17 reviews
Motor-mouthed Glenda Farrell adds sass and vinegar to this better-than-most crime programmer dating from the early sound era. She and Mary Brian play a couple of New York gold-diggers stranded in Palm Beach when frustrated sugar daddy Guy Kibbee sticks them with an unpaid hotel bill. Spurred on by the prospect of a big reward, they get mixed up in the bridal-night disappearance of yet another gold-digger (Peggy Shannon), whom they know from her days in the kick line, but who managed to snag a millionaire (Ben Lyon).
In the course of their meddling, they encounter an old pal (Lyle Talbot) who seems anxious to get them out of town; a pair of overstuffed hams posing as a society couple (Helen Ware, Ferdinand Gottschalk); and a body in the hotel gardens, still smoking a cigar. Film buffs will catch brief appearances by Walter Brennan, Louise Beavers and Dennis O'Keefe.
Without ever really losing sight of its mystery plot or lapsing into the `comic,' Girl Missing brandishes a lot of racy, pre-Code wit, dished out mainly by Farrell. Most of the credit can no doubt go to scriptwriter Jules Furthman, whose credits include Shanghai Express, Bombshell, The Big Sleep and Nightmare Alley. The rest can go to Frenchman Robert Florey, whose directorial career may not be quite so distinguished but bears watching: Cocoanuts (the first Marx Brothers movie), the first `talking' Murders in the Rue Morgue, and a few noirs like Danger Signal and The Crooked Way. Girl Missing succeeds because of good teamwork, and it had a great team.
In the course of their meddling, they encounter an old pal (Lyle Talbot) who seems anxious to get them out of town; a pair of overstuffed hams posing as a society couple (Helen Ware, Ferdinand Gottschalk); and a body in the hotel gardens, still smoking a cigar. Film buffs will catch brief appearances by Walter Brennan, Louise Beavers and Dennis O'Keefe.
Without ever really losing sight of its mystery plot or lapsing into the `comic,' Girl Missing brandishes a lot of racy, pre-Code wit, dished out mainly by Farrell. Most of the credit can no doubt go to scriptwriter Jules Furthman, whose credits include Shanghai Express, Bombshell, The Big Sleep and Nightmare Alley. The rest can go to Frenchman Robert Florey, whose directorial career may not be quite so distinguished but bears watching: Cocoanuts (the first Marx Brothers movie), the first `talking' Murders in the Rue Morgue, and a few noirs like Danger Signal and The Crooked Way. Girl Missing succeeds because of good teamwork, and it had a great team.
Kay (Glenda Farrell) and June (Mary Brian) have gotten away from the chorus line in New York and are living it up in a posh Palm Beach hotel, but the price is leading on elderly wealthy Kenneth Van Deusen (Guy Kibbee), and hoping he will just continue to be led with no sexual payoff. He gets tired of the routine and leaves the girls owing a 700 hotel bill. Their solution is to find another wealthy guy, but this time the guy (Ben Lyon as Henry Gibson) is engaged. And he is engaged to somebody they both knew in the chorus line (Peggy Shannon as Daisy), but who snubs them by saying she doesn't know them. The girls have their problems solved when an old friend (Lyle Talbot as Raymond Fox) offers not only to pay their hotel bill but pay their train fare back to New York.
When Kay and June miss their train and have to stay an extra night, they hear on the radio the next morning that newlywed Daisy is a "girl missing". Gibson, her new husband, is offering 25000 as a reward for returning her, and Kay and June decide to stick around and solve the mystery. There is a car chase along a seacoast highway, a dead body found on a bench, and a note with a dagger through it saying "you are next".
This thing is pure rat a tat action and precode one liners , largely powered by brassy Glenda Farrell who really carries the weight of the energy of this thing. Kibbee is great in his small role as the frustrated wannabe lover. Edward Ellis is memorable as the very skeptical police inspector. Watch this one if you are in the mood for some precode goodness Warner Brothers style.
When Kay and June miss their train and have to stay an extra night, they hear on the radio the next morning that newlywed Daisy is a "girl missing". Gibson, her new husband, is offering 25000 as a reward for returning her, and Kay and June decide to stick around and solve the mystery. There is a car chase along a seacoast highway, a dead body found on a bench, and a note with a dagger through it saying "you are next".
This thing is pure rat a tat action and precode one liners , largely powered by brassy Glenda Farrell who really carries the weight of the energy of this thing. Kibbee is great in his small role as the frustrated wannabe lover. Edward Ellis is memorable as the very skeptical police inspector. Watch this one if you are in the mood for some precode goodness Warner Brothers style.
