Review of Genius at Work

The main attraction in this slight comedy is Lionel Atwill as maniacal criminologist Latimer Marsh who resorts to murder and Bela Lugosi as his sinister assistant with the last name of Stone. Wally Brown and Alan Carney play two producers named Jerry Miles and Mike Strager who collaborate with their writer Ellen Trent (Anne Jeffreys). Jerry and Mike are two incredibly dumb radio broadcasters who become real detectives, and drive police lieutenant Rick Campbell (Marc Cramer) up the wall. One of the uncredited cast members is Robert Clarke (THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON) who had been under contract with RKO at the time. Bela Lugosi had also starred with Wally Brown and Alan Carney in ZOMBIES ON BROADWAY (1945); RKO tried to turn Brown and Carney into their own answer to Abbott and Costello. There's a climatic scene of Jerry Miles hanging onto a flagpole on the side of the office building and Mike Strager hollering "Jerry, speak to me", kind of like Bud trying to check on Lou. Loads of fun for one and all.