Detective Kitty O'Day

After her boss is murdered, secretary and aspiring detective Kitty O'Day sees a chance to put her skills to the test to the annoyance of the investigating police officer Inspector Clancy. When Clancy won't properly investigate the dead man's widow, O'Day takes it upon herself to unmask the killer - with the reluctant assistance of her boyfriend Johnny Jones.

An entertaining zany comedy mystery with an emphasis on comedy. There's plenty of wisecracks and funny one liners. It's nothing new, yet it's brimming with energy, thanks to the actors, especially the inquisitive Jean Parker. It's good fun. And short and sweet.

I just finished watching this movie on a compilation DVD distributed by Retromedia Entertainment - available for rental on Netflix. Quite entertaining with a nice performance by the handsome Peter Cookson, but the true bright spot was the performance by Jean Parker. The film was marred by some silly slapstick and weak humor - but still worth watching.

The copy of the film was in fairly good condition overall, but had some breaks in continuity. I look forward to seeing more films starring Miss Parker.

This sort of film is of interest to film history buffs as a typical product of one the lesser known Hollywood studios - Monogram Pictures.

I love seeing Monogram movies. They don't have a pristine look. They look down and dirty -- which they were.

It seems as if someone must have said, "Get me Jean Arthur!" and it was misunderstood. Parker plays a flighty girl along the lines of many an Arthur role. She also resembles the sublime Gracie Allen at times.

But Parker was a fine actress in her own right. She shoulders this picture and carries it to great success.

Veda Ann Borg is also on-hand for some cheesecake. But it's Parker's movie all the way.

(The sequel, "The Adventures of Kitty O'Dea," is a retread of the same movie. It's pleasant enough but breaks not ground at all.)

The other reviews I've read are too harsh. There are far worse movies rated way higher.

This movie succeeds in being light, funny, and entertaining with a dash of mystery. If you were expecting a gritty film noir or a complex mystery from a B-movie titled "Detective Kitty O'Day" then you watched the wrong movie. That's on you.

It's purposefully slapstick and goofy. The cops are completely useless. The boyfriend keeps threatening to walk out until Kitty ropes him back into her antics again. It's great.

I can't think of many other films of the era with a female detective headliner, so in that way it is ahead of its time. The film also reflects the sexism of the time, as they all treat her as hysterical, which makes sense as it was made in the 1940s. That said, there is a nice moment where Kitty's boyfriend sticks up for her.

It was a fun hour spent for me and I didn't feel like my time was wasted.

After watching the surprisingly enjoyable "The Adventures of Kitty O'Day" I hunted down the movie it was a sequel to, "Detective Kitty O'Day." While I thought the first movie was pretty funny, this one seemed much weaker. It surprises me that this movie generated a sequel (and that the second, better movie ended the series).

I won't say this movie is dumber than the other one; they're both pretty dumb. And I wouldn't say Jean Parker was any less charming in this one; she's still fun and lively as she blithely goes from one disaster to the next. But it's just not as funny a movie, and even at an hour long it felt like it dragged.