Fashion Model

The gorgeous Marjorie Weaver is the star in this movie. Arguably, the most underappreciated actress Hollywood ever had. Her adorable Kentucky accent and her fun personality. Will win you over every time. This is a light "who done it". The movie moves along briskly with lots of suspense and humor. You'll think you have the bad guy figured out, but you probably don't. A little biased because I'm a massive Marjorie Weaver fan. I try to get every DVD she's ever made. This is a good comedy with plenty of funny bits. You will not be bored but be prepared to fall in love with Marjorie Weaver. Why she never became a big star I will never understand.

Marjorie Weaver and Robert Lowery star in "Fashion Model," a 1945 comedy of the sledgehammer variety. When models at Madam Celeste's Fashion House start showing up dead, a stock boy, Jimmy (Lowery) is a chief suspect. His girlfriend, who is also a model, Peggy (Weaver) wants to help clear him. The two work together to find the killer.

Actually, this isn't a bad comedy. It has some really funny bits, but they're done too over the top. In the hands of someone like Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea, for instance, and directed by Leo McCary, this might have been a classic. It comes off as silly and overdone.

Weaver is a great example of this. Her character is supposed to be quirky, so rather than Peggy BEING quirky, she instead puts it on. It's not such a subtle difference when you watch it.

The best part is the two trying to escape the fashion house wearing bridal attire and getting caught in the window with the drunk, nearsighted window dresser.

Could have been better, but then, these films were made over a few days.

Not a bad way to spend an hour but, don't expect any great acting or a well written plot. As was the norm with Monogram, the film is overloaded with so called "comedy relief". Also, if I was a policeman I would be terribly insulted by the portrayal of cops as unbelievably stupid dolts. Gunner

Madcap mystery with emphasis on the humorous set-ups. I like the amusing back-biting among the models and haughty Mrs. Van Allen at the beginning. I guess the girls are supposed to smile through thick and thin, but fortunately they don't. There's also a whodunit, well, sort of. At least the dead bodies pile up, as somebody's after an expensive brooch in a high-class fashion shop.

But the real emphasis is on Lowery and Weaver's impersonation of department store mannikins. These skits are creative and amusing. Lowery and Weaver make an attractive and lively two-some, while professional drunk Jack Norton gets to ponder the mysteries of plastic people that walk and talk.

On the whole, it's a better than average Monogram production. The mystery-comedy combo was very popular at the time. Surprisingly, this low-budget version manages some clever highlights of its own. My only gripe is similar to others-- dumb cop Robinson is not that funny. Besides another source of humor is about as necessary as gravy on soup. Director Beaudine may be no artist, but he manages this little jape with skill and efficiency.

When two models are killed at Dorothy Christy's dress salon, stock boy Robert Lowery winds up in police custody as the murderer. His girl friend, model Marjorie Weave, believes him innocent and helps him escape. They proceed to track down the real murderer.

The first half of this Monogram mystery-comedy moves at a good clip with some nice humor. The second half gets into a long set-up, where they go back to the salon to look for clues, and window dresser Jack Norton mistakes them for mannequins It's co-written by Tim Ryan, who also plays the police lieutenant investigating the murders. Director William Beaudine gets a good comedy performance out of Dewey Robinson as Ryan's dumb-as-a-bagful-of-hammers assistant.