Glenda Farrell is a delight as Torch Blane in that series. Here we have more of a hybrid:
This starts out as a light-hearted comedy dedicated strictly to the fine art of gold-digging.
When it eases into the mystery suggested by the title, Glenda keeps pace beautifully and the movie keeps its rhythm.
A real pleasure!
This starts out as a light-hearted comedy dedicated strictly to the fine art of gold-digging.
When it eases into the mystery suggested by the title, Glenda keeps pace beautifully and the movie keeps its rhythm.
A real pleasure!
- Handlinghandel
- Jul 1, 2003
- Permalink
I've become very aware of the fast talking in early films since a high school class saw a screwball comedy from the '30s and couldn't understand anything because the people were talking too fast. Wow.
Girl Missing from 1933 stars Glenda Farrell, Mary Brian, Lyle Talbot, Guy Kibbee, Ben Lyon, and Peggy Shannon.
Farrell and Brian play Kay and June, two chorus girls who have glommed onto a rich guy (KIbbee) and are leading him on, all the while living it up in Florida. He finally gets sick of June having a headache and takes off, leaving the women with a $700 hotel bill.
Fortunately, an old friend (Talbot) comes through and pays their bill. He also buys them tickets so they can go home. However, they miss the train and have to stay an extra night.
Then they find out that another golddigging chorus girl, Daisy (Peggy Shannon) newly married to a rich man, Henry Gibson (Lyon) has disappeared. Her new husband is offering a $25,000 reward for anyone who can find her. Kay decides they're staying put.
This film moves like lightning, with Glenda Farrell saying probably pages of dialogue in seconds. It seems from the story that Kay is the one trying to fix June up with a wealthy man. Farrell is only two years older and an attractive blond, so I did wonder why she wasn't looking to score herself.
Very much a Warners Brothers film, with the two women deftly solving the mystery of Daisy's disappearance and a murder besides. Always fun, always fast.
Girl Missing from 1933 stars Glenda Farrell, Mary Brian, Lyle Talbot, Guy Kibbee, Ben Lyon, and Peggy Shannon.
Farrell and Brian play Kay and June, two chorus girls who have glommed onto a rich guy (KIbbee) and are leading him on, all the while living it up in Florida. He finally gets sick of June having a headache and takes off, leaving the women with a $700 hotel bill.
Fortunately, an old friend (Talbot) comes through and pays their bill. He also buys them tickets so they can go home. However, they miss the train and have to stay an extra night.
Then they find out that another golddigging chorus girl, Daisy (Peggy Shannon) newly married to a rich man, Henry Gibson (Lyon) has disappeared. Her new husband is offering a $25,000 reward for anyone who can find her. Kay decides they're staying put.
This film moves like lightning, with Glenda Farrell saying probably pages of dialogue in seconds. It seems from the story that Kay is the one trying to fix June up with a wealthy man. Farrell is only two years older and an attractive blond, so I did wonder why she wasn't looking to score herself.
Very much a Warners Brothers film, with the two women deftly solving the mystery of Daisy's disappearance and a murder besides. Always fun, always fast.
- JohnHowardReid
- Dec 3, 2017
- Permalink
This film revolves around two chorus girls named Kay (Glenda Farrell) and June (Mary Brian), who are always looking for their next sugar daddy. Just as their latest benefactor leaves them high and dry, they hear about a former coworker who is marrying a well-to-do young man. When they run into the fortunate social climber, she gives them the high hat.
What begins as a comedy turns into a mystery when the new bride disappears and a corpse is found at the honeymoon hotel. The police are stymied, but the girls---motivated by a sizeable reward offer---set off to investigate.
Though Ms. Farrell has the more assertive role, I found Mary Brian to be a delight. The cast in general is strong. The fast-moving story never flags. A sequel featuring the detective work of the two women (and others from the cast) might have been a winner.
What begins as a comedy turns into a mystery when the new bride disappears and a corpse is found at the honeymoon hotel. The police are stymied, but the girls---motivated by a sizeable reward offer---set off to investigate.
Though Ms. Farrell has the more assertive role, I found Mary Brian to be a delight. The cast in general is strong. The fast-moving story never flags. A sequel featuring the detective work of the two women (and others from the cast) might have been a winner.
