Dangerous Blondes

1943
Dangerous Blondes
6.6| 1h21m| en| More Info
Released: 23 September 1943 Released
Producted By: Columbia Pictures
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Mystery writer Barry Craig (Allyn Joslyn) and his wife Jane (Evelyn Keyes), prefer solving crimes rather than writing about them. They get a chance when killings plague the fashion photography studio of Ralph McCormick (Edmund Lowe). After his secretary, Julie Taylor(Anita Louise) reports an attempt to murder her there, Erika McCormick's (Ann Savage) Aunt Isabel Fleming (Mary Forbes) is stabbed and the evidence points to Madge Lawrence (Bess Flowers) an older model and an apparent suicide. Police Inspector Joseph Clinton (Frank Craven) declares the case closed...but then Erika is murdered.

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mark.waltz Delightfully witty, deceptive, clever and tricky, this murder mystery comedy farce gets going from the start. Detectives Frank Craven and William Demarest gave their hands full from the beginning with the sudden murder of a well known society matron, family scandal and more murders to follow. With Craven and Demarest close on their trails, the wacky team of Evelyn Keyes and Allyn Joslyn stay one step ahead of them, crushing every theory and breaking down every suspect as they outwit both the guilty and the law. It's pretty much Joslyn's show all the way, his street smarts mixing with his sophistication, although Nick Charles he ain't. Anita Louise, Ann Savage and Lynn Merrick are the other blondes, and there ain't a lady among them. Edmund Lowe, John Hubbard and Michael Duane are the more masculine of the supporting cast, and as it's determined who the guilty party is, you'll be both laughing and glued to your seat. It's one of the more well written B murder mystery comedies, lavishly filmed like an A picture, but giving character actors and second leads the chance to show what they can do in a supporting role.
Alex da Silva Crime writer Allyn Joslyn (Barry) and his wife Evelyn Keyes (Jane) set out to solve the murder of Mary Forbes (Isabel Fleming) at a photographer's studio. The police are also trying to figure things out led by Frank Craven (Inspector Clinton). It's a comedy detective film that also stars William Demarest (Detective Gatlin), so be warned.Shame it's a comedy. The film's title lends itself to a film-noir storyline. Anyway, whilst there are some funny moments, this is offset by annoying comedy characters that fail to generate any laughs – Demarest being one, and housekeeper Minerva Urecal (Mrs Swanson) being another. The story is slightly complicated and it's all pretty meaningless but Evelyn Keyes stands out and is fun to watch. And the luminous paint is cool.If you see William Demarest on a cast list, it's a dead cert that the film is one to avoid. He's his usual unfunny self here with exaggerated expressions, unrealistic reactions, obvious and badly executed pratfalls and way too much screen time. This film was doomed.
Neil Doyle In the era of double features, DANGEROUS BLONDES most probably served as a pleasant second banana with a B-film budget from Columbia Studios, and a cast that included EVELYN KEYES, ALLYN JOSLYN, JOHN HUBBARD, EDMUND LOWE, ANITA LOUISE with WILLIAM DEMAREST and FRANK CRAVEN as detectives.It's a fast-paced comedy/mystery with the most unlikely turning out to be the killer but with very little character depth to make solving the puzzle a sensible thing to do. Instead, just sit back and enjoy the shenanigans of minor sleuths Keyes and Joslyn in a Nick and Nora mode as they plunge into discovering what's going on at a fashion studio where a murder takes place.Naturally, it takes lots of effort on their part and plenty of dangerous situations before they straighten the whole thing out with the cooperation of detective Craven and his sidekick, William Demarest.It's fun to watch pert EVELYN KEYES and ALLYN JOSLYN as her husband given some amusing situations in a tidy little mystery with the accent on comedy.
Stan16mm Dangerous Blondes is one of the choice nuggets that sits in the Columbia archives waiting for rediscovery. It appeared briefly on television in the fifties and sixties but is not in the current package available to television stations. Pity because it is chock full of wonderful performances, nice musical arrangements, excellent direction and a fun story. It is a comedy murder mystery that tries to prove that a writer of detective novels can be as smart as a real police detective. Evelyn Keyes never looked more beautiful than here as she helps her husband in trying to solve a recent rash of murders.The comedy in this 81 minute lost classic is as quick and witty as you are likely to see in a film of the period and the joy in finding this treasure again will be music to the ears and eyes of film lovers everywhere.