Slightly Honorable

this is one of those pleasant surprises that makes buying cheap films you've never heard of before so much fun. the first thing that came to mind as this film unreeled was how much fun the dialogue was. this is the blue collar version of the thin man. what it lacks in dry humor and sly irony, from nick and nora, is made up for in sheer fun. ruth terry is terrific as pat o'brien's wannabe girl. her energy is almost manic, and o'brien plays off it perfectly as the straight man to her ditzy rambles. the rest of the cast doesn't let you down either. arnold, arden and broderick crawford play their parts without flaw. the mystery, per se, is pretty average; realizing that you must wonder why more 'average' plots don't fall into the hands of talented directors, writers and cast and go on to be really good films. my only sorrow is in the DVD i have, the alpha video version #alp4644d. if you can find another print, get it. the visuals are OK, at least i have seen much worse, but the sound track is dreadful. about half of the film i couldn't understand, and i still loved it.

Frank Presnell's first of three crime novels, "Send Another Coffin", is the basis for this film, completed the year following publication of the original, featuring flinty Ohio attorney John Webb (Pat O'Brien) with his wife Ann (Ruth Terry), the duo patterned somewhat upon Dashiell Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles, although Webb is less suave than Nick and more eager to stir political pots. A corrupt state politician, Vincent Cushing (Edward Arnold), is the principal target for Webb's reforming urge, and when Cushing's mistress Alma (Claire Dodd), erstwhile flame of Webb, is murdered, nearly all of the major characters seem to have a motive, including Webb, who faces most of the heat from the homicide investigation although he perceives himself to be "slightly honorable" when compared with those about him. The work includes a strong comedic element along with its murder mystery and socially conscious themes. Vivacious Terry, with her patented energy and spirit, steals the film in what she states is her favourite role, a part for which she is promised by producer Walter Wanger and director Tay Garnett that the former night club singer/dancer will be spotlighted in a musical specialty number, and that she is, one that is perfectly woven into the screenplay, this while under personal contract to Howard Hughes who loans her to Wanger for this production. A cardinal pleasure inherent with film reviewing is discovery of works that have not received an amount of recognition that they deserve, and that is the case in this instance, for it is a piece that includes among its attributes sparkling dialogue, skillful acting and, especially, that mastery of narrative pace and rhythm that marks the best efforts from Garnett who here cunningly blends details for his established mise-en-scène within the script, as is his custom. Even without his foremost mannequin, Marlene Dietrich, Travis Banton's gowns are noteworthy and there is a strikingly illustrative score from Werner Janssen.

The overriding story of the film - the murder of a well-known party girl (Claire Dodd) whose body is discovered by crusading attorney John Webb (Pat O'Brien) who also happens to be a former boyfriend - and things don't look good for our hero who is instantly murder suspect number one. Furthermore Webb is trying to get the goods on graft king Vincent Cushing (Edward Arnold). Webb thinks Cushing did the murder and set him up to take the fall, and thus spends the rest of the movie trying to clear his name. The movie is well-paced and everything is moving along in an interesting fashion when every few minutes - like interference on a radio channel - in pops Ruth Terry's character and her incessant yammering. She has her eye set on Webb from the moment she sees him although she says she's 18 and he looks old enough to be her father. She lies about her background, so why couldn't she be lying about her age? If Webb were smarter he'd be equally as worried about getting involved in a statutory rape rap as he is murder. What girl of 18 gets dressed up in a revealing gown, goes to a party full of known hoods, and then is shocked when one puts the moves on her? Or doesn't have the sense to NOT take her dress off in front of a grown man when she's alone in his apartment? She's either 13 or she doesn't have all of her marbles.

I waste so much time on Terry's character here because it distracts from what could have been a very good film. I took off two stars just for the annoyance factor alone. Other than that - and its a big "that" - the film is a great noir with an interesting twist at the end. Robert Osborne said that director Tay Garnett became ill during filming and Walter Wanger had to finish the film out himself with Garnett very upset at the end result. I can only guess that Mr. Garnett's objections were the same as mine.

SLIGHTLY HONORABLE (United Artists, 1939/40), a Walter Wanger Presentation, directed by Tay Garnett, might sound like a domestic drama about a troubled marriage of infidility, but is actually a mystery-comedy based upon the novel, "Send Another Coffin" by P.G. Presnell. Starring Pat O'Brien, on loan-out assignment from Warner Brothers Studio, it offers him a rare opportunity to perform on screen sporting a mustache, but being no threat to actor, Clark Gable. With mystery-comedies quite popular during the 1930s, SLIGHTLY HONORABLE is no different, with the exception as to how the mystery gets solved.