Girl Missing (1933)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Robert Florey directed this fast-paced Warner mystery about a couple chorus girls (Glenda Farrell, Mary Brian) who are ditched in Palm Springs after their sugar daddy (Guy Kibbee) leaves them there. They hear about a former friend who has snagged a millionaire (Ben Lyon) but after she goes missing on her honeymoon the girls decide to do their own investigating. GIRL MISSING certainly isn't going to be mistaken for a classic but there's no doubt that the cast is attractive and it all leads up to a pretty good ending. I think the best thing the film has going for it is the cast all of whom fit their roles quite nicely. Farrell and Brian are certainly the strong points as the two work perfectly well together and they know had to throw things back and forth and they really help keep the film moving. The two of them have some nice comic timing and there's no question that they take their parts and rise them a few notches. Lyon is also good in his role as the husband who might have something to hide and we also have Lyle Talbot playing a man who helps the girls out. Kibbee appears at the very start of the film in just a five-minute sequence but he's certainly memorable in the funny bit of a man who wants to "make love" for spending money on the ladies. The opening few scenes contain quite a bit of pre-code comedy aimed at money for sex, which is certainly fun when viewed today. The film has quite a few small issues including the fact that the comedy usually doesn't work. There are some supporting characters who are constantly arguing and this here never gets the laughs. There are also some minor bits with a dimwitted detective that really doesn't work either. With that said, fans of "B" mysteries should enjoy this one as it goes by at a quick pace and there's no doubt that the cast is attractive.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Robert Florey directed this fast-paced Warner mystery about a couple chorus girls (Glenda Farrell, Mary Brian) who are ditched in Palm Springs after their sugar daddy (Guy Kibbee) leaves them there. They hear about a former friend who has snagged a millionaire (Ben Lyon) but after she goes missing on her honeymoon the girls decide to do their own investigating. GIRL MISSING certainly isn't going to be mistaken for a classic but there's no doubt that the cast is attractive and it all leads up to a pretty good ending. I think the best thing the film has going for it is the cast all of whom fit their roles quite nicely. Farrell and Brian are certainly the strong points as the two work perfectly well together and they know had to throw things back and forth and they really help keep the film moving. The two of them have some nice comic timing and there's no question that they take their parts and rise them a few notches. Lyon is also good in his role as the husband who might have something to hide and we also have Lyle Talbot playing a man who helps the girls out. Kibbee appears at the very start of the film in just a five-minute sequence but he's certainly memorable in the funny bit of a man who wants to "make love" for spending money on the ladies. The opening few scenes contain quite a bit of pre-code comedy aimed at money for sex, which is certainly fun when viewed today. The film has quite a few small issues including the fact that the comedy usually doesn't work. There are some supporting characters who are constantly arguing and this here never gets the laughs. There are also some minor bits with a dimwitted detective that really doesn't work either. With that said, fans of "B" mysteries should enjoy this one as it goes by at a quick pace and there's no doubt that the cast is attractive.
- Michael_Elliott
- Mar 20, 2012
- Permalink
"Girl Missing" is a neat little B-movie which goes from being a comedy to a murder mystery about midway through the picture. It begins with Kay and June (Glenda Farrell and Mary Brian) at a hotel...and June is being pursued by a dirty old man (Guy Kibbee). While Kay and June are looking for a rich husband, this guy is just a creep who won't take no for an answer. Well, when June tells him no, he abandons them...sticking them with a hotel bill.
Now you probably will assume that the rest of the film will consists of the pair hooking husbands....and you'd be wrong! Instead, it becomes a murder mystery and the police are having a hard time putting the pieces together. So, like too many 1930s films, amateurs manage to piece it all together, as Kay and June want the reward money!
Overall, this is a fun and snappy B-movie...the type Warner Brothers did so very well during this era. The acting is very good and the writing, surprisingly, is very good as well. Well worth seeing and fun.
By the way, if you do watch note the opening titles....as they are very creatively done.
Now you probably will assume that the rest of the film will consists of the pair hooking husbands....and you'd be wrong! Instead, it becomes a murder mystery and the police are having a hard time putting the pieces together. So, like too many 1930s films, amateurs manage to piece it all together, as Kay and June want the reward money!
Overall, this is a fun and snappy B-movie...the type Warner Brothers did so very well during this era. The acting is very good and the writing, surprisingly, is very good as well. Well worth seeing and fun.
By the way, if you do watch note the opening titles....as they are very creatively done.
- planktonrules
- Jun 28, 2021
- Permalink
Two gold digging chorines think they can solve the mystery of a criminal's murder and a GIRL MISSING on her wedding night.
Fast-moving & fun, this is another example of the comedy crime picture that Warner Brothers was so expert at producing. Casts & plots could be shuffled endlessly, with very predictable results. While this assembly line approach created few classics, audience enjoyment could usually be assured.
Warners' wisecracking brassy blonde, Glenda Farrell, and pretty Mary Brian play the chorus girls stranded in Florida who must crack the homicide and kidnapping case in order to earn the sizable reward. They are both excellent in their roles, with sassy Farrell especially funny slinging her one-liners.
