O Portento

I usually find movies of this era poorly written, over-acted, and the comedies not funny. This one is funny thanks to Jack Oakie. Ann Southern and the other actors did over-act, see.

The minor "Super-Sleuth" is a cartoon-like, live action film, but with plenty of relaxed, pleasant, and gentle comedic moments. Jack Oakie plays a likeable, almost endearing character, even though he thinks excessively highly of himself. Jack's timing is superb, providing for the viewer a film full of subtle, chuckle-inducing lines, body language, and facial reactions to circumstances he doesn't fully appreciate.

The supporting cast seems to have plenty of fun doing their part to make the film work-- that is except for Ann Southern, who, unfortunately, has little to do in the program other than just kind of be there for Jack. The inside view of making movies in 1937 on set and on location is a bonus. If you go in for viewing not expecting a Cary Grant- or Katherine Hepburn-kind of major league comedy you will enjoy this picture just fine. As a 1930's movie fan I am very glad to have finally seen it!

Jack Oakie is a movie star, best known for a series of detective movies. He's so good in the role that he believes his own publicity and starts a feud with the police department. Then comes the anonymous threatening letter....

Oakie is his usual not-too-bright blowhard, and this RKO programmer shows him at his best, even though his leading-man status wouldn't last much longer; he would have a nice career as best man's buddy in all those brightly lit Fox musicals. With Anne Sothern, Eduardo Cianelli, Edgar Kennedy, and Willie Best, there are some good laughs in this one.

A crime-comedy, with Jack Oakie very personable as a movie detective who is short on brains. Famous actors are getting poison pen letters, which we learn quickly are from house-of-horrors owner Eduardo Ciannelli, whose motive seems to be revenge for bad acting. Oakie gets such a letter announcing he'll be killed, so he goes to Ciannelli, his friend, and says he knows who sent it! It's the one sending all those poison pen letters. That's the level of Oakie's intelligence (and the level of the comedy in the script). Ciannelli has lots of opportunities to kill Oakie, including with a rifle with a gunsight. The comedy comes from Oakie, his servant, Willie Best (again shamefully stereotyped), and the hapless police inspector, Edgar Kennedy. Ann Sothern seems wasted as Oakie's publicity manager.

In Hollywood, Bill Martin (Jack Oakie) plays a detective on film. He gets into a feud with the real police. Studio publicist Mary Strand (Ann Sothern) isn't happy with him either although she does really like him. He starts getting creepy fan letters from "The Poison Pen". With a killer targeting him, he and Mary go to amateur sleuth Professor Herman (Eduardo Ciannelli) for help.

Bill Martin is somewhat a self-obsessed boob. I don't hate him but I don't love him either. With a bit of well placed charms, he could be a passable romantic lead. Oakie needs some work. Sothern is doing all the work in the relationship. The hair piece is the funniest gag but it's the Lieutenant. There is still some fun to be had.