Whistling in the Dark

... because he makes all of the difference in the outcome and in the delivery. Ernest Truex as the mystery writer kidnapped by gangsters to come up with the perfect murder is just not funny, and furthermore there is nothing about him that makes me believe that his sweetheart, played by feisty Una Merkel would be interested in him romantically. His milquetoast demeanor, his nondescript delivery, it all just makes me think of MGM cartoon character Droopy who somehow always gets the girl. What carries this thing is Una Merkel, probably one of the most underrated actresses of all time, the rather ingenious story even if it does have a couple of rather ridiculous plot devices, and the best cast of gangsters ever assembled by MGM, a studio that was normally not known for its gangster films. Edward Arnold as the head gangster is perfection - here is a guy who can play tough bad guys or tough good guys effectively, also underrated and unfairly forgotten by film history.

It's a shame Skelton wasn't ten years older or Merkel wasn't ten years younger, because in the remake, they would have made a dynamite couple and made the 1941 version so funny and effective it could have given those in delicate health a coronary. This version is mildly recommended for the plot and the supporting players.