This "B" screwball comedy from RKO seems to take itself way too seriously, believing that gags can only be funnier if you expand them. It also seems to be two different movies, starting off as battle of the sexes between lovers (and rival reporters) Ann Sothern and Gene Raymond and moving into a murder mystery where the culprits are pretty obvious once they are introduced into the movie half way through. The opening is pretty promising, with Raymond a screwy reporter who invites a panhandler out for drinks with Sothern then makes the poor man he is a part of some death trap. Of course, it's a bit of a running gag, so when the poor tramp keeps showing up, the laughs return, but it's just another indication that the writers found their script too amusing without regards for subtly or tact.
Sothern is a total wildcat, tearing into her boss for plotting to keep her from marrying Raymond, as well as the four dumb lugs sent to basically kidnap her. When they find her in the shower, they send in a woman instead, and this poor unseen character ends up in the hospital, while a scratching and biting Sothern lets her rampage continue on the truly idiotic stooges of her boss (Gordon Oliver). Sothern then instantly changes her tune for a soft spoken worker at the newspaper whom she basically kills with kindness after he gives her news on Raymond's whereabouts. As fast as this plot seems to wrap up, both Raymond and Sothern are thrown into a murder which comes out of nowhere, and a certain character actor (always cast as a villain) is obviously the top suspect from the start. This leads to an unsurprising finale and the ultimate conclusion that while recycling sets from Astaire/Rogers films, what the producers and creators forgot was to get a story that really worked.
Sothern is a total wildcat, tearing into her boss for plotting to keep her from marrying Raymond, as well as the four dumb lugs sent to basically kidnap her. When they find her in the shower, they send in a woman instead, and this poor unseen character ends up in the hospital, while a scratching and biting Sothern lets her rampage continue on the truly idiotic stooges of her boss (Gordon Oliver). Sothern then instantly changes her tune for a soft spoken worker at the newspaper whom she basically kills with kindness after he gives her news on Raymond's whereabouts. As fast as this plot seems to wrap up, both Raymond and Sothern are thrown into a murder which comes out of nowhere, and a certain character actor (always cast as a villain) is obviously the top suspect from the start. This leads to an unsurprising finale and the ultimate conclusion that while recycling sets from Astaire/Rogers films, what the producers and creators forgot was to get a story that really worked.