Ben Lyon plays the newlywed husband with much unexpected trouble on his hands. Lyle Talbot appears as a successful New York gigolo gone adventuring to Miami. Little Ferdinand Gottschalk is the eccentric parent of the purloined bride and wonderful character actor Guy Kibbee enlivens his few scenes as an old lecher desperate to get his hands on Miss Brian.
Movie mavens will recognize Louise Beavers as a maid & Walter Brennan as a garage attendant, both uncredited.
Fast-moving & fun, this is another example of the comedy crime picture that Warner Brothers was so expert at producing. Casts & plots could be shuffled endlessly, with very predictable results. While this assembly line approach created few classics, audience enjoyment could usually be assured.
Warners' wisecracking brassy blonde, Glenda Farrell, and pretty Mary Brian play the chorus girls stranded in Florida who must crack the homicide and kidnapping case in order to earn the sizable reward. They are both excellent in their roles, with sassy Farrell especially funny slinging her one-liners.
Ben Lyon plays the newlywed husband with much unexpected trouble on his hands. Lyle Talbot appears as a successful New York gigolo gone adventuring to Miami. Little Ferdinand Gottschalk is the eccentric parent of the purloined bride and wonderful character actor Guy Kibbee enlivens his few scenes as an old lecher desperate to get his hands on Miss Brian.
Movie mavens will recognize Louise Beavers as a maid & Walter Brennan as a garage attendant, both uncredited.
- Ron Oliver
- Aug 21, 2003
- Permalink
When Ben Lyon's bride is kidnapped from their Palm Beach hotel, stranded chorines Glenda Farrell and Mary Bryan find themselves mixed up as witnesses, suspects, and crime-crackers.
For a Warner Brothers quickie that clocks in at 69 minutes, this one has a surprisingly leisurely set-up, taking the first 25 minutes to paint the resort as populated by gold diggers, operators and rich marks. This is made possible by casting Miss Farrell, who could recite all of Hamlet in 27 minutes, but also the efficient story-telling at Warners in this period. It's not a topnotch script, but director Robert Florey keeps things humming along, with a few dutch angles and cheesecake shots to keep the intellectuals and lechers happy.
For a Warner Brothers quickie that clocks in at 69 minutes, this one has a surprisingly leisurely set-up, taking the first 25 minutes to paint the resort as populated by gold diggers, operators and rich marks. This is made possible by casting Miss Farrell, who could recite all of Hamlet in 27 minutes, but also the efficient story-telling at Warners in this period. It's not a topnotch script, but director Robert Florey keeps things humming along, with a few dutch angles and cheesecake shots to keep the intellectuals and lechers happy.
- gridoon2024
- Jan 20, 2012
- Permalink
Oh dear, this is disappointing. Glenda Farrell's boundless energy and enthusiasm is just about enough to make this unrealistic drivel watchable but you'll wonder why you bothered.
What's missing besides the girl is a plot that makes at least some sense. The writers' room must have been supplied with some pretty nasty bathtub gin for them to come up with this disjointed uneven nonsense. In theory a story like this should be fun and exciting but its direction is lacklustre and besides Glenda Farrell, the actors look like they'd rather be somewhere else.
Where's Joan Blondell? You might ask. She'd have livened this up and with an awake director it could have been a great film but we're stuck with silent film actress Mary Brian. She just isn't credible as a gold digger. Bland, humourless and dull yes - leading lady material, no.
That usually sweet and cuddly old Guy Kibbee is surprisingly pretty unpleasant in this. He's the sugar daddy looking after and forcing himself on the girls. "I want more than kisses." he tells Mary Brian. "Be in my bedroom in one hour or less" he instructs her. Viewed with 21st century eyes this seems disgraceful behaviour and it makes no sense that a couple of sassy streetwise girls would allow themselves to be treated like this. It is however 1933 - options for women were more than limited. Women were not independent - there were hardly any jobs for women back then - being single was not choice. As the song goes: every woman needs a man. Not only was this different times but it was at the height of the American Depression so those limited opportunities were virtually non existent. The Guy Kibbee character might have made their lives miserable but it was preferable to starving. Stupid stories like this probably didn't seem so stupid back then.
But despite being made when it was, despite it being made by 'the working man's studio' Warner Brothers, none of that context is really explored. Watching this will not enrich your life.
What's missing besides the girl is a plot that makes at least some sense. The writers' room must have been supplied with some pretty nasty bathtub gin for them to come up with this disjointed uneven nonsense. In theory a story like this should be fun and exciting but its direction is lacklustre and besides Glenda Farrell, the actors look like they'd rather be somewhere else.
