Whistling in the Dark (1941)

While the 1941 version of "Whistling in the Dark" is by far the most famous version, back in the 1930s there was a previous version and I enjoyed it very much. Now, less than a decade later, MGM is back with a new version--this time starring Red Skelton. As for me, I much preferred the original version even if it starred the much less famous Ernest Truex. Of course the original was more famous but it also didn't try so hard to be funny and was more subtle and likable.When the film begins, some evil scumbags are scamming lots of gullible ladies with their cult. However, this is no common, ordinary cult leader, as apparently he and his gang of thugs are killers! Their latest atrocity needs to be the perfect murder and instead of the boss (Conrad Veidt) planning it, he decides to force a radio program writer and performer, Wally Benton (Red Skelton) to plan this perfect killing. And, to provide Wally with an incentive to cooperate, they also kidnap his two lady friends along with him. How can Wally possibly escape or warn the authorities about the pending murder?This film is interesting and mildly funny--only mildly. This is because many of the laughs are a bit forced and Skelton's almost constant one-liners are almost never funny. I MUCH preferred Skelton's later roles, as his character was much sweeter and likable. Here, his character is unusually smart and unusually bland. As for me, I really thought the original film was far better...and is the version to see if you get a chance. However, the remake isn't bad...good enough at the time, that it spurred on two sequels--"Whistling in Dixie" (1942) and Whistling in Brooklyn (1943).

With the exception of the last 15 minutes or so, this was a pretty awful film.Red Skelton, as Walter Benton, radio show star of a crime show who along with his boss's daughter and fiancée is kidnapped by a sinister cult leader, Conrad Veidt, who wants Skelton to come up with a perfect murder so that he can kill the heir of a fortune left by one of his devotees.The film just plods along with ridiculous lines by Skelton and Crew. Eve Arden is given very little to do as Skelton's agent, her wise-cracking is sorely missed here by the writers. Ironically, Skelton is Walter Benton in this film; years later, we had the character of Walter Denton in Arden's hit television series "Our Miss Brooks." Richard Crenna played Denton.The film picks up in pace and comedy when the radio is able to be connected and everyone finds out about the plight of Skelton and the two women.

Remake of 1933 movie is the first in a series of three movies. Wally "The Fox" Benton (Red Skelton) is the star of a popular radio mystery program who is kidnapped by criminals. They plan to kill somebody and want Wally to plan the perfect murder. As added incentive for him to do as they want, they also kidnap Wally's fiancée (Ann Rutherford) and another girl who likes him (Virginia Grey).Fast-paced enjoyable Red Skelton comedy hits on all cylinders. Great direction, great script, superb cast. Skelton is wonderful in his first starring role. Ann Rutherford is absolutely adorable as his fiancée. Something about her I've always loved since I first saw her in the Andy Hardy films. Virginia Grey is the other girl who wants Red and she's fiery and spunky and lots of fun as well. The way the three of them team up to handle the bad guys is terrific. Conrad Veidt is excellent as the heavy, as are all of his henchman. There's more support from the likes of the great Eve Arden, Lloyd Corrigan, and Henry O'Neill. It's really a first-rate cast in a very fun and funny movie.

Here is an early example of what I call narrative folding. "Citizen Kane" had just been released when this started filming. While they are from competing studios, there are a few references to "Kane" here, including a couple notes about the famous "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast.The setup is pretty delicious. Red Skelton is a radio star, who plays a detective called the Fox. This by itself is a joke because the man's humor is all in his face. He is dependent on film — and later TeeVee to be successful. He is famous (in this movie) for writing complex mysteries, not for performing them.Superficially, the story has him kidnapped by the bad guys and forced to come up with a foolproof murder idea. He does, but is able to foil the plot. Bad guys are captured. All is well. But look at how this is done.The bad guys operate a fake spiritualist cult that sells a "radio" service to the departed. In order to keep their enterprise going, they will get a million dollars if they kill some innocent guy and get away with it. So the deal is fake radio versus real, and cleverly solved mystery versus cleverly concealed mystery.As a sort of mirror, Red's character has two women in love with him, and they are kidnapped with him. Many of the jokes have to do with the confusion and conflict between these. The payoff is in how Red's character foils his own plot. He literally — I am not making this up — figures out a way to talk backwards into a radio receiver. Now I believe that this sort of construction is no accident. But I also hold that it is not an intellectual exercise either. Narrative folding comes as naturally as a sort of analogy-based equivalent of the puns on which this is based. (Red's radio show is sponsored by a soft drink. When capturing him, the cult wants him to sell a drink in an identical bottle that contains Vitamin O. )Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.