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Dressed to Kill

  • 1941
  • Approved
  • 1h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Mary Beth Hughes and Lloyd Nolan in Dressed to Kill (1941)
Film NoirCrimeDramaMystery

Detective Michael Shayne and his girlfriend Joanne are on their way to be married when a scream from a nearby hotel room draws his attention to a pair of theatrical murders.Detective Michael Shayne and his girlfriend Joanne are on their way to be married when a scream from a nearby hotel room draws his attention to a pair of theatrical murders.Detective Michael Shayne and his girlfriend Joanne are on their way to be married when a scream from a nearby hotel room draws his attention to a pair of theatrical murders.

  • Director
    • Eugene Forde
  • Writers
    • Stanley Rauh
    • Manning O'Connor
    • Richard Burke
  • Stars
    • Lloyd Nolan
    • Mary Beth Hughes
    • Sheila Ryan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Eugene Forde
    • Writers
      • Stanley Rauh
      • Manning O'Connor
      • Richard Burke
    • Stars
      • Lloyd Nolan
      • Mary Beth Hughes
      • Sheila Ryan
    • 24User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos51

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    Top cast35

    Edit
    Lloyd Nolan
    Lloyd Nolan
    • Michael Shayne
    Mary Beth Hughes
    Mary Beth Hughes
    • Joanne La Marr
    Sheila Ryan
    Sheila Ryan
    • Connie Earle
    William Demarest
    William Demarest
    • Inspector Pierson
    Ben Carter
    Ben Carter
    • Sam
    Virginia Brissac
    Virginia Brissac
    • Lynne Evans, alias Emily the Maid
    Erwin Kalser
    Erwin Kalser
    • Carlo Ralph, alias Otto Kuhn
    Henry Daniell
    Henry Daniell
    • Julian Davis
    • (as Henry Daniel)
    Dick Rich
    Dick Rich
    • Al -Police Detective
    Milton Parsons
    Milton Parsons
    • Max Allaron
    Charles Arnt
    Charles Arnt
    • Hal Brennon
    Charles Trowbridge
    Charles Trowbridge
    • David Earle
    Hamilton MacFadden
    Hamilton MacFadden
    • Reporter
    May Beatty
    May Beatty
    • Phyllis Lathrop
    Charles C. Wilson
    Charles C. Wilson
    • Editor
    • (as Charles Wilson)
    Mantan Moreland
    Mantan Moreland
    • Rusty
    • (as Manton Moreland)
    Robert Strange
    Robert Strange
    • Joe's Assistant
    • (scenes deleted)
    William 'Billy' Benedict
    William 'Billy' Benedict
    • Telegram Boy
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Eugene Forde
    • Writers
      • Stanley Rauh
      • Manning O'Connor
      • Richard Burke
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews24

    6.41.2K
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    Featured reviews

    7utgard14

    "I'm a private investigator -- reasonable rates, service guaranteed."

    The third Michael Shayne film Lloyd Nolan made for Fox. This one has hard-boiled detective Shayne (Lloyd Nolan) set to marry his sweetheart (Mary Beth Hughes) but a double homicide in a theatre draws his attention away. Nolan is great in this role. He was made for delivering the snappy dialogue that was the best part of the Michael Shayne films. Mary Beth Hughes is very cute but doesn't get much to do here. She appeared in two other Shayne movies, playing a different character in each one. Nice supporting cast includes William Demarest, Henry Daniell, and pretty Sheila Ryan. Demarest is especially fun. Mantan Moreland and Ben Carter also provide some comic relief. It's a good B detective picture helped by healthy doses of comedy. I also liked the moments of weirdness such as when Shayne first discovers the murder victims in their bizarre costumes. It's a good way to pass the time if you like detective stories.
    7jjnxn-1

    The stork that brought you should have been arrested for dope peddling!

