Murder on a Honeymoon (1935)

Don't Believe the Hype

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

This is definitely a B movie...but it's a fun B movie. And the fun comes in the acting of one of my favorite character actresses -- Edna May Oliver. Oliver was a wonderful supporting actress in a number of films such as "Drums Along The Mohawk". It's nice to see her here as the star of a film (she did several in the genre), albeit one with a story line that's sometimes a bit shaky in terms of the writing. Oliver makes up for that with her classic almost comedic timing and facial expressions.It's unfortunate that the plot is so weak. It's almost as if they were writing the script as they went along, and clues seem to be thrown in as needed, rather than thought out in advance. Most of the characters are not very well developed.However, the two lead characters -- Oliver and character actor James Gleason -- are great and have real chemistry. There are two other films in the series, and others beyond that with different actors.Another interesting factor in the film is that it was produced on the island of Catalina.Hey, if you ever want to just sit and enjoy an hour or so without thinking too much, this is a great film to watch. If you don't Oliver yet, watch this and you won't forget her.

NOTES: Third of the "Hildegarde Withers" series of six films, all produced by RKO and all based on works by the character's creator, Stuart Palmer. The first three films starred Edna May Oliver. On completing this assignment (for which she received rave notices), Miss Oliver accepted a tempting offer to sign with MGM. RKO, unwilling to pay MGM's price for Miss Oliver's continued service, teamed James Gleason with Helen Broderick in film number four, and with ZaSu Pitts in films five and six. To quiet public outrage at these substitutions, RKO put it out that Miss Oliver was "too ill" to continue with the role. This lie fooled no-one except, it seems, present-day critics who still repeat this canard from time to time in various books and reviews.COMMENT: By common consensus, this one has always been regarded as the best of the series. Directed by Lloyd Corrigan, the actor/writer, who whipped out around a dozen films in the 1930s before resuming his acting career, Murder on a Honeymoon boasts some very fine performances, both comic and dramatic, which help to bolster an already intriguing script. Seton I. Miller supplied the drama, Robert Benchley the comedy and both blend perfectly together. Atmospheric photography also helps. However, not everyone will agree that Edna May Oliver outshines the rest of the cast. Some might even go so far as to suggest that her highly mannered portrayal seems both old-fashioned and out of place. Certainly the rest of the players are far more realistic in their approach, be it with comedy (Spencer Charters, Willie Best, Arthur Hoyt) or suspense (Lola Lane, Leo G. Carroll, DeWitt Jennings). However, as far as I'm concerned, the player who walks away with the acting honors is the little-known Dorothy Libaire, with equally unknown Harry Ellerbe not far behind. I also enjoyed seeing Robert Homans without his customary patrolman's cap, and sitting behind a desk for once! As with the first two entries, production values are high. Plane connoisseurs and nostalgia buffs will both revel in the flight to Catalina Island.

Murder on a Honeymoon opens aboard a seaplane flying several passengers out to a vacation destination: it's a neat opening scene that sets the plot in motion with a murder and introduces us to all of the suspects as well. Among those passengers is Hildegarde Withers, played one more time by the great Edna May Oliver, who is a bit sick during the flight but recovers nicely when the plane lands and it is discovered that a fellow passenger is dead.James Gleason returns as Inspector Oscar Piper; it seems the murdered man was involved in a case his department is on, so he hops a flight himself and quickly joins his old collaborator Miss Withers. ("Hildegarde, you get screwier every day" is practically the first thing he says to her when they meet, thus quickly re-establishing their outwardly adversarial, genuinely affectionate personal relationship.) Good photography—both of island scenes and in some atmospheric shadowy night shots—adds sparkle to a script that neatly balances comic banter with murder. A solid supporting cast features Leo G. Carroll as a big shot movie director (who carries a flask with two compartments in it—one containing the good booze he drinks, one stocked with the cheap stuff he shares with others) and Lola Lane as an aspiring actress hoping to catch his eye.Overall, the suspense is a bit more taut, the solution more surprising than in the two previous Withers-Piper pictures; it's a top-notch B mystery. Oliver, especially, is at her very best, especially when dealing with those who underestimate her—for example, the local police chief and doctor, who are beginning the murder investigation while still in their bathing suits: "Don't try to be impressive in that rig, my man," Miss Withers snaps when one attempts brusqueness. "You can't frighten me until you've put on your trousers."

Murder on a Honeymoon (1935) *** (out of 4) Third film in the series has Edna May Oliver returning as Hildegarde Withers, the school teacher who once again finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. While on vacation Withers and Inspector Piper (James Gleason) investigate the murder of a man on an airplane who at first just got violently sick but then ended up dying. There's no question that this third film is a step down from PENGUIN POOL MURDER and MURDER ON THE BLACKBOARD but thanks to the leads its still worth watching. Once again we get Oliver and Gleason working perfectly together and coming up with some terrific comic timing as well as that wonderful chemistry that only they could deliver. The screenplay gives both of them plenty of banter towards the other but it also has them working even better together as the majority of the laughs take a backseat to the actual mystery being unfolded. I think the story here is a fairly good one but the biggest problem with the screenplay is that it really doesn't come up with very many good supporting characters. WE have the idiot cop on the island who can't do a thing right. We have an uptight director, a couple on their honeymoon and we even have one woman who will stop at nothing to become an actress. None of these characters really stood out, although I will admit that Lola Lane was extremely easy on the eyes as the actress. Gleason once again steals the film as the cigar-chomping Inspector who is always almost right but always needs that added help to get anything done. Corrigan's direction gets things done well enough but it doesn't contain that ultimate punch to keep things moving as well as they should and I do think he should have done a little more visually. With that said, this entry is still a good one and fans of these types of pictures should find themselves entertained. This is, of course, due in large part to Oliver and Gleason.