User Reviews

Murder in the Blue Room was a personal favorite of it's star, Anne Gwynne. Anne told me herself that she thought the picture 'was snappy' and 'really moved along'. I couldn't agree more! Yes, kind of odd that a Universal Pictures mystery-thriller would be laced with Boogie Woogie tunes, but, surprisingly, the numbers tie in well with the plot and are not overdrawn. Probably the best tune is the novelty number "Boogie Woogie Boogie Man", sung by the girl group to captive butler Ian Wolfe! Anne's song, "One Starry Night," dubbed by vocalist Martha Tilton, is also a very good tune. Without giving away the plot, there is an interesting twist, all wrapped up in a seaside ghost-mansion setting. Very atmospheric scenes include the interrupted party scene wherein the ghost makes an appearance at the piano, the appearance of ghoulish-costumed Larry Dearden at the costume party, and the climactic gun play in the caves underneath the mansion. Made by any other studio with other actors,this film would not have been half as good, and unfortunately the movie is rarely seen today. A great example of classic '40's Universal.

" Murder in the Blue Room " (1944) is a very enjoyable musical/who- done it starring the gorgeous Anne Gwynne. This film is virtually impossible to find these days. I have only seen it once, and that was back in the early 70's. It left an impression on me and I would love to see this film again! Thrills and chills and musical dance numbers all packed into one hour. Short , but sweet. As much as I enjoyed this film, unfortunately I only remember bits and pieces of it. It involves a secret bedroom (blue) where a man was murdered 20 years earlier, as well as a shootout inside the caves below the seaside mansion where the film takes place. It is rare for a movie so vaguely remembered, to have such an impact on a first time viewer such as myself. I hope to one day come across this little slice of cinematic joy to add to my collection. I HAVE FOUND THIS FILM ON YOUTUBE. I HAD THE PLEASURE OF SEEING IT IN ITS ENTIRETY LAST YEAR!!! IT IS WORTH A LOOK, ESPECIALLY FOR OLDER MOVIE BUFFS.

1944's "Murder in the Blue Room" was the second and last of Universal's two remakes of 1933's "Secret of the Blue Room," following 1938's "The Missing Guest." Using basically the same backstory as in "Guest," this version dispenses with the obnoxious reporter (remember Scoop?), substituting lighthearted comedy laced with four musical numbers, one mimed by Anne Gwynne, and the others sang by The Three Jazzybelles, last minute replacements for the absent Ritz Brothers (who never again starred in any more features). The setting is once again a seaside mansion just reopening after two decades, starring lovely Anne Gwynne as the hostess (replacing Constance Moore), and John Litel as her stepfather. Bill Williams plays the William Lundigan role of Larry Dearden, who learns of the 20 year old unsolved murder in the forbidding blue room, and insists on spending the night there, only to disappear before morning, the window left wide open above the raging sea. On the following evening, newshound Steve Randall (Donald Cook, nowhere near as intrusive as Paul Kelly) decides to sleep in the same salon, only for the dead body of Larry Dearden to mysteriously turn up in the bed, with no trace of Steve! Many familiar faces abound, such as Regis Toomey, Emmett Vogan, Victoria Horne, and Milton Parsons, whose chauffeur character is referred to as both Dracula and Frankenstein during the proceedings. As for the Jazzybelles, this was the only time they ever worked together, but all three were formerly part of vaudeville sibling acts. June Preisser, the short blonde, was a former MGM rival to Judy Garland, displaying her remarkable contortions in one incredible scene, next to brunette Grace McDonald, who played the female lead in Abbott and Costello's "It Ain't Hay" and Olsen and Johnson's "See My Lawyer" (both saw their screen careers end by the late 40's). Leading the way with all the best wisecracks is the tall blonde Betty Kean, half of a sister act with Jane Kean (THE HONEYMOONERS), who plays the part scripted for Harry Ritz (and becomes the first to meet up with a real ghost, not found in the other versions). Her career continued right up until her death in 1986, but this may have been her one shining Hollywood moment. Those familiar with "The Missing Guest" will already note one major change in the scenario, but this is clearly superior to its 1938 predecessor (though neither can hold a candle to the 1933 original, with its atmospheric Germanic castle and superb sets). Neither remake was part of television's SHOCK! package of 1957, but all three turned up with regularity on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater- "Murder in the Blue Room" aired Feb 15 1975 (following 1969's "Journey to the Far Side of the Sun" and 1936's "The Invisible Ray") and Oct 12 1976 (following 1960's "First Spaceship on Venus"), not seen on TV since 1988.

Universal remakes Secret of the Blue Room again, this time as a musical comedy. It's got a good cast, including Anne Gwynne, Regis Toomey, John Litel, Milton Parsons, Donald Cook, and Ian Wolfe. The likable comedy dance team The Three Jazzybelles (Grace McDonald, Betty Kean, and June Preisser) steal the picture. It's one of those movies that seems like it was made by committee. One guy said "Let's do a murder mystery." Another said "Let's do a comedy." And then another said "No, it must be a musical!" The result is this uneven but surprisingly enjoyable concoction. It's a good-looking picture with some fairly impressive special effects and a nice amount of shadowy atmosphere. If you go into it knowing what it is, I think you'll take more kindly to the musical comedy elements. But if you go into it expecting a thriller or something, you'll probably be pretty disappointed.

