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6.7/10
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Radio crime show host 'The Fox' along with his fiancée and ex-girlfriend are kidnapped by a larcenous cult who demand that he help them plan a perfect murder.Radio crime show host 'The Fox' along with his fiancée and ex-girlfriend are kidnapped by a larcenous cult who demand that he help them plan a perfect murder.Radio crime show host 'The Fox' along with his fiancée and ex-girlfriend are kidnapped by a larcenous cult who demand that he help them plan a perfect murder.
Rags Ragland
- Sylvester Conway
- (as 'Rags' Ragland)
Donald Douglas
- Gordon Thomas
- (as Don Douglas)
George M. Carleton
- Deputy Commissioner O'Neill
- (as George Carleton)
Dorothy Adams
- Mrs. Farrell
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsThe murder plan calls for Gordon Thomas to go to Kansas City to catch the same plane that intended victim Harvey Upshaw is taking to New York. When the plane to New York is shown taking off, however, the airport sign on the terminal (mirror image) says "Chicago Municipal Airport".
- ConnectionsFeatured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997)
Featured review
Skelton makes promising debut as star but flat one-liners don't help...
You have to be awfully patient to sit through a film with one-liners so flat and unfunny that you wonder what all the fuss was about when WHISTLING IN THE DARK opened to such an enthusiastic greeting from audiences in the 1940s.
On top of some weak one-liners and ordinary sight gags, the plot is as far-fetched as the tales The Fox (Red Skelton) tells his radio audience. You have to wonder why anyone would think he could come up with a real-life solution on how to commit the perfect crime and get away with it. But then, that's how unrealistic the comedy is.
But--if you're a true Red Skelton fan and enjoy a look back at how comedies were made in the '40s--you can at least enjoy the amiable cast supporting him. Ann Rutherford and Virginia Grey do nicely as his love interest and Conrad Veidt, as always, makes an interesting villain. One of his more amusing moments is his reaction to Skelton explaining the mysteries of wearing turbans. "I never knew that," he muses, impressed by a minor point that is cleverly introduced.
All in all, typical nonsense that requires you to accept the lack of credibility and just accept the gags as they are. Not always easy for a discriminating viewer as many of them simply fall flat, the way many comedies of this era do because the novelty of the sight gags and one-liners has simply worn off.
On top of some weak one-liners and ordinary sight gags, the plot is as far-fetched as the tales The Fox (Red Skelton) tells his radio audience. You have to wonder why anyone would think he could come up with a real-life solution on how to commit the perfect crime and get away with it. But then, that's how unrealistic the comedy is.
But--if you're a true Red Skelton fan and enjoy a look back at how comedies were made in the '40s--you can at least enjoy the amiable cast supporting him. Ann Rutherford and Virginia Grey do nicely as his love interest and Conrad Veidt, as always, makes an interesting villain. One of his more amusing moments is his reaction to Skelton explaining the mysteries of wearing turbans. "I never knew that," he muses, impressed by a minor point that is cleverly introduced.
All in all, typical nonsense that requires you to accept the lack of credibility and just accept the gags as they are. Not always easy for a discriminating viewer as many of them simply fall flat, the way many comedies of this era do because the novelty of the sight gags and one-liners has simply worn off.
helpful•107
- Doylenf
- Oct 22, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Visslingen i mörkret
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 18 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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