue!

From 1935, The Lady in Scarlett stars Reginald Denny, Patricia Farr, and Dorothy Revier, directed by Charles Lamont.

The wife (Revier) of wealthy art dealer, Albert J. Sayre (John T. Murray) runs into a detective friend (Denny) and his assistant (Farr) at a restaurant. He drives her home, and they find her husband dead.

Sayre's daughter Alice (Claudia Dell) claims her father disinherited her and is sure her stepmother killed him for the money. It's revealed that the new will wasn't signed, and the assets are to be split.

However, the attorney warns Alice that her father had heavy losses in the stock market. Alice says there were bonds worth 100,000 put aside for her in the safe. When the safe is opened, however, there are no bonds. Alice insists her stepmother stole them.

Decent whodunit with very uneven acting. This film had nice potential for a series starring Denny and Farr, who had both fun repartee and some dialogue that really pushed the humor too much and in a few cases, was demeaning.

Farr was a good comedienne who died at 35 from pancreatic cancer. Toned down by a director, it's easy to see she would have been very good.

Denny is delightful, elegant, smooth, and amusing. It's a shame he didn't have more opportunities in this type of role.