A Shot in the Dark (1941)
A reporter and a police detective sort through the clues in a night-club owner's murder.
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Surprisingly incoherent and boring
Let's be realistic.
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
This is a "D" grade Warner Brothers programmer (at under an hour) set in the nightclub world where a sudden murder on a crowded street results in the presence of all the usual suspects. Nightclub owner Ricardo Cortez seems the most obvious suspect, but detective Regis TOomey ain't so sure. Prankster reporter William Lundigan keeps showing up at the most inopportune times, first crying in crocodile tears that he was the killer (just to get into the precinct to get information) and later pretending to be a woman to get into Toomey's room just to get more information on the scoop. Figuring out that he can't get rid of this bad penny, Toomey (who at one point stifles a laugh) decides to make use of this pest, much to his utter detriment. A dozen or so suspicious characters pop in and out of the story in a most convoluted manner, including a gun-toting dame, an unusually close brother and sister, and the pretty heroine (Nan Wynn) that several of the men anxiously try to get for themselves. A well-filmed chase sequence ends the short film, but overall, it is the film's excessive tongue-in-cheek attitude that descends it into mediocrity.
Typical, unpretentious Warner Bros. 'B' programmer. A brash reporter and a dour homicide cop investigate the murder of a nightclub owner. The film zips along at such whiplash speed (running time a mere 57 minutes)that you may well lose track of the complicated plot. No matter. William Lundigan is lively and likeable as the newsman, and, as a special bonus, this is one of the few films featuring the delectable Nan Wynn (best-known for her luscious dubbing of most of Rita Hayworth's musicals). Wynn is a fetching delight in the female lead as a nightclub singer, and sings three songs with style to spare. Why Nan Wynn didn't become a musical movie star in her own right (instead of being Rita Hayworth's 'Marni Nixon') and why Lundigan never joined the 'A' list of leading men are unanswered questions more mystifying than anything in the plot of "A Shot in the Dark."