The Plot Thickens

I saw this movie for the first and only time in the late '80's on AMC and have been searching for it to purchase ever since. My son, who was then 6 years old, and I laughed and chuckled throughout the movie at the dry wit, sarcasm and humor. You have to pay attention, because like many other movies of this era, there is a plot (!!) and a true storyline and you have to be listening to catch the sometimes subtle humor, particularly between Gleason's and Pitts' characters. My kids grew up on these old B&W's and can't understand why their friends don't find them entertaining. Since it's not a "splash & gash" movie of today, with no storyline and only loud music and special effects, most young people (and many adults) today would no doubt find it boring. It's not "Arsenic & Old Lace" or "The Maltese Falcon", but it's a very funny old B&W and I have every intention of purchasing it ASAP!

I very much wanted to like this movie. I've always liked James Gleason and Zazu Pitts. But the script was uninteresting, and the direction lackluster. It wasn't funny, and it didn't move, even though it's a short movie.

There's really no reason to watch this movie.

A man is shot in his car and a young couple is entangled with the murder. Next, the dead body is found in his library at home. Inspector Oscar Piper (James Gleason) investigates the apparent murder. He calls to cancel a golf outing with Hildegarde Withers (ZaSu Pitts). She's intrigue with the case and invites herself into the investigation.

The start is a bit messy but I like the young couple's dilemma. This is a new Hildegarde. She has a few fun scenes but it's generally a downgrade. I do like the handcuff scene. The mystery would work better if the young couple is forced to go on the run with Hildegarde by their side. They could solve the case together. Oscar would be in pursuit and join them later in the story. I just don't like the second half that much. The movie degenerates. The series is also degenerating into a secondary B-movie franchise. The original series would have one more movie before fading away.

Its a cliché, I know. But they don't make them like this any more.

And that's for a good, a very good reason: people wouldn't watch them, even those like myself who really value these.

What I'm talking about here are the comedy-mysteries that were pumped out in the 30s like TeeVee shows are now. Many of the same production values are used, in terms of economy and lack of depth. As with TeeVee stuff, the value is partially in the accretion of many similar movies -- in seeing one, you see some harmonization with hundreds of others.

We couldn't make these today because the genre was occluded by noir so far as the tone and by the hardboiled detective so far as story. These have not only changed movies, but the way we think.

So visiting these little films are somewhat like seeing that part of old London that's been turned into a theme park for tourists: something with a nostalgic. uncomplicated charm.

Of these, you cannot do better than James Gleason and the Hildegarde Winters things. These actually have a plot just complex enough to remind you that there is one. It doesn't "play fair" in that the complete solution uses knowledge the audience doesn't have. But in all these, the partial solution is telegraphed early.

I admit, I like the Hildegarde as portrayed by Edna Mae Oliver better in some regards. She's a more memorable character, and the notion of Gleason falling in love with her is as precious a joke as you can find.

But Zasu's got much better comic timing, so this has better jokes verbally.

Watch these, or something like them -- just like you might visit a "restored area" -- because such journeys are necessary to understanding film.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Plot Thickens, The (1936)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The fifth film in the Hildegarde Withers series is the first to have Zasu Pitts in the lead. This time out a man involved in a possible love triangle is murdered and there are countless suspects. Withers must assist Detective Oscar Piper (James Gleason) in tracking down the murder but soon more twists and turns begin to happen. THE PLOT THICKENS is the perfect title for this movie because it seems every ten-minutes or so another twist is happening and the film goes off into a new direction. It starts off as a love triangle mixed with murder but then more bodies begin to pile up and soon the witnesses are changing their stories and then we even get a heist subplot thrown in. At just 67-minutes this movie doesn't have a slow bone in its body because it goes so fast that at first you have to almost backtrack to try and figure out what's going on in the opening murder sequence. We get to see so many characters so quickly that I think the film hurts itself because by the time you figure out what's going on you're already onto the next murder and plot twist. The story should be given quite a bit of credit because even though this was just a "B" series, RKO went all out and really delivered a smart screenplay. It also doesn't hurt that Gleason and Pitts work so well together. No one will take the place of Edna May Oliver but Pitts is really good here. She plays the straight parts fine but she also has a very good comic timing that works perfectly well with Gleason. As for Gleason, he was always good in the series and he too turns in a fine performance. None of the supporting players really stand out but they're all decent enough. The final ten-minutes features a couple plot twists that her perfectly done including one pre-Scooby Doo sequence that really works tremendously well. THE PLOT THICKENS will certainly entertain fans of the series but it also makes you scratch your head wondering how the next film in the series (FORTY NAUGHTY GIRLS) could turn out so bad.