Where's Joan Blondell? You might ask. She'd have livened this up and with an awake director it could have been a great film but we're stuck with silent film actress Mary Brian. She just isn't credible as a gold digger. Bland, humourless and dull yes - leading lady material, no.
That usually sweet and cuddly old Guy Kibbee is surprisingly pretty unpleasant in this. He's the sugar daddy looking after and forcing himself on the girls. "I want more than kisses." he tells Mary Brian. "Be in my bedroom in one hour or less" he instructs her. Viewed with 21st century eyes this seems disgraceful behaviour and it makes no sense that a couple of sassy streetwise girls would allow themselves to be treated like this. It is however 1933 - options for women were more than limited. Women were not independent - there were hardly any jobs for women back then - being single was not choice. As the song goes: every woman needs a man. Not only was this different times but it was at the height of the American Depression so those limited opportunities were virtually non existent. The Guy Kibbee character might have made their lives miserable but it was preferable to starving. Stupid stories like this probably didn't seem so stupid back then.
But despite being made when it was, despite it being made by 'the working man's studio' Warner Brothers, none of that context is really explored. Watching this will not enrich your life.
- 1930s_Time_Machine
- Dec 7, 2023
- Permalink
Instead of the usual two guys as sleuth and sidekick, Girl Missing features two gals, blonde Kay (Farrell) and brunette June (Brian). I guess shaking a leg in a chorus line sharpened their Sherlock skills. Add mystery girl, Daisy (Shannon) and you've got lots of 1930's eye-candy along with the styles and fashions. Seems Daisy mysteriously disappears on her wedding night to a wealthy man, Gibson (Lyon). Her secret is she's a gold digger, but what good will disappearing do since how then can she collect. Thus the mystery begins.
This is pre-Code Warner Bros., so how can you lose. Even programmers like this 69-minutes are full of snap and sass. As a brassy dame Farrell belongs up there with Blondell and Rogers. Here she's full of ideas and push, but cutie Brian gets the guys. Together there're a good team, causing me to wonder if WB had series in mind. There's also an unusual wind-up since there're two plausible solutions to the mystery, one implicating apparently nice guy and male lead, Gibson. And catch those rickety old flivvers rolling down the road. I'm surprised they ever held together. Also in passing, check out actress Shannon's bio in IMDb—it's on the tragic side, especially since she had the screen talent.
Anyway, the movie's an entertaining way to pass on hour, without being anything special.
This is pre-Code Warner Bros., so how can you lose. Even programmers like this 69-minutes are full of snap and sass. As a brassy dame Farrell belongs up there with Blondell and Rogers. Here she's full of ideas and push, but cutie Brian gets the guys. Together there're a good team, causing me to wonder if WB had series in mind. There's also an unusual wind-up since there're two plausible solutions to the mystery, one implicating apparently nice guy and male lead, Gibson. And catch those rickety old flivvers rolling down the road. I'm surprised they ever held together. Also in passing, check out actress Shannon's bio in IMDb—it's on the tragic side, especially since she had the screen talent.
Anyway, the movie's an entertaining way to pass on hour, without being anything special.
- dougdoepke
- Sep 28, 2016
- Permalink
- mark.waltz
- Sep 18, 2014
- Permalink
Kay Curtis (Glenda Farrell) and June Dale (Mary Brian) are showgirls living off a sugar daddy. June turns down his sexual advances and he abandons them. They have to pay for their $700 hotel bill and start fishing for their next mark. Former colleague Daisy Bradford, who is set to marry wealthy Henry Gibson, ignores them. He takes her to elope and reveals that he comes into his family fortune after their marriage. His new wife goes missing and the police finds a dead man. The gold-digging duo starts digging into the case.
As a comedy, I don't find this funny. I don't find the leads appealing and their antics are not actually funny. Maybe they could be funnier if they play dumb. They could be a funny pre-valley-girl duo. The movie takes a turn when it starts following Daisy's story. Any comedy is gone and it becomes a murder mystery. The girls become fast-talking Nancy Drews. Maybe if they start without the unappealing gold-digging, they would have more rooting interest.
As a comedy, I don't find this funny. I don't find the leads appealing and their antics are not actually funny. Maybe they could be funnier if they play dumb. They could be a funny pre-valley-girl duo. The movie takes a turn when it starts following Daisy's story. Any comedy is gone and it becomes a murder mystery. The girls become fast-talking Nancy Drews. Maybe if they start without the unappealing gold-digging, they would have more rooting interest.
- SnoopyStyle
- Jun 23, 2021
- Permalink