mark.waltz
Delightfully witty, deceptive, clever and tricky, this murder mystery comedy farce gets going from the start. Detectives Frank Craven and William Demarest gave their hands full from the beginning with the sudden murder of a well known society matron, family scandal and more murders to follow. With Craven and Demarest close on their trails, the wacky team of Evelyn Keyes and Allyn Joslyn stay one step ahead of them, crushing every theory and breaking down every suspect as they outwit both the guilty and the law. It's pretty much Joslyn's show all the way, his street smarts mixing with his sophistication, although Nick Charles he ain't. Anita Louise, Ann Savage and Lynn Merrick are the other blondes, and there ain't a lady among them. Edmund Lowe, John Hubbard and Michael Duane are the more masculine of the supporting cast, and as it's determined who the guilty party is, you'll be both laughing and glued to your seat. It's one of the more well written B murder mystery comedies, lavishly filmed like an A picture, but giving character actors and second leads the chance to show what they can do in a supporting role.
dougdoepke
A lively cast and kinetic pacing keep this otherwise routine little mystery worth watching. It's one of those amateur sleuth films with bumbling cops that were popular at the time, and which the later TV cop series Dragnet (1951-1959) did so much to try to correct. Still, the comedic undertone of the movie is pretty effective, thanks mainly to Demarest, Joslyn, and especially the perky Keyes. The mystery itself is not very involving since the suspects get little screen time or character development. It's just sort of a hat rack to hang the various hijinks on.The world's slowest elevator is a funny little touch along with its Spanish-American War operator. And for old movie buffs there's a brief appearance by cult figure Ann Savage (Erika), known mainly for her savage role in the cheapo classic Detour (1945). For wartime audiences, I'll bet the movie was a great bit of escape, and for digital era viewers, it still holds a measure of fun if you're not expecting too much.
whpratt1
Greatly enjoyed this mystery, comedy classic from 1943 starring Allyn Joslyn,(Barry Craig),"I Wake Up Screaming" and Evelyn Keyes,(Jane Craig),"Gone With the Wind". These two actors team up as a husband and wife detectives who try to solve a murder and seem to go around in complete circles through out the entire picture. This is really a comedy with plenty of 1943 jokes and laughter; there is an elevator operator who takes a year and a day to reach each floor and tells his complete life's history before you even reach the main lobby. Evelyn Keys was very young at the age of 27 and had not too long ago completed her appearance in "Gone With The Wind" 1939, where is gave an outstanding performance. Allyn Joslyn gave a great performance as a hen pecked detective who had a wife follow him every where he decided to go. Nice Classic Film and very entertaining.
Neil Doyle
In the era of double features, DANGEROUS BLONDES most probably served as a pleasant second banana with a B-film budget from Columbia Studios, and a cast that included EVELYN KEYES, ALLYN JOSLYN, JOHN HUBBARD, EDMUND LOWE, ANITA LOUISE with WILLIAM DEMAREST and FRANK CRAVEN as detectives.It's a fast-paced comedy/mystery with the most unlikely turning out to be the killer but with very little character depth to make solving the puzzle a sensible thing to do. Instead, just sit back and enjoy the shenanigans of minor sleuths Keyes and Joslyn in a Nick and Nora mode as they plunge into discovering what's going on at a fashion studio where a murder takes place.Naturally, it takes lots of effort on their part and plenty of dangerous situations before they straighten the whole thing out with the cooperation of detective Craven and his sidekick, William Demarest.It's fun to watch pert EVELYN KEYES and ALLYN JOSLYN as her husband given some amusing situations in a tidy little mystery with the accent on comedy.
AD
