The Dummy Talks

An escapist wartime revue film masquerading as a murder mystery historically notable as the big screen debut of Jack ('Blue Pencil') Warner when he was famous as a radio comedian.

Enlivened as usual by it's bit players, most of them uncredited, such as a statuesque young Hy Hazel when she answered to the name of Derna, and Ian Wilson and Olive Sloane, both of whom appeared memorably for the Boulting Brothers after the war in 'Seven Days to Noon'.

The film is more of a vehicle featuring British Music Hall talent then it is murder mystery. I'm shocked that someone hasn't done the same for America's got Talent: AGT, A Talent for Murder.

The Dummy Talks may make you consider if the title refers to the "little person" AKA the substitute ventriloquist dummy or Victor Harbord (Claude Hulbert, the ersatz detective. I am going for the later.

Watching the popular stage acts of the time is the best part of this film which makes it a bit of a documentary. Watching the Five Lai Founs spin plates on a stick took me back to my youth in the 1950s when the spinning plate toy was all the rage, second to the Hula Hoop. There are some great popular acts of the period featured including some very watchable acrobats, both serious and comedic.

The plot is pretty standard, ventriloquist star and overall cad Manning Whiley is murdered, and there are a plethora of suspects. After some entertainment from the acts and the bumbling Claude Hulbert, the major suspects are assembled to hear the evidence and most important-to hear the dummy J'Accuse.

Think of this film as more of a Music Hall/Vaudeville piece of history and you will be pleased.

Backstage murder mystery in which the on-stage antics are far more interesting than the murder, especially the botched reveal.

It's a fascinating look at Jack Warner's Music Hall act, one that made him a big stage name in the 1920s and 30s. It's a combination of snappy patter and nonsense songs. Warner was 48 here, making his film debut. Also very good is Claude Hulbert, playing his usual character, all bewildered and bemused, and this time a cop.

There's also singer/comedienne Beryl Orde. She was famous for her impressions and she always did Martha Raye, but otherwise I can never tell who she's doing. We also get G.H. Mulcaster as an undercover cop, Manning Whiley as a creepy ventriloquist, Ian Wilson as the stage manager, Charles Carson as the magician, Hy Hazell as his assistant, Ivy Benson as the bandleader, and Evelyn Darvell as the lovely Peggy Royce, who sings a few songs.

The stage acts are mostly things we saw on Ed Sullivan's old TV shows: acrobats, knock-about dancers, spinning plates, etc. The murder mystery, alas, seems to have something to do with counterfeit money, but it seems to take a back seat to the entertainment. The creepy dummy that talks is played by Eric Mudd who is also seen in the acrobatic team of Sylvester and Nephew.

Not as good as I had hoped, but worth the effort to see Warner and Hulbert.

A blackmailing ventriloquist (Russell Warren) is murdered backstage at a theatre putting on a variety show. An inept police detective (Claude Hulbert) investigates along with a counterfeit investigator (Piers Harriman) while the show goes on.

A rather poor backstage thriller comedy with it's main redeeming features being the first screen performance from then radio star Jack Warner and the performances of some long forgotten variety artistes. Among them is impersonater comedienne Beryl Orde, a Chinese acrobatic group, the Lai Foons, the Skating Avalons and the jaw dropping and gravity defying acrobatics of Sylvester & Nephew. The normally funny Hulbert, younger brother of the more famous Jack Hulbert stretches his schtick out a little too much and was at his best as a foil in the couple of Will Hay films he appeared in.

This is a typical backstage musical of the 1940s.However i think that it is of greater interest because of the fact that it features virtually all the main acts shown on the Bill at the beginning of the film.So we start with the Chinese acrobats,work our way through the adagio to the Ivy Benson Band and to Jack Warner.So if you are interested in British music hall of this period then this film is most definitely for you.Having said that you will have to go out of your way to find it.Your best bet being ebay.The plot is one of the typical murder mysteries and is little interest other than the humour extracted out of it by Claude Hulbert.