The Crosby Case

There are some likeable characters in this even though they're not quite of the straight and narrow kind. There's Lynn Ashton (Wynne Gibson) who is on her way to Bermuda before a Dr Crosby starts squawking about some jewels she might be taking with her. There's the cab driver Sam Collins (Warren Hymer) who is prepared to do a hit-and-run when he accidentally knocks down the same Dr Crosby on a kerbside. And there's nervous crook and squealer Willie McGuire (John Wray) who wants to be locked up by the police for his own safety. The story begins with the death of a shady doctor called Crosby. At first it seems as though he has been killed accidentally by a cab. Then a bullet wound is found in him. Professor Lubeck and a doorman both witness Lynn's ex-boyfriend on the spot at the time which makes him the chief suspect. Lynn is taken off the boat bound for Bermuda with some jewels and is under suspicion also. The plot includes mobsters and drug dealing and frame-ups. Edward Van Sloan plays a more feeble character than usual. He's Professor Lubeck who has a secret guilt and a disability that he tries to hide from others. My favorite funny moment is when Lynn is asked to open up her jewel box and she finds a switcheroo has been done on her by a tearful friend. There's nothing really outstanding about this Universal mystery but I enjoyed some of it's shady characters.