RKO's deceptively titled comedy-mystery endeavor Genius at Work offers no brilliance but plenty of lackluster shenanigans. Shoddy production values, feeble script, uninspired direction, and the mediocre comedic skills of stars Wally Brown and Alan Carney conspire to do the film in. What it does boast is the talents of Lionel Atwill and Bela Lugosi who are the main reasons for enduring this tepid film.
A master criminal known only as The Cobra is kidnapping and murdering folks. The Crime of the Week radio program written by Ellen Brent (Anne Jeffreys) re-enacts the crimes and give predictions for what will happen next. She is assisted by renown criminologist Latimer Marsh (Lionel Atwill) who, unbeknownst to her, is The Cobra. Unfortunately for her she is remarkably incisive in deducing The Cobra's activities which arouses Marsh's defenses and provokes him into attempting to scare her off his trail. The escalating cat-and-mouse game between them drives the rest of the plot.
The main culprit condemning this film is the weak script credited to Robert E. Kent and Monte Brice. Rife with stale gags and moronic vignettes the story sputters along eliciting more groans than chuckles. The fact one can summarize the plot without mentioning the two "stars" Wally Brown and Alan Carney (aka Jerry Miles and Mike Strager) betrays the fact they are completely superfluous to the narrative. They are put into some predictable situations - bumbling around Marsh's room of medieval torture devices while nearly getting killed by everything they touch, creating an infernal racket while purporting to be clandestinely snooping, etc. - and the ensuing antics are not only idiotic but tiresome. In short no one could be as dopey as they are portrayed to be particularly when the script requires them to be remarkably clever when the plot demands it. The one significant asset Genius at Work enjoys is the fact the villains - Marsh and his manservant Stone (Bela Lugosi) - are afforded plenty of screen time to offset the flaccid shenanigans of Miles and Strager. Curiously The Cobra is provided no motivation for his crimes other than for the sheer pleasure of outwitted the police; fortunately Atwill is such a superb villain that this lack of character development can be easily dismissed.
Director Leslie Goodwins contributes minimal inspiration or imagination to the tale. Obviously made on a shoestring budget the film looks it with a handful of cheap sets, small cast, and the overall feel of a project dashed off with a "let's get this over with" air. Even the highlight of the film (a climactic shootout and rooftop confrontation complete with revolvers that never run out of bullets, obvious studio backdrops, and blatant use of stuntmen) seems aped from the far superior Abbott and Costello yarn "Who Done It?" Given that Brown and Carney were RKO's answer to Universal's exponentially more famous and talented duo this seems fitting. There is one bit that is genuinely funny but so subtle it might have been a goof: Wally Brown stands just inside an elevator with a cigar protruding from his face while the doors slam shut leaving the tip jutting out.
Sadly the director fails to generate much comedic heat from his stars who zip around with plenty of energy but minimal conviction. This is the final endeavor for Wally Brown and Alan Carney as the ersatz Abbott & Costello which, given the nature of this offering, was definitely a good thing. While the script doesn't do them any favors they clearly don't have the comic chops to transcend subpar material and come across as more foolish than funny. Conversely Anne Jeffreys is most appealing as the clever Ellen Brent and even though her guesses and suspicions seem to come out of left field more than through believable sleuthing she makes for a most satisfactory heroine. Marc Cramer, probably best remembered for the infinitely superior Boris Karloff thriller Isle of the Dead, is pretty bland as the ineffectual cop who takes insults from Brown & Carney while still managing to win the hand of Miss Jeffreys. Sadly underused is Bela Lugosi who received star billing above the title in his previous Brown-Carney picture but here he is buried in the supporting cast in one of his infuriating butler roles that could have been played by anyone. One wonders the logic in giving him this demeaning role and not promoting his presence.
Fortunately the film has Lionel Atwill in his last significant role before bronchial cancer claimed his life. Atwill plays a character he could do in his sleep by this point: a master criminal with a bombastic ego who feels he is above the law and everyone else. Most of his finest horror genre characters are in this vein and he provides one final reminder as to why he was one of the best at doing it. A couple added bonuses are witnessing him in drag for the slapstick climax and seeing him without his trademark mustache for the first time since the early 30s. The character chain smokes throughout the film which is a poignant demonstration of the instrument that would soon curtail the performer's life. Hard to believe his health was so severely compromised at the time of filming; you wouldn't know it from both his appearance and deft performance.
Genius at Work is likely the weakest entry in the Wally Brown - Alan Carney comedy series and sends the pair off with a forgettable whimper. The main attraction is Lionel Atwill who transcends the material to give a stellar performance and when partnered with the legendary Bela Lugosi it becomes mandatory viewing for fans of these actors. For everyone else this is a film that won't be worthy of one's time.
