The Gracie Allen Murder Case

When I first heard there was a murder mystery starring Gracie Allen I was very excited, both because I love old comedy-mysteries and because I love Gracie. I assumed this was something created in Hollywood, and was surprised to learn the creator of Philo Vance actually wrote a book featuring Gracie Allen.

Without Gracie Allen this would be a pretty forgettable movie with a bland detective, so it's good that Gracie is never off screen for more than about a minute. She is a constant, very funny presence, referring to Philo as Fido and insisting she knows a song only to turn it into a medley of songs that it is not.

George Burns always said that the success of Burns and Allen had far more to do with Allen than Burns, and this movie suggests he was right. Certainly Burns was a much better straight man than anyone Allen meets in the film, but Gracie doesn't really need much to work with; she's just really funny, and the script is full of wonderfully daffy lines.

It's a shame though, that there was never a Burns and Allen mystery, because Burns would have made a much better detective than the guy playing Philo Vance. Oddly enough, I've read that Burns is in the book in the character of the perfume guy, but suggested that character be excised from the movie. Don't know why.

Anyway, if you're a fan of Gracie this is prime Gracie. She's the only thing that makes this movie worth watching, but she makes it very worth watching indeed.

Warren William makes the second of his two appearances as S.S. Van Dine's detective Philo Vance in this picture. But actor William and detective Vance both have a lot of trouble making sure people remembered they were in The Gracie Allen Murder Case.

Even without George Burns to pace their routine Gracie Allen does well enough on her own in this film where she seemingly hinders more than she helps William solve the murder of an escaped convict. Seemingly stood up at a society bash Jed Prouty pairs off young Kent Taylor with his niece Gracie. Inadvertently Taylor gives Gracie a clue to the murder that he doesn't yet know about but of whom he is neatly being slipped into a nice frame.

Of course Gracie's non sequitur babbling almost lands Taylor in Sing Sing's prize chair and then she almost implicates Vance in her own special la-de-da way.

Although William seems to be taking this all in stride he's barely keeping up with Gracie in the title role. Both Donald MacBride as DA Markham and William Demarest as Sergeant Heath both known for their slow burns are given ample provocation by Gracie.

It's Gracie's picture and if you've never seen her before this film will make you a fan even if it's without George Burns.

Everyone dislikes this picture. Especially George Burns, who had the good sense not to appear in it. (His part was re-written to accommodate Kent Taylor). Gracie, of course, was stuck. Her good friend, S.S. Van Dine, had written the novel just for her. So who else could play the title role? ZaSu Pitts? Billie Burke? Perhaps Alice Brady might have given it a twirl had she not gone all serious in In Old Chicago.

Well, actually, on approaching the movie a second time, I found it not so bad after all. Not riotously funny, mind, but tolerably entertaining at worst and quite enjoyable at best. The climax is even reasonably suspenseful.

Production values generally come well up to the mark. The support cast is great. Warren William (who played Vance in 1934's Dragon Murder Case) makes a delightful straight man, Ellen Drew impresses as the heroine, H.B. Warner has a grand time as the lawyer, and it's hard to ignore Jerome Cowan as the slimy Mirche.

Aside from its over-extended, hands-on fade-out, Green's direction has enough pace to overcome most of Gracie's flat-footed business and dialogue. And although we are blinded by an outpouring of light every time the camera focuses on the said Miss Allen, photographer Charles Lang does manage more than a few pleasingly atmospheric effects.

This film's been getting trashed pretty hard, which is a shame because it's actually a lot of fun and Gracie Allen shines in it. OK, so it's not the most complicated mystery, but it does have some suspenseful moments, especially the climax which gives new meaning to cigarettes being hazardous to your health. The film's real charms come from Gracie Allen, whose scatterbrained antics generate a lot of laughs. Warren William is also perfect reprising his role of Philo Vance (Fido, to Gracie) and hilariously playing straight man to Mrs. George Burns.

I'd advise anyone who panned this film to give it another chance. You may be surprised.

The Gracie Allen Murder Case starts out as a delightfully silly parody with plenty of Allen's trademark nonsensical quips. By about 45 minutes in you want so badly to slap her into silence it almost ruins the movie. Justifiably (thank god), so do her costars who basically tell her to shut up. In a 30 minute radio show she gets away with it, but in a feature film she eventually becomes as unwelcome as any obnoxious character does. Sorry to say... The supporting players are all well suited to the script, which is well written except for the overabundance of Gracie's big mouth. I don't know what sort of reviews it got upon release, but mine is 3 out of 10, and that's being generous.