A party is thrown at a haunted house where a man was murdered in the "blue room" 20 years earlier. The room has not been opened since. That night, Larry (Bill Williams) spends the night there. In the morning, he has disappeared. The following night, Steve (Donald Cook) stays the night there with a similar outcome. On the 3rd night, it is the turn of the Jazzy Belles.....can they solve the mystery...?...

This is a quick paced mystery with musical numbers courtesy of the Jazzy Belles. They sing and dance for 2 numbers and have a 3rd dance routine, all of which are good and performed in an Andrews Sisters swing style. A 3rd song is sung by the party host Anne Gwynne and is dubbed by Martha Tilton - that's why it sounds so good! The mystery keeps you guessing and the film is played as a comedy ...... and there's a ghost....!

Murder in the Blue Room (1944)

** (out of 4)

Forgotten Universal "old dark house" film is the second remake of their very own Secret of the Blue Room. People start disappearing within a strange room that has a history of death. If you've seen the earlier film then you can pretty much follow this one each step of the way knowing what's going to happen at each and every turn. The biggest difference here is that there are many musical numbers, which are pretty dumb but some nice laughs are scattered throughout. This was originally a vehicle for The Ritz Brothers.

A party is held in a house that has been closed since a mysterious death occurred in one of the bedrooms known as "the Blue Room". Believing he might be able to solve the mystery, one of the guests asks to spend the night in the very same fateful room. The next morning, it's discovered he's disappeared. Has the Blue Room claimed its next victim?

To say I'm disappointed in Murder in the Blue Room would be an understatement. Going in, the film had so much going for it. The old, dark house setting, mysterious deaths, secret passages, and maybe even a ghost. All the trappings are there for a good movie. And don't misunderstand my rating, there are bits here and there that I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, what Murder in the Blue Room doesn't have is a good script. To begin with, the mystery parts of the film are way too easy to solve. The movie all but announces the murderer's identity from the very beginning. Second, the only thing more obvious than the mystery is the comedy. I don't mind comedy mixed with my old, dark house movie, but only if it's good comedy. Most of what is meant to be funny here comes from a trio of wannabe Andrews Sisters. The jokes are so hamfisted in their delivery that you can spot them from a mile away. This kind of comedy just doesn't work for me.

Finaly, there's one other thing that really got under my skin while watching Murder in the Blue Room that I want to mention - that ghost. What was the point? It wasn't frightening, it wasn't funny, and it had no bearing on the mystery. Why add it to the movie at all? Despite all of the other issues I had with the film, I might have seen fit to rate Murder in the Blue Room higher had that ridiculous ghost not been included.

4/10

Quite an entertaining little gem. The Jazzy Belles are hilariously delightful. Humor and Mystery abound. The cast of characters are all great. If you're looking for some light entertainment I recommend this movie.

Yet another of those amateur sleuth movies so popular in the 30s and 40s, the difference here being our detectives are a comic female song and dance trio. Entertaining enough for about the first two thirds, but eventually the novelty wears thin and it's just a lot of skulking through secret passages. We are treated to some fun, if not particularly memorable musical numbers. Don't go out of your way for this one.

According to IMDB, the Ritz Brothers were supposed to make this film but for some reason or another, Universal substituted the lady comedy team, the JazzyBelles in their place. I have no idea why, but this was a welcome change not only because this odd team do a better job but because the Ritz Brothers were LESS funny than Ebola! I have seen quite a few of their films and always find them boorish and unfunny....and really, really obnoxious.

The story begins in a haunted house during a storm. The blue room in the title refers to a seemingly cursed room in this creepy joint. According to legend, when folks stay the night in the room, they die! Can the heroes and heroines get to the bottom of this mystery?

This movie is a remake of the 1930s film "Secret of the Blue Room" but with a comedic and musical bent. The JazzyBelles provide both the humor and do some absolutely amazing dance routines...which are pretty weird considering it's about a haunted house and murders!

The bottom line is that the film is very entertaining in a brainless sort of way. In other words, it's worth seeing but don't think too much or the silliness of it might just make your brain explode! Fun and quite unique. Sadly, however, the JazzyBelles never took off and soon faded into obscurity.

Boogie woogie, singing, dancing, and murder! Is it comedy or drama? Who cares?! Mindless but still fun... I've seen worse A list high budget films!

Nobody made films like Universal Studios in the 1940s! They had a great stable of contract players, costumes by Vera West, and set designs that just scream of that decade! This film is a wonderful example of it all!

In an old mansion there is a mysterious bedroom, "the blue room," where a man died 20 years earlier,and now, anyone who spends the night in the room disappears!

Grace McDonald, Betty Kean, and June Preisser, as The 3 Jazzy-Belles, steal the show with their comic antics, jive dance routines and songs (Boogie Woogie Boogie Man is a highlight). Their roles originally were to be played by The Ritz Brothers! Thankfully (no offense to Ritz Bros. fans), that did not occur.

