Mystery in Swing

A fairly routine "cozy" murder mystery in which a hated person is killed in an enclosed environment (in this case a jazz nightclub), witnesses are threatened, and all the suspects are rounded up in the final reel by the bumbling police for a revelatory showdown outlined by a non-professional detective (in this case a newspaper reporter). The plot is handled well enough -- it's just an over-used device.

What sets this movie apart from other films of its ilk -- both white-cast and black-cast -- are the interesting and well-played musical interludes and the comedic turn by F. E. Miller as Sgt. Slim. Miller is better known as the vaudeville (and film) partner of Mantan Moreland, but both had separate film outings as well. Both are always worth watching, alone or as a pair. Also notable here is Buck Woods, as a valet who has some memorable scenes ranging from the dramatic to the comedic.

This all-black "race" movie intended for black audiences is worth seeing because of the wonderful jazz music and songs written and mostly performed by The Four Tones and Ceepee Johnson, and played by Johnson's orchestra throughout the film. The setting is mostly in a nightclub, so it is not out of place. The songs dominate the second half of the film, with the murder mystery, while it is fun to watch unfold, taking a back seat. Johnson's performance of his "Beat My Blues Away" is spectacular - a performance not to be missed. If you like jazz, this movie is for you.

John Lester Johnson's character is billed on screen as "Himself," because he was a well-known ex-fighter who once broke some ribs of Jack Dempsey (see his mini-biography in this data base). His name is never mentioned, but he is called "Champ" and plays the nightclub owner.

Mystery in Swing (1940)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Entertaining murder-mystery about a popular band leader who has plenty of enemies out there. One day he is killed and the main suspect is the father of a woman he was trying to date. Before long various other red herrings show up as it seems no one liked the man.

MYSTERY IN SWING is a pretty entertaining race picture that manages to put itself right up there with the other "B" mysteries that were being pumped out by Hollywood at the time. Quite often these race movies didn't look very good technically because of the low-budgets but that's not the case here. In all honesty this here could easily pass off as a Hollywood "B" film.

There are quite a few good things about this movie including the mystery itself. Sure, we've seen this type of thing countless times before as there's a bad man who many people hated and we learn of the reasons why as we slowly click down to the ending where we learn the truth. I actually thought the mystery was well-done here and the revealing killer was nice. The film even gets into some horror trappings at the end, which is another added bonus.

As with many other race movies from this era, this one here features some nice jazz music, which adds to the entertainment. I also thought the performances were above average for this type of film. All in all, MYSTERY IN SWING runs a fast-paced 64-minute and is a lot of fun.

Race film' very light skin performers in band as well as the major players

"Mystery in Swing" is a so-called 'Race Film'...a movie consisting of black actors and designed to be shown in movie theaters catering to black audiences. For the most part, these films are cheap and poorly made...mostly because these tiny studios simply didn't have the resources to make better films.

What is interesting about this film and many other race films is that most of the major acting roles (as well as most of the band members) are played by very light-skinned black people. It tended to reinforce the 'lighter is better' notions of the day that not only white audiences but black audiences internalized as well. Sad...but a sign of the times.

The story is about a scumbag band leader, Prince Ellis. Ellis is a jerk and there are many, many people who would love to see him dead. Perhaps more want him dead than want him alive! The mystery is who did it...and how many times they did it! And, in addition to the mystery, there's plenty of big band music as the film is often set at a black nightclub.

So is it any good? Well, the music certainly is. And, the acting and professional look to the film is far better than usual for a race film. I'd probably stack this up to a typical Monogram or PRC release in regard to quality and enjoyability. And, like the Monogram or PRC films, some of the policemen in this mystery are incredibly dim and their 3rd degree sequence is unintentionally funny.

The plot follows a routine B-picture formula. Someone with a lot of enemies is murdered. Who did it? Along the way, we get vignettes of each of the characters. There's also lots of music. The music -- swing (as one could guess) and jazz is not to my taste particularly but it's sensationally well performed.

What sets this apart from the rest is that it's a race picture. The performers are black and it was made for all-black audiences. I love watching these movies when they turn up. Some are superb, like Edgar Ulmer's "Moon Over Harlem." Some are quite good. Many are disappointing --or maybe were made so cheaply they haven't survived well today.

This movie is has several beautiful actresses, whom I don't recognize right off. The actors are skilled also. And it's short, professional, and snappy. Catch it if you have the chance!