Whistling in the Dark

Directed By: S. Sylvan Simon
Written By: Robert MacGunigle, Harry Clork and Albert Mannheimer
Starring: Red Skelton, Conrad Veidt and Ann Rutherford

MY RATING: B +

A great way to mix comedy with mystery!

Whistling in the Dark begins by introducing us to members of the Silver Haven cult group.  Their mission is to con rich people out of their money.  One woman in particular has left her inheritance to the Silver Haven but they can only receive it once her living heir dies.  Leader Joseph Jones (Conrad Veidt) decides to have the woman's heir murdered to speed up the process.  Who better to enlist  than a popular radio crime solver named Wally Benton a.k.a. "The Fox" (Red Skelton)?  Jones kidnaps him to have him devise a murder plot and for extra insurance he also kidnaps The Fox's fiance and friend.  Now Wally (Skelton) has to figure out how to escape and save everyone involved. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this classic!  It certainly was more of a comedy but I can see why Red Skelton was one of the comedic geniuses of his time.  I laughed out loud many times and it's hard for jokes to grow with the times.  Red Skelton delivered some hilarious lines though!  Also Conrad Veidt was perfect as the creepy, vindictive cult leader.  There's a line in the movie where Joseph Jones tells "The Fox," "Remember you only have to kill one person to save three." Perfect!  That sums up the stress thrust upon Red Skelton's character and the tension that builds throughout the movie.  Not to worry, there's plenty of comic relief. 
I also loved the integration of the radio programming with the story.  I'm always fascinated with how radio shows were the only form of entertainment back then and this film definitely gave a window into that world.
The set for the Silver Haven mansion wrapped the story up in the cold, haunting background it needed. 
As a classic this one definitely holds up!  I thought it was resolved a little too easily but that tends to be the case for a lot of films of it's time.  They only had an hour and 18 minutes to tell a story, not the 2 plus hours used today. 
But overall less can be more.  Whistling in the Dark ... very entertaining!

I'd say definitely check this one out!