A fantastic murder-mystery-comedy-musical-combination that is truly fun! This film is a remake of two previous Universal movies THE SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM, and THE MISSING GUEST.

A ritzy party celebrates a dusty old mansion's reopening. A ghost bursts in and scares everybody, but it's just a guest in a costume having a little joke. There's dancing and singing and we meet the usual characters:

Anne Gwynn, whose father died mysteriously in the house's "blue room" 20 years ago, at which time the place was shut up; mystery writer Donald Cook, who has been invited to the party to look into the legend of the blue room; and John Litel, who is Gwynn's stepfather and the house's current owner.

We also meet the Three Jazzybelles, a singing trio who've been hired to entertain and find it difficult to leave.

The plot is familiar but entertaining. One bold guest announces that he's sleeping in the blue room in order to disprove the ghost stories...and then in the morning, he's disappeared. Police detective Regis Toomey is called in and the rest of the picture is Toomey asking everybody questions, Cook and Gwynn doing their own investigating, and the Jazzybelles rummaging around the house looking for clues while also singing a couple of cute songs.

The music and plenty of silly dialog keep things light. The house full of dark shadows and secret passages is not all that scary but there are a couple of suspenseful moments. Cook and Gwynn are fine leads although we never get to know them particularly well. The rest of the cast is pretty predictable, I suppose, but deliver laughs as expected. Nothing too original or exciting but it is lots of fun.

The house is said to be haunted because of the murder in the Blue Room. To prove it nonsense, a guest decides to sleep in it.... and disappears.

This Universal mystery/comedy/thriller looks like it may have been bought for Abbott & Costello. Later, the comedy stylings were set for the Ritz Brothers, but something happened, so Grace MacDonald, Betty Kean and June Preissler were given some songs, some dances and the comedy gags. Under the direction of Leslie Goodwins, they do just fine, amidst a cast that includes Donald Cook, John Litel, Regis Toomey, and the comic/sinister butler played by Ian Wolfe.

Besides the guests disappearing from the Blue Room, there is a piano that plays Beethoven without a player and Robert Cherry as a ghost who wants directions to the graveyard. It moves along at a good clip, blithely bouncing across genres in a script that is the first screen credit for future Billy Wilder collaborator, I.A.L. Diamond.

Nothing special here but Anne Gwynne if you like her. It's your standard comedy-horror of the 1940s. Musical numbers, lame comedy, a big old house and a ghost. Good clean fun.

4/10

This starts off quite spookily with a masked man draped in a sheet welcoming the guests to an haunted mansion for a good old game of mysterious "Cleudo". Of course he doesn't know that at the start of the evening, but given we have loads of people and an old rickety building, it's a bit of a "dead" cert, eh? Writer "Steve" (Donald Cook) who specialises in mysteries is charged with investigating the rumoured haunting of this house's long-sealed Blue Room by the ghost of the father of their host "Nan" (Anne Gwynne). When one of their number decides to sleep in that room, and then goes missing, "Steve" and "Anne" have to race police "Insp. McDonald" (Regis Toomey) to get to the bottom of things. Now to the drawback. The singing. Yes, there are two or three little numbers thrown in as the annoyingly jolly "Jazzybelles" do a bit of musical sleuthing of their own delivering some lyrics that would make "cat, sat and mat" sound like Ivor Novello award winning stuff. Overlook those interludes, though, and it's actually quite a fun, throwaway, mystery that presents a competent cast and you'll probably enjoy it for an hour though never remember it afterwards.

This is a very hard-to-find 'old house film'....but SEE IT if you get a chance! The plot synopsis was given earlier, but i'd like to give my personal comments on it.

At first, the "Andrews Sisters clones" get on your nerves, but you grow to like 'em after a bit! Anne Gwynn is lovely, as always....

It's kind of a mish-mosh of musical, mystery, drama, but it WORKS!

See it if u can! MOST enjoyable!

Some thirty plus years ago I watched this fun movie on television and I have been hoping to see this movie again. Not only was this a mystery movie but they had some good music in it, and it was a comedy as well. I wish this movie was put on DVD so that people like me could purchase it and enjoy whenever we could. This movies is great to see on a cold rainy night or a wintery snowy night with a big bowl of popcorn. I've been telling my family and friends about this movie but none of them remember it or say they have not seen it, so I wish I could share this movie with them. I know they too would enjoy watching this. What are the chances of this movie coming out on DVD?

This is one of the movies that set the standard for movies today. This movie was by far Hollywood at it's best. A classic movie that will make you laugh out loud and surprise you at the end. This movie also reflects acting in its most simple and effect tone.

Leslie is a director many enjoyed in the following years in many TV series like: Charlie Chan, F Troop, Gilligans Island, Maverick and too many more to comment on.

Those who haven't had the pleasure of seeing Murder in the Blue Room and you have enjoyed Leslie's TV series, this movie is a must see for all of you. It is almost impossible to find on VHS (never been released on DVD) and very few television stations have heard of it so you can't request it from them...so if you do happen to run across it keep it and enjoy!!!