Nick Carter en las nubes

A body is found in a locked airplane compartment and a German female refugee is a suspect. Passenger detective Nick Carter is convinced she didn't do it and works to solve the mysterious murder.

A fairly entertaining mix of comedy, crime, adventure in the mould of the Lone Wolf/Philo Vance, however the comedy, though bubbly and amusing, can mar the thriller aspects, I. E: hero takes on the fifth columnist, and though it's great to see Walter Pigeon playing a suave character, his interplay with his sidekick - Donald Meek is hilarious in this role and the best thing here - is lacking, in a sense that Pigeon isn't playful enough and just yells at him to get out. Overall, it's enjoyable but could've been better with a more balanced approach in its mix of genre.

Walter Pidgeon returns for a third appearance as suave-yet-rugged detective Nick Carter in this fast-paced spy picture.

Set very much on the eve of America's entrance into WWII, the plot involves American traitors distributing flyers about a new regime and Nick Carter's (initially reluctant) efforts to track down and put them out of business. Spies, patriotism, murder – it's a neat little movie featuring a solid cast and efficient script.

Donald Meek offers able assistance and mild comic relief as Bartholomew the Bee Man. Put in charge of escorting a group of ladies off of a plane, he gets a little overzealous: "The first one that makes a break dies like a dog!" he barks. (Of course, they trample him and give him a bump on the head.)

Other capable cast members include Tom Conway as a shady character; Kaaren Verne as an earnest immigrant pressured to betray her new country; and Joyce Compton as would-be detective Chris Cross.

Walter Pidgeon looks like he's enjoying himself as the dashing lead character who spouts like dialog like, "Well, this is swell. Seven beautiful girls and every one of them a murder suspect."

There's not much substance, really, but it's a pleasant mix of adventure, mystery and comedy.

When I heard "Nick Carter," I was expecting a dark, noir-ish hard boiled detective story, along the lines of Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe. "Sky Murder" is anything but.

I thought the first few scenes of the movie were so bad, I was going to give it a 3 and turn it off. (No movie can score higher than a 3 with me if I can't stand it till the end.)

For some reason, though, and it wasn't any sudden change in plot or acting, I kept with it. It was more than three quarters of the way through, more than 45 minutes into the film, that I suddenly realized this is a rollicking adventure story aimed at eight-year-old boys, with no pretensions of being anything but a good time. It is a comic book come to life, sort of like the old Superman TV show from the fifties.

Once I realized that, the movie became much more enjoyable.

I don't know if an eight-year-old would enjoy it today, though. It's not full of fast action, has no gunfire, and of course it has no CG.

So, without modern kid appeal, and, as other reviewers have shown, it doesn't hold much for adult viewers, I'm afraid this well-done and entertaining film is probably destined for obscurity.

The most interesting and entertaining of the three films that opened up a little and went outdoors and included a heavy plot of spies and Nazis on the home front. There is that dreaded printing press that the subversives use to peddle their poison with fliers like "Don't be Doped by America".

There is also quite a bit of gun-play and this one is as serious as the series ever got. But it is not without the standard flaws. The Detective as a relentless womanizer (in all its overdone cringe inducement here), the almost ever present Beeswax his always irritating sidekick, the cute ditsy, dumb dame, and the German-American included so we can understand America's tolerance (but not after Pearl Harbor) for all Nationalities despite their governments evil ways. Did we really have to be reminded we are the good guys in such a heavy handed manner?

Sure we did, because repetition works, and this series was just another palatable picture used as a delivery device to a yet to be convinced public that we are about to join the fight against fascism. A noble cause. That is also the best that could be said about the Nick Carter Series.

"Sky Murder" turned out to be Nick Carter's final case, which is a shame. The series had a lot going for it, including handsome, commanding Walter Pidgeon as Carter in one of his best roles. "Sky Murder" is a fast-moving mystery involving subversives - Nazis no doubt. Ten years later and it would have been Communists. After a murder in a locked airplane compartment, a German refugee (Kaaren Verne) becomes a suspect, and Nick is sure she didn't do it. It's never easy for Nick to work on a case because of people who won't leave him alone, and this time is no different. Donald Meek as Bartholemew is still around with his bees, and he has a hilarious fight scene. There's also a pseudo-detective, Christine Cross (Joyce Compton) who is a complete airhead.

This series had a nice, chaotic and humorous feel to it, with the anchor ably provided by Pidgeon who puts up with Bartholemew and here, Compton, but never seems to get flustered. Really fun. It's a shame there were so few of the Nick Carter films.