Michael Shayne: Private Detective

I like the Michael Shayne films, and this one from 1940 has humor, a decent mystery, and is generally fun.

Millionaire Hiram Brighton hires Michael Shayne (Lloyd Nolan) to watch his daughter Phyllis (Marjorie Weaver) - she's a compulsive gambler. In fact Shayne moves into the house, to no avail, because Phyllis escapes him.

Shayne fakes the murder of her gambler boyfriend to frighten her, but it doesn't come off, since upon his discovery, Shayne realizes he's been shot. Gun mix-ups, a frustrated and furious police chief (Donald McBride), and the casino owner's wife (Joan Valerie) are all present to mix things up.

The end of this film falls apart and gets a little confusing with people faling down stairs and coming out of closets, but in reality, the lively characters are what keep this film going.

Just about stealing the show is Phyllis' eccentric aunt (Elizabeth Patterson). She and the butler are mystery fanatics - she is a great follower of the "Baffle Book" and is always telling Shayne about different stories. She actually proves to be a great help to Shayne. Patterson is best remembered, of course, as Mrs. Trumble on I Love Lucy.

Enjoyable.

"With your nerve, I'd hate to have a tooth pulled!" That's Phyllis Brighton speaking indignantly to Mike Shayne, who has just intervened to keep her from betting a bundle she can't afford on a possibly rigged horse race. It doesn't help minutes later when the nag wins. Michael Shayne, Private Detective was the first of seven Shayne movies starring Lloyd Nolan. He crammed them all in a three year contract period. These are comedy-mysteries, all B movies, made quickly on tight budgets by journeyman directors, writers and actors, then shot out for quick play on the lower half of double bills across America. Sad to say, at least with this one, take away Nolan and we don't have much except nostalgia.

Lloyd Nolan was one of those first-rate actors who had plenty of charm, energy and charisma, with confidence to spare. He always came across as smarter than he might seem, whether he played good guys or, more often, tough good guys. He seldom played bad guys. Nolan didn't have the Hollywood-handsome looks that would convince a studio head to make him into a big star. Because he had such a dynamic effect in most of his roles, I think it probably called for very confident leading heroes to agree to play with him in major movies. He was one of a small group of actors who could be so emphatic on screen because of their personality and style that they became memorable...actors like Chester Morris, Lee Tracy, Paul Kelly and, of course, James Cagney. Some made it big, some faded away. They're all great fun to watch in action. Even in old age Nolan could command a screen. He was 83 in his last movie, Hannah and Her Sisters, and is one of the best things about that fine movie. He'd had 50 years of making movies when he died of cancer shortly after finishing his part.

As Michael Shayne, Nolan gives us a character who is tough, resourceful and cocky. He's usually good natured and usually impertinent. Shayne is a private eye who is impressed with no one. He has a sense of skeptical humor. He runs rings around the cops, who are usually portrayed as dunderheads. He's attractive to the the ladies but never seems to get too romantically involved. In Michael Shayne, Private Detective, the mystery is complex but not, unfortunately, all that interesting. The script has Shayne deal with inconveniences by simply tossing away evidence, his gun, into a field, or stripping down two revolvers to exchange gun barrels, or just lying with a smirk. It's never wise to expect good acting in most B movies, and this B movie doesn't disappoint. Besides Nolan, the only actors who show skill are Donald McBride as the police chief doing his frazzled double takes, Douglas Dumbrille as a confident crook, Walter Abel as a weak crook and Elisabeth Patterson as a crime-loving aunt. These are acting jobs the four of them could do in their sleep. They're skilled professionals, however, and they make their roles interesting. Oh, yes...the mystery. It has something to do with gambling debts, fixing horse races, a love that's too intense and a sleazy gambler.

Fun start to a fun series of B detective movies starring Lloyd Nolan as the titular private eye. Probably my pick for most underrated classic detective series. This film, like the rest, is driven by Nolan's screen presence and memorable character actors in supporting parts. Here we have the extremely likable Elizabeth Patterson giving a standout performance. Marjorie Weaver does her best Ann Rutherford. Donald MacBride is also fun. The mystery here is pretty good but the comedy and likable characters are what really works. All in all it's an entertaining picture that moves along quickly. If you're a fan of detective movies from the 30s and 40s I'm sure you'll enjoy this one.

When I began researching Lloyd Nolan in preparation for writing his biography, I had seen him in only two roles -- as the crusty doctor in the TV series JULIA, and as the compassionate policeman in the 1940s movie A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. Then I got a DVD of some of his Michael Shayne movies and was blown away by the first one, MICHAEL SHAYNE: PRIVATE DETECTIVE. It was so refreshing to see Lloyd as a young man and playing such a lighthearted character! Since then, I've watched videos of much of his work, and he's totally believable no matter what kind of character he's playing. I think this movie will always be my favorite, though.

Lloyd Nolan stars as Michael Shayne, a down-on-his-luck P. I. who's having trouble paying his bills. His luck changes when he's hired to keep watch over rich girl Phyllis (Marjorie Weaver) who's been spending too much of daddy's money lately losing at the gambling house. A simple babysitting job gets complicated when a dead body pops up and Shayne looks like the guilty party.

This was the first in a series of Shayne mysteries starring Nolan, based on books by Brett Halliday. Nolan is very good as the genial Shayne, a decent guy who isn't afraid to use his fists but prefers using his wits. I liked that he's shown to be fallible, making clumsy mistakes like ripping his pants while sneaking around, which helps to humanize him compared to other movie sleuths who never seem to make a misstep. Weaver's spoiled rich girl act is irritating at first, but her character makes a big turnaround, and Elizabeth Patterson is a delight as Weaver's detective-story-addict aunt who helps out on the case. This movie doesn't do anything groundbreaking, but it knows its lane and travels it well.