Forty Naughty Girls

RKO Radio Pictures released Forty Naughty Girls during 1937 to capitalize on Showgirls of 1934. Unfortunately, the script does not afford the actors nor director much opportunity and the result is perfunctory and at times pedestrian.

James Gleason is Homicide Inspector Oscar Piper out with girlfriend Hildegard Withers played by Zasu Pitts, at a Broadway performance of Forty Naughty Girls, produced by Ricky Rickman. Murders commence shortly after the play opening. Oscar and Hildegard move from the audience to backstage investigations.

Quickly we learn that publicist Edward "Windy" Bennett is having an affair with leading lady Rita Marlowe played by Joan Woodbury, who has just become engaged to producer Rickman. Also, Windy Bennett is extorting money from playwright Tommy Washburn. And, then Windy Bennett is found dead, shot in the back of the head.

Subsequently, Washburn is shot and killed. Rita Marlowe is the initial suspect and then the evidence points to a stagehand who happens to be her father.

Since this film has a running time of only 63 minutes, action propels the plot and there are numerous twists and turns. However, none move you to the edge of your seat. Director Eddie Cline must have had a tight shooting schedule because this is a proverbial race to the finish line. While casually amusing the story suffers from numerous shortcomings especially character development. Also, the humor barely rises above simple.

Marjorie Lord as showgirl and singer June Preston is adequate which is dictated by the script.

This was never intended to be anything more than a second feature and that is all it will ever be. Nothing bad, nothing great.

FORTY NAUGHTY GIRLS (RKO Radio, 1937) directed by Edward Cline, marks the sixth and final installment involving Stuart Palmer based characters of Hildegarde Withers and Inspector Piper that began with PENGUIN POOR MURDER (1932) starring Edna May Oliver and James Gleason. With James Gleason heading the cast and the only one to play the same character throughout the entire series, this edition marks the second the co-star the miscast ZaSu Pitts playing Miss Withers. As much as this could have been called "Murder at the Show," its chosen theatrical title is actually the name of the play where both Piper and Withers are part of the audience only to find their evening spoiled when a murder takes place backstage.

Set in New York City's Broadway district, the sold-out box office success of "Forty Naughty Girls" is going on its twelfth week with motion picture rights being considered. The plot development revolves around Edward C. "Windy" Bennett (Eddie Marr), a press agent in love with its leading lady, Rita Marlowe (Joan Woodbury), but happens to be engaged to the show's producer, Ricky Rickman (Alan Edwards). During the performance, Windy makes a pass on June Preston (Marjorie Lord), one of the entertainers, but is socked down by Bert (George Shelley) in her defense. Later, June returns to her dressing room to discover Windy dead. Oscar Piper (James Gleason) of the Homicide Squad, and Hildegarde Withers (ZaSu Pitts), his date for the evening, are called to investigate. As Piper goes through his usual channels of investigation with Casey (Tom Kennedy), another member of the police force, Hildegarde goes through her own methods smelling chorus girls to locate the fragrance that matches the victim's handkerchief. With Tommy Washburn (Aden Chase) shot during a skit believed to be part of the act, Piper is more baffled about the gun used for the skit was not the one used for the killing. Other members of the cast include Frank M Thomas, Barbara Pepper and Edward LeSaint. Songs heard during the show are "Forty Naughty Girls" and "What a Thrill."

Though the story starts off well, it fails to deliver into a classic murder tale. Often considered as the weakest of the entire series, it's amazing the series went this far after the departure of Edna May Oliver. What might have helped this, and Pitt's series debut of THE PLOT THICKENS (1936) was in having Pitts playing Hildegarde's sister (let's call her Withergarde) rather than recasting the original character. This way it would be Piper investigating with another character as opposed to those familiar with the series to not comparing Oliver's superior performance to Pitt's dithering downplay. Clocked at its short 62 minutes, with the majority of the story being more Piper than Withers which helped somewhat but much of the overly familiar comedic overtones offered little or no humor to the proceedings.

Never distributed on video cassette, FORTY NAUGHTY GIRLS and others in the series did have cable television broadcasts over the years as American Movie Classics (prior to 1999) and later Turner Classic Movies. (**)

I watch these because the 30's was a period of experimentation with narrative form, from which we invented a few new things. What remains is a Burgess Shale deposit of narrative models that for some reason were left behind. One of the more interesting of these is this model. You've likely seen it a dozen times in detective stories from this era.

A homicide detective just happens to be at a play. A murder occurs, then another as the investigation is underway but the play goes on. Required elements include: a doofus; a prop gun apparently used in a real murder during the play; a space under the stage; love affairs, betrayal and blackmail.

Optional but highly desirable is some reference to authorship; here it is the disclosure that the play we see is purloined, as of course it is. At one point our woman detective looks at the audience and remarks on the play within the play, and the joke is that she does it in the play within the play within the play.

By this time the Hildegard Withers franchise was completely worn out. There's scant humor and what we have are recycled jokes. One example: while investigating in the space under the stage, Zasu hooks her dress on a coat of armor. These always must have been carefully placed on a wheeled platform because they always follow their hapless target around comically.

This would be the last of the Hildegard films. And viewers would soon say goodbye to the play-murder form, designed in part to give us a few songs to fill in for the usually thin plot. But this play, stage, murder business would stick as something to reference instead of use directly. "The Illusionist" used it in the story within the story within the story, (complete with stage basement) in order to fool the respective audiences about a murder.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Schoolmarm Hildegarde Withers (Zasu Pitts) and her friend Inspector Oscar Piper (James Gleason) go out for a night on Broadway. Naturally, no evening on the town can take place without murder, not when Hildegarde and the Inspector are around. This entry in the series is played more broadly for laughs than its predecessors but not much more than typical for the B-level crime movies of the day. The problem here, from my perspective, is that Zasu Pitts's character is so different from the great Edna May Oliver's that only the name appears to be the same. Edna May's Hildegard Withers was a feisty old girl who basically ran the Inspector's case for him despite his grousing. Zasu plays her standard ditz and the movie suffers for it. It's hard to imagine the Inspector putting up with her; moreover, some of the slapstick seems forced. On the other hand, this entry is saved by a very clever plot with plenty of false leads and twists. The film might have played better as a straight mystery rather than mystery/comedy. By the way, the lovely Marjorie Lord gets an early turn here as a singer/hoofer type.

EDNA MAY OLIVER is the missing ingredient in this feeble murder mystery with JAMES GLEASON as Inspector Piper attending a theater with his friend ZASU PITTS (as Hildegarde Withers), but soon in charge of investigating a double murder.

This backstage comedy/mystery tries to follow the pattern of other such mysteries featuring Gleason and Edna May Oliver, but fails to register strongly enough in either the laugh department or the serious stuff.

It has the feel of a low-budget programmer shot in ten days with no chance for character development or original plotting. Even revelation of the murderer is handled in such a low-key way that any viewer will be half asleep before the solution even occurs.

Not recommended for fans of this series.