A Shot in the Dark

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Ricardo Cortez, William Lundigan, Regis Toomey, and Nan Wynn in A Shot in the Dark (1941)

Homicide detective Bill Ryder reluctantly teams up with wise-cracking newshound Peter Kennedy to solve a pair of murders.Homicide detective Bill Ryder reluctantly teams up with wise-cracking newshound Peter Kennedy to solve a pair of murders.Homicide detective Bill Ryder reluctantly teams up with wise-cracking newshound Peter Kennedy to solve a pair of murders.

Director
- William C. McGann
Writers
- M. Coates Webster
- Frederick Nebel
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

232

YOUR RATING

Director
- William C. McGann
Writers
- M. Coates Webster
- Frederick Nebel
Stars

8User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

User reviews8

Featured review

6/10

Fast Paced Musical Murder Mystery

I just watched this on TCM this afternoon. It's a fast paced Warner Brothers B-movie that only lasts 57 minutes. Songstress Nan Wynn has the female lead and she sings three songs, enough to get this one labeled a musical murder mystery. William Lundigan plays the reporter and Regis Toomey is the police lieutenant. They trade witty banter while working together to try to solve a couple of murders. The plot gets complicated for only 57 minutes and you have to stay focused to keep the suspects straight. Watch closely for William Hopper and Dave Willock in uncredited roles. That's Frank Wilcox as the naval officer at the end. The wild car chase is exciting and well done, but the best part of this movie is the singing by Nan Wynn.

hogwrassler
Jun 28, 2020
Permalink

Photos3

More like this

6.3

6.1

6.0

4.9

5.4

6.5

6.4

Dangerously They Live

6.8

6.5

5.7

6.0

6.7

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
The opening building shot (model) is the frequently-used one that goes as far back as Female (1933) with Ruth Chatterton, though it likely predates even that film.

Goofs
When Lieutenant Ryder goes to Phil Richards' apartment and Phil introduces him to his fiancée, she is holding a cigarette and pointing it up with the palm out. But on the next cut, she now has the cigarette pointing toward the Lieutenant. Then on the following cuts after that, she goes back and forth between the two holding positions.

Crazy credits
In the opening credits, the leads are optically billed not by their names or even their characters' names, but by their characters' professions (e.g., "Newspaperman," "Night Club Owner"), though the actors are listed in the prior title cards.

Connections
Featured in The Doldrum: A Shot in the Dark (1954)

Soundtracks
I'm Just Wild About Harry
(1921)
Written by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake
Sung by Nan Wynn with revised lyrics (lyricist unknown) at the nightclub