Rating: 3/5
Criterion Challenge 2023 | 15/52 | Early Women Filmmakers
Jane Merrick, a beloved radio personality, goes on a vacation. Or rather, she goes into hiding for reasons she can’t tell anyone.
Her boss, who wants to marry her, keeps poking around, but she won’t let anyone know what she is up to. He hires a detective to figure out what’s happening. The detective suggests an outside investigator.
Through a series of coincidences, someone shoots and kills Jane and the police accuse a woman named Barbara of the murder. Witnesses say she was on the scene and holding the gun.
Jerry Beal, a crime reporter with a crush, does some detective work to prove Barbara’s innocence. He learns everything except why Barbara was there.
Surrealist visions, twins, prank marriages, and many misdirection takes us on a delightful journey.
Dorothy Davenport, a rare female director during the Pre-Code era, plays with the traditional detective storyline. She blends humor and melodrama with classic exploitation tropes to arrive at an ending where the leading man wasn’t necessary after all.
The movie is cheap, and the pacing leaves something to be desired. The actors are game, and the story is wild. I had a fun time!