Murder in the Blue Room

Quite an entertaining little gem. The Jazzy Belles are hilariously delightful. Humor and Mystery abound. The cast of characters are all great. If you're looking for some light entertainment I recommend this movie.

Murder in the Blue Room was a personal favorite of it's star, Anne Gwynne. Anne told me herself that she thought the picture 'was snappy' and 'really moved along'. I couldn't agree more! Yes, kind of odd that a Universal Pictures mystery-thriller would be laced with Boogie Woogie tunes, but, surprisingly, the numbers tie in well with the plot and are not overdrawn. Probably the best tune is the novelty number "Boogie Woogie Boogie Man", sung by the girl group to captive butler Ian Wolfe! Anne's song, "One Starry Night," dubbed by vocalist Martha Tilton, is also a very good tune. Without giving away the plot, there is an interesting twist, all wrapped up in a seaside ghost-mansion setting. Very atmospheric scenes include the interrupted party scene wherein the ghost makes an appearance at the piano, the appearance of ghoulish-costumed Larry Dearden at the costume party, and the climactic gun play in the caves underneath the mansion. Made by any other studio with other actors,this film would not have been half as good, and unfortunately the movie is rarely seen today. A great example of classic '40's Universal.

" Murder in the Blue Room " (1944) is a very enjoyable musical/who- done it starring the gorgeous Anne Gwynne. This film is virtually impossible to find these days. I have only seen it once, and that was back in the early 70's. It left an impression on me and I would love to see this film again! Thrills and chills and musical dance numbers all packed into one hour. Short , but sweet. As much as I enjoyed this film, unfortunately I only remember bits and pieces of it. It involves a secret bedroom (blue) where a man was murdered 20 years earlier, as well as a shootout inside the caves below the seaside mansion where the film takes place. It is rare for a movie so vaguely remembered, to have such an impact on a first time viewer such as myself. I hope to one day come across this little slice of cinematic joy to add to my collection. I HAVE FOUND THIS FILM ON YOUTUBE. I HAD THE PLEASURE OF SEEING IT IN ITS ENTIRETY LAST YEAR!!! IT IS WORTH A LOOK, ESPECIALLY FOR OLDER MOVIE BUFFS.

Universal remakes Secret of the Blue Room again, this time as a musical comedy. It's got a good cast, including Anne Gwynne, Regis Toomey, John Litel, Milton Parsons, Donald Cook, and Ian Wolfe. The likable comedy dance team The Three Jazzybelles (Grace McDonald, Betty Kean, and June Preisser) steal the picture. It's one of those movies that seems like it was made by committee. One guy said "Let's do a murder mystery." Another said "Let's do a comedy." And then another said "No, it must be a musical!" The result is this uneven but surprisingly enjoyable concoction. It's a good-looking picture with some fairly impressive special effects and a nice amount of shadowy atmosphere. If you go into it knowing what it is, I think you'll take more kindly to the musical comedy elements. But if you go into it expecting a thriller or something, you'll probably be pretty disappointed.

Boogie woogie, singing, dancing, and murder! Is it comedy or drama? Who cares?! Mindless but still fun... I've seen worse A list high budget films!