Opening Title: "Eight thousand miles to the southland lies a tiny island paradise - far from greed, the graft and the corruption that harass our modern civilization --- but that's 8000 miles away!" The story begins with visuals of radio announcers followed by a car sliding off a curvy road leading to the death of Clarence Buckman, corrupt highway commissioner who has fallen victim to the accident. Pallbearers at his funeral are John Webb (Pat O'Brien), lawyer; Russel Sampson (Broderick Crawford), his assistant; and Vincent Cushing (Edward Arnold), described as "the evil head of the state's political machine." During the course of the story, John meets Ann Seymour (Ruth Terry), a nightclub singer who happens to be 18 years (and two months!). A feisty yet gabby individual, she gets into a rumble with the owner, Pete Gordenia (Bernard Nedell) to a point of having her dress torn with John coming to her defense. After taking her to his apartment, John soon offers her $100 for a new dress before sending her home. Alma Brehmer (Claire Dodd), John's old flame with a jealous ex- husband, George Taylor (Douglass Dumbrille), is found murdered at her Fenner Apartment penthouse with a dagger in her back. A series of similar killings involving daggers soon take place. With John attempting to clear his name from being the prime suspect, he ends up finding out more than he bargained for during his investigation, especially with flying daggers with threatening notes in his office, and near arrests from Commissioner Joyce (Alan Dinehart), Inspector Fromm (Addison Richards) and Captain Graves (Cliff Clark), who believe John's the guilty party.

Others seen in the cast include: Phyllis Brooks (Sarilla Cushing, the daughter); Janet Beecher (Mrs. Cushing, wife and mother); Eve Arden (Miss Ater, Webb's wisecracking secretary); Ernest Truex (P. Hemmingway Collins, secretary of the Citizen's Better Government League); Evelyn Keyes (Miss Vilissigen); Willie Best (Art, the elevator operator); John Sheehan (Mike Daley, the drunk), among others. Edward Arnold, who gave a memorable supporting performance as a corrupt politician in both Frank Capra's MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (Columbia, 1939) and MEET JOHN DOE (Warner Brothers, 1941), resumes a similar character here as a corrupt newspaper publisher with political connections, but isn't on screen long enough for an actor whose name comes second billed in the casting credits. Standout performances goes to Broderick Crawford, breaking away from dopey characters enacted early in his career, and Eve Arden, being a welcome screen presence (as always). Evelyn Keyes has little to do in a rare comedic role as a daffy secretary. Ruth Terry, playing a gabby showgirl, could be annoying at times, yet she's far from being shy nor modest when it comes to undressing herself in front of a man (O'Brien) she hardly knows,with the lawyer being "embarrassed" through the proceedings more than once.

An agreeable mixture of comedy and mystery that's not as well known as some other films of this nature. After years of being shown on late night commercial television dating back to the 1950s, SLIGHTLY HONORABLE later became a public domain title that was frequently broadcast on public television and available on video cassette in the 1980s (and decades later on DVD), usually in shorter 75 minute edition. It wasn't until Turner Classic Movies aired a restored and complete 86 minute clearer picture edition of SLIGHTLY HONORABLE (TCM premiere: December 9, 2011), that the movie got to be shown uncut for the first time in years. In complete form, SLIGHTLY HONORABLE moves swiftly enough to become satisfactory entertainment for those who may find the movie sightly funny, slightly mysterious or slightly honorable. (**1/2 daggers)

Fast talking lawyer Pat O'Brien sets out to do a job—on the level, but only for the money, it seems. The "job" is fighting the highway monopoly controlled by smooth talking crime boss Edward Arnold. Broderick Crawford is O'Brien's law partner and pal; they set out to take down Arnold and his empire.

Sounds like a solid drama, but…soon silly girl singer Ruth Terry is telling O'Brien "I like you" at a party. He half-heartedly discourages her enthusiastic advances on him, and he doesn't quite believe that she's eighteen years and two months old, as she says; however, she persists in chasing him around for the rest of the movie, wearing down his resistance and distracting him from the real plot—

A woman is murdered and the few clues point toward O'Brien. Who really did the murder, and why is O'Brien being framed? –There's the mystery O'Brien has to sort out, with assistance (and frequent interference) from partner Crawford, from the kid singer Terry, and from the cops—who may be Arnold's stooges.

Bizarre humorous touches distract somewhat from the mystery plot; for example, the scene in which all of the suspects remove their shoes to be examined for blood stains, and Edward Arnold has an embarrassing hole in the toe of his sock. Terry and O'Brien giggle madly…even though the corpse is still lying in the next room. It just doesn't quite fit.

I would have liked to see more of three other women characters: Claire Dodd as an early victim (intimate friends with more than one suspect), Eve Arden as O'Brien's secretary (smart and ready), and Phyllis Brooks as Arnold's daughter (conscience crying out as she learns about her father). All are very good in too small roles.

We do get plenty of Ruth Terry…who is actually very good herself, except that hers and O'Brien's relationship never really convinces, the chemistry never really gels. Unfortunately for her, she comes across as rather annoying.

One truly chilling moment involves a discovery at a desk—a shock that is totally unexpected and perfectly executed.

Otherwise, the plot is passable, the cast a bunch of pros, the dialog zippy—and the romance and humor a little oddball. Fun—just a little unsteady.