Humo de cigarrillo

A group of men who served together in World War I decide to put $10,000 each into a fund that the last surviving member of the group will collect. Not surprising to anyone with a brain, members of the group start dying off. The niece (Ann Rutherford) of the first victim seeks help from a private detective (Preston Foster) to prove her uncle was murdered. Before long she's more interested in landing Foster as her new beau than she is in solving the mystery.

This is pretty weak. Preston Foster carries the movie more than his leading lady or supporting cast. Ann Rutherford had a lot of charms but this movie never really taps into any of them. In her best scenes she's just kind of there, bland and interchangeable with any of a dozen other B movie actresses of the time. In her worst scenes she's annoying and shrill. By the way, this was her only film released in 1944. It's one of only two Foster did that year. I found that interesting. The best of the supporting players is Jason Robards Sr. Richard Lane basically just plays a cop not too far removed from his most famous role as Inspector Farraday in the Boston Blackie series.

I was surprised to see this was made by 20th Century Fox. It looks kind of cheap with shabby sets and clothes. It looks more like it was made at a Poverty Row studio. None of the comedy works and the mystery story has no edge to it. There's also no chemistry between the stars. Foster was old enough to be Rutherford's father and looks it.