Detective Kitty O'Day

William Beaudine shined during the silent era, but after the talkies period rose, he rapidly sunk into B and Z grade, bringing though interesting lousy material, such as BILLY THE KID VS DRACULA or JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN 'S DAUGHTER. Some of those features are laughable but rarely really boring, unlike this one. It is a mystery thriller, as there were millions of them during the thirties and forties, before the Tv industry "stole" this kind of schemes. If you are a gem searcher, it's Ok, agreeable, but I doubt there are many audiences for this film. The directing is what you expect, but the story is common at a scale you can also imagine. That's not the William Beaudine's movie that I would recommend in first.

After watching the surprisingly enjoyable "The Adventures of Kitty O'Day" I hunted down the movie it was a sequel to, "Detective Kitty O'Day." While I thought the first movie was pretty funny, this one seemed much weaker. It surprises me that this movie generated a sequel (and that the second, better movie ended the series).

I won't say this movie is dumber than the other one; they're both pretty dumb. And I wouldn't say Jean Parker was any less charming in this one; she's still fun and lively as she blithely goes from one disaster to the next. But it's just not as funny a movie, and even at an hour long it felt like it dragged.

Detective Kitty O'Day played by Jean Parker in the first of two films she did as Kitty O'Day who with her reluctant boyfriend Peter Cookson goes around solving crimes and generally getting into all kinds of mischief. If I didn't know any better I'd swear I was watching Bonita Granville and Frankie Thomas in one of the Warner Brothers Nancy Drew series albeit a bit older.

Parker is working for a millionaire who winds up dead with a widow who was already stepping out with Douglas Fowley. Veda Ann Borg was the merry widow and she's the main reason to see this as she usually is the main reason to see any film she's in.

Bodies start piling up in this 'mystery' until it is fairly obvious who could have done it.

One more film and there was no more demand for Kitty O'Day.

After her boss is murdered, secretary and aspiring detective Kitty O'Day sees a chance to put her skills to the test to the annoyance of the investigating police officer Inspector Clancy. When Clancy won't properly investigate the dead man's widow, O'Day takes it upon herself to unmask the killer - with the reluctant assistance of her boyfriend Johnny Jones.

An entertaining zany comedy mystery with an emphasis on comedy. There's plenty of wisecracks and funny one liners. It's nothing new, yet it's brimming with energy, thanks to the actors, especially the inquisitive Jean Parker. It's good fun. And short and sweet.

I mostly know Jean Parker from movies of the early 1930s (LITTLE WOMEN springs to mind) and I mostly associate her with teary-eyed victims of tragedy or sweet young romantic interests. Bland supporting roles in mostly dramatic pictures. The sweet daughter, the poor sister, the hometown sweetheart. DETECTIVE KITTY O'DAY (1944) showcases Parker as a comedienne. She goes for broke in the name of comedy and I was impressed. Jean Parker is the whole show.

Made for B-level Monogram Pictures, DETECTIVE KITTY O'DAY is an inconsequential hour-long comedy-mystery programmer. There are no big names in the cast. The most recognizable actor after Parker is Edward Gargan, in the dumb police sidekick role he'd played countless times at the major studios. Veda Ann Borg lends sex appeal to the supporting cast.

Kitty O'Day (Jean Parker) is a secretary who drags her boyfriend Johnny (Peter Cookson) around as she tries to solve her boss's murder. Every time the police run into the amateur sleuths a dead body turns up.

Parker, pretty as always, handles the comedy with aplomb. Kitty O'Day is plucky and bright, in her own silly screwball way. She delivers zingers with a smile, uses accents and props, faints, crawls on the ground, and even wears a disguise. With Johnny along for the ride, the investigation is full of slip-ups, goofs, and misunderstandings, but Kitty somehow seems to land on the right track.

For the sake of comedy the script allows for some lapses in logic, but they are easily overlooked. The film is enjoyable silliness from start to finish. Strictly a low-budget, small-time affair, but Jean Parker is fun to watch at the center of it all. It's neat seeing a different side to the actress a decade after the 1930s roles I know best.