Pleasant comedy mystery starring legendary character actor Guy Kibbee as a country detective who helps out two annoying lovebirds tangled up in a jewel theft plot followed by a murder. I love Guy Kibbee (who doesn't?) but this just didn't fly. That's sad because the parts are there but the whole thing just never quite clicks. It would be easy to blame it all on Republic or even on the inferior quality of the available prints but I can't. The problem is it's just such a bland effort and the whole thing rests entirely on Kibbee's shoulders. Frankly, some actors are just better suited to supporting roles and he's one of them. That may sound harsh but, to quote his character from this film: "If the truth's insulting, I can't help it." The two actors playing the young couple, Tom Brown and Lucie Kaye, don't help matters much. They're often spouting lines that should be funny or cute but just comes across as whiny and petulant. I kinda wanted Brown's character to be guilty. He annoyed me that much.
Review of Jim Hanvey, Detective
