Having Wonderful Crime

Pleasant but mostly boring and unfunny comedy about a newlywed couple (Carole Landis, George Murphy) and their lawyer friend (Pat O'Brien) that get involved in murders and mysteries. Landis is breathtakingly beautiful as always and provides most of the movie's humor, albeit strained as it is. Murphy is strictly dullsville but tries his best. Then there's Pat O'Brien. Poor Pat. Always the best man, never the groom. Pat spent most of the 1930s playing runner-up to Jimmy Cagney and here it looks like he's still playing second banana. This time to George Murphy of all people. And trust me brother Mrs. Murphy's favorite son is NO Cagney! This is one of those films that is neither great nor terrible. I personally didn't find it that funny but others might.

I would recommend you see it for Carole Landis alone. She was one of the screen's great beauties and had such unrealized potential as an actress and comedienne. The end of her career was filled with mediocre films like this. Some worse. Perhaps that played a part in why she took her life at the age of 29. I don't know. But I do know she was a memorable screen presence who never broke through to superstardom like she should have.