Triple tragedia

Detective Patrick Knowles is in the hospital for a rest cure -- he has a tendency to walk in the street in his pajamas -- and to wrangle with nurse Ann Sheridan.Wile he's there, a patient donates thousands of dollars' worth of radium. He's killed and the radium is stolen. It's up to Knowles to solve this mystery, because .... well, because it is. He'd better do it quick, too, because this is a one-hour Warners B from a novel by Mignon Eberhart.

As you might expect, that means this is directed for speed, and even the underdecorated sets and simple lighting emphasize this fact. Fortunately, the B cast members have not lost the ability to rattle off dialogue at top speed. It's a fair mystery, which is something. Cameraman James Van Trees gets a couple of overhead shots to spice up the visuals, but I think I'd rather read this one than see it on a screen.

Famous well educated investigator Lance O'Leary (Patric Knowles) is under stress and sleepwalking from his inability to solve a case. He is sent to rest in a hospital under orders not to discuss his work where girlfriend Sara Keate (Ann Sheridan) is a nurse.

This starts with a fun premise and I like the couple's chemistry. Their banter is fun. I do wonder why the studio would keep changing actors in these roles. Knowles and Sheridan should be the ones to do every one in the series. Things may not be that well thought out back in the day. As for the mystery, I couldn't care less about the mystery or the suspects. It should simply start with the murder and the audience could discover the rest by following Lance O'Leary's investigation.

"The Patient in Room 18" is a murder mystery and comedy that was about the best Warner Brothers could do to try to copy MGM's successful Thin Man series. Patric Knowles is funny as Lance O'Leary. And, while Ann Sheridan is good as nurse Sara Keate, neither of them were a match for William Powell and Myrna Loy in the Thin Man series.

Still, Knowles and Sheridan carry this film and keep it from collapsing altogether. Their comedy, interspersed with some sleuthing is the best part. Otherwise, this very muddled screenplay might turn off most viewers early on. The various doctors, women, and affairs and would-be affairs, are enough to turn one off. They may not be developed or portrayed enough to be red herrings, but there sure are a batch of red minnows in this film.

If not for the O'Leary and Keate comic squabbles, I don't think I would have been able to sit through this whole film. They are 4 of the 5 stars I give this almost turkey flick.

It must be difficult to cast support players in a movie where even the stars are B List. Warner's does it's best with stock players like Cliff Clark, Charles Trowbridge, Frank Orth, and John Ridgely. All reliable - all competent. Ann Sheridan as the love interest does well enough. There is something appealing about her. The problem lies with Patric Knowles. For those of us that remember him fondly as Will Scarlett in The Adventures of Robin Hood this movie, as well as so many other efforts, are a disappointment. Warner Bros continued to try to find a niche for him - and failed. They tried him as a pathetic coward and weakling in Five Came Back. They tried him in a half dozen light romantic comedies - no luck. He eventually fizzled into obscure supporting roles. Too bad. He was a genuinely likable guy.

Oh, the movie. Well, it's a medical mystery. At 60 minutes running time, it had no choice but to move at a rapid pace. That doesn't make it good, it just makes it short. I happen to be a fan of these potboilers, but there ain't many of us. You have to wonder where they dig these things up from. Buried deep in some film library until some 3rd assistant researcher digs it out. It sits in a cardboard box in some programmers office until he totally runs out of ideas for the 2am slot. He tosses into the que as a filler and nobody notices. Bingo! It makes air and I'm thrilled.

This movie was made in 1938 and it really is dated. The men walk around the house in tuxedos and dressing gowns. All the cops have a New York Irish accent and smoke cigars. All rich people had white telephones. Bodies fall out of the closet. The medical procedures make one shudder. For example: A patient has a mystery medical condition and they tape 100K worth of Radium to his chest. As I recall, radium was a miracle cure for everything back then.

If I sound like I'm down on this movie, I didn't mean to. Movies like this one couldn't be made anymore. There is more acting and writing talent in this 3 week wonder than you will find in most movies made today. You don't have to take it seriously, but take the time to watch it.

A very competent film made by Warner Brothers in 1938. Good performances by Patric Knowles and Ann Sheridan and of course by one of my favorite character actors, Charles Trowbridge!! All about the murder of a patient and then stolen radium and then solving this whodunit!! Warner Brothers had a knack for churning out these type of "B" movies and they are very good at it. I could spend all day watching this type of film. If you get the chance to see this film, then you should, as it only is around an hour long and very entertaining!!