    Economical B movie that has a snappy pace and some terrific lines. Among the best "The stork that brought you should have been arrested for dope peddling!" Lloyd Nolan is perfect in the lead, attractive but believably an everyday guy that you'd run into as a private detective. Always a reliable supporting player whether cast as a heavy or a hero he gets a chance to hold down the star spot in this. One of the great things about the old lower budget films was the opportunities it presented for the quality secondary actors in A level productions to play parts with a bit more variety. William Demarest and Henry Daniell play their stock characters but as always extremely well and add zing to the picture. Something that probably came and went without much fanfare at its release this is a snappy little pic that will please most viewers.
    6JohnSeal

    Terrific 'B' mystery

    Dressed to Kill is one of the most enjoyable 'B' movies I've ever seen. Lloyd Nolan is terrific as Michael Shayne, detective, and his supporting cast is superb to say the least. William Demarest is the best hapless police inspector this side of James Gleason, a youthful Henry Daniell plays a stuck up prig to perfection, Milton Parsons is a bad baddie, and we even get small turns from Mantan Moreland and Billy Benedict. The story is reasonably well written, fast paced, and a lot of fun.
    dougdoepke

    Average Whodunit

    Despite some notable features, this programmer fails to rise above standard detective shows of the time. Nonetheless, the opening scene is a hoot, as a double-breasted Shayne (Nolan) gets harassed by an aggressive clothing salesman. In fact, Nolan's the best thing about the film. His fast-talking brash personality holds a center of attention. I'm just sorry we don't see more of Mary Beth Hughes whose brassy personality is a perfect foil for her meandering fiancée, Shayne. Then there're two exotics from the period—creepy Milton Parsons (Max) in a beard no less, plus snooty Henry Daniell (Julian) getting sympathetic treatment for a change.

    That initial murder scene remains a grabber. The dog's head plopped onto one of the corpses is like nothing I've seen and shows real imagination. The trouble, for me at least, is that the whodunit part never really gels, despite clever touches with the murder weapon. At the same time, the pacing is uneven, better suited at times to character study than to plot. There's also the standard dumb cop humor, plus Mantan Moreland doing his familiar bug-eyed comedic bit.

    All in all, it's an unexceptional entry, mainly for fans of Nolan, myself included.
    7Irene212

    IMDb gets it right; the movie's credits are wrong

    I sat bolt upright at the end of this movie because it looked as if there was a serious error in the credits. No, I thought, I must be wrong. But I'm not. The movie's streaming on Netflix, so you can see for yourself: 20th Century Fox reversed the names of the two African-American actors who provide some of the brightest points in this bright little movie.

    They often entertained as a team, and in this movie Mantan Moreland and Ben Carter play two theater janitors who first appear doing a sweet backstage dance sequence with their brooms while Mary Beth Hughes (too little of her in this movie) sings on-stage but off-screen. I loved it that the filmmakers ignored the girl singer for the greater talents of these two hoofers. Their characters are called Rusty and Sam, with the bigger part going to Rusty, who is played by Moreland, the more famous of the two. But in the final credits, the names are reversed with the roles, crediting Ben Carter as Rusty. Inexcusable. I doubt it ever happened to the Marx Brothers, or even the Ritz Brothers.

    Yet IMDb has it right in its Cast and Crew listing. I find that impressive.

    The movie's impressive, too-- a B movie with a ridiculously complicated plot with a lot of theatrics, quick-witted dialog, and sure-footed performances by Lloyd Nolan, William Demarest, Henry Daniell, Moreland and Carter, and Mary Beth Hughes-- of whom, as I said, there was far too little screen time. Far too little of her in movies in general, in fact.

    More like this

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    6.5
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    Related interests

    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Film Noir
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This is one of seven B budget Michael Shayne movies 20th Century-Fox produced in the 1940s. The same character had previously been featured in several novels and a weekly radio program, and would be made into a TV series in the 1950s.
    • Goofs
      When Mike enters the dining room to look for clues, the dead woman blinks. Her eye can just be seen through the candle holder when she blinks.
    • Quotes

      [Mike is a customer at a men's clothing store]

      Smiley Joe Bishop: It fits you like a glove!

      Michael Shayne: It should fit me like a suit.

    • Crazy credits
      Mantan Moreland plays Rusty but is credited as playing Sam. Ben Carter plays Sam but is credited with playing Rusty. M.B. Hughes plays a character called JoAnne, but Michael keeps calling her "Joan" and "Joanie".
    • Connections
      Followed by Blue, White and Perfect (1942)
    • Soundtracks
      I've Got You All to Myself
      Written by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin

      Sung by Sheila Ryan

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    FAQ14

    • How long is Dressed to Kill?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 8, 1941 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El crimen del teatro
    • Filming locations
      • 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 14m(74 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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