Murder in the Blue Room

Universal remakes Secret of the Blue Room again, this time as a musical comedy. It's got a good cast, including Anne Gwynne, Regis Toomey, John Litel, Milton Parsons, Donald Cook, and Ian Wolfe. The likable comedy dance team The Three Jazzybelles (Grace McDonald, Betty Kean, and June Preisser) steal the picture. It's one of those movies that seems like it was made by committee. One guy said "Let's do a murder mystery." Another said "Let's do a comedy." And then another said "No, it must be a musical!" The result is this uneven but surprisingly enjoyable concoction. It's a good-looking picture with some fairly impressive special effects and a nice amount of shadowy atmosphere. If you go into it knowing what it is, I think you'll take more kindly to the musical comedy elements. But if you go into it expecting a thriller or something, you'll probably be pretty disappointed.

A ritzy party celebrates a dusty old mansion's reopening. A ghost bursts in and scares everybody, but it's just a guest in a costume having a little joke. There's dancing and singing and we meet the usual characters:

Anne Gwynn, whose father died mysteriously in the house's "blue room" 20 years ago, at which time the place was shut up; mystery writer Donald Cook, who has been invited to the party to look into the legend of the blue room; and John Litel, who is Gwynn's stepfather and the house's current owner.

We also meet the Three Jazzybelles, a singing trio who've been hired to entertain and find it difficult to leave.

The plot is familiar but entertaining. One bold guest announces that he's sleeping in the blue room in order to disprove the ghost stories...and then in the morning, he's disappeared. Police detective Regis Toomey is called in and the rest of the picture is Toomey asking everybody questions, Cook and Gwynn doing their own investigating, and the Jazzybelles rummaging around the house looking for clues while also singing a couple of cute songs.

The music and plenty of silly dialog keep things light. The house full of dark shadows and secret passages is not all that scary but there are a couple of suspenseful moments. Cook and Gwynn are fine leads although we never get to know them particularly well. The rest of the cast is pretty predictable, I suppose, but deliver laughs as expected. Nothing too original or exciting but it is lots of fun.

Nobody made films like Universal Studios in the 1940s! They had a great stable of contract players, costumes by Vera West, and set designs that just scream of that decade! This film is a wonderful example of it all!

In an old mansion there is a mysterious bedroom, "the blue room," where a man died 20 years earlier,and now, anyone who spends the night in the room disappears!

Grace McDonald, Betty Kean, and June Preisser, as The 3 Jazzy-Belles, steal the show with their comic antics, jive dance routines and songs (Boogie Woogie Boogie Man is a highlight). Their roles originally were to be played by The Ritz Brothers! Thankfully (no offense to Ritz Bros. fans), that did not occur.

A fantastic murder-mystery-comedy-musical-combination that is truly fun! This film is a remake of two previous Universal movies THE SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM, and THE MISSING GUEST.

" Murder in the Blue Room " (1944) is a very enjoyable musical/who- done it starring the gorgeous Anne Gwynne. This film is virtually impossible to find these days. I have only seen it once, and that was back in the early 70's. It left an impression on me and I would love to see this film again! Thrills and chills and musical dance numbers all packed into one hour. Short , but sweet. As much as I enjoyed this film, unfortunately I only remember bits and pieces of it. It involves a secret bedroom (blue) where a man was murdered 20 years earlier, as well as a shootout inside the caves below the seaside mansion where the film takes place. It is rare for a movie so vaguely remembered, to have such an impact on a first time viewer such as myself. I hope to one day come across this little slice of cinematic joy to add to my collection. I HAVE FOUND THIS FILM ON YOUTUBE. I HAD THE PLEASURE OF SEEING IT IN ITS ENTIRETY LAST YEAR!!! IT IS WORTH A LOOK, ESPECIALLY FOR OLDER MOVIE BUFFS.

A party is thrown at a haunted house where a man was murdered in the "blue room" 20 years earlier. The room has not been opened since. That night, Larry (Bill Williams) spends the night there. In the morning, he has disappeared. The following night, Steve (Donald Cook) stays the night there with a similar outcome. On the 3rd night, it is the turn of the Jazzy Belles.....can they solve the mystery...?...

This is a quick paced mystery with musical numbers courtesy of the Jazzy Belles. They sing and dance for 2 numbers and have a 3rd dance routine, all of which are good and performed in an Andrews Sisters swing style. A 3rd song is sung by the party host Anne Gwynne and is dubbed by Martha Tilton - that's why it sounds so good! The mystery keeps you guessing and the film is played as a comedy ...... and there's a ghost....!