JohnHowardReid
Despite its come-on title, this movie does not add up to one thrilling picture. The main problem lies in the very amateurish script by Joseph Hoffman who presumably dusted off something from his early attempts at screen writing before he left Fox in 1941 and ended up at Monogram in 1942. Anyway, whenever it was written is not the point. The sad fact is that it's packed with some of the most feeble wisecracks it has ever been my misfortune to come across. Director William Beaudine is no help either – except for one scene in a movie theater which is not even a quarter as bad as the rest of this movie-to-avoid! Producer A.W. Hackel's movies were so lacking in entertainment values that from 1934 through 1936, he often declined to take a credit. Re-issue title: Horace Takes Over.
MartinHafer
"One Thrilling Night" is a likable film that is anything but a good picture! Yes, it's cheap, the characters are all total morons and the plot dopey...yet it's will oddly enjoyable.The film begins when Horace (John Beal) and Millie (Wanda McKay*) arriving in the big city for their honeymoon. Soon, they find someone in their bed and he appears dead. When they call for the house detective, however, the guy disappears! In fact throughout the film, the body of this gangster appears and disappears. And a group of incredibly stupid crooks think Horace is the man they knocked out. The cops get involved...and they are stupid as well. Well, now that I think about it, EVERYONE is incredibly dumb in this film and the filmmakers really overdo this. Yet, oddly, despite the dopiness of everyone and the situation, the film is strangely enjoyable in a brain-dead sort of way. A silly time-passer.*FYI--While McKay never went on to become a top actress, she did become Mrs. Hoagy Carmichael and remained married to him many years until his death.
mark.waltz
War draftee John Beal and his bride Wanda McKay check into a New York hotel for one quick night of marital bliss before he heads off to fight the Japanese but end up with so much more thanks to an alleged corpse Beal finds in their bed. This results in an adventure as they deal with kidnappers, idiotic house detectives (Warren Hymer once again) and a night in the Big Apple they'll never forget. Comedy, intrigue, action and brilliant character bits make this tons of fun, as put together by the quick filming William Beaudine, "King of the One Take".Among the amusing sequences are the couple's winning the big prize in a movie theater raffle while they are trying to remain hidden from the villains (very obviously present), Beal's come-on by their moll Barbara Pepper (the original "Mrs. Ziffel") and McKay's sudden heroic attack on the villains. You can see many future similar plots in this, particularly in the two higher budgeted plots of the "Fuller Brush" movies. Future film noir heavy Tom Neal ("Detour") is prominently featured as the main villain.
ergot29
Monogram combined it's standard lowbrow crime/action with comedy for this film, which is a bit weak on the comedy side. It has it's moments, but you can't help but think the situation is ridiculous. A newlywed couple with only a day before the husband is shipped off to service in WWII chooses to travel instead of doing what a newlywed, presumably virgin couple with only a day would actually do. There is a subtext of lustful desire being thwarted, but it is obviously muted due to the era.Through no fault of their own they get mixed up with gangsters who have been in their hotel room trying to kill enemies. Mix-ups with a missing body, police ineptitude and misidentification of the groom as gangster kingpin keeps this running for most of the film. This might have worked better with a cast and director who could pull it off, but it falls a bit flat here, though not entirely.It has classic elements of 1930s screwball comedy, though a little late for Monogram in 1942 to begin cutting their chops. It's fun as a period piece, but far from great cinema.
AD
