Girl Missing

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.

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.

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 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.

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.