What's more exciting than a big, glittery, 1930s revue? A revue with murder! 1934's Murder at the Vanities combines big production, fabulous stage numbers with the backstage menace of a serial killer. They truly are some fabulous numbers and the murder mystery is interesting but the best part of this movie is the rapport between Victor McLaglen's police lieutenant and the theatre press agent (and temporary director) played by Jack Oakie.
Murdock (McLaglen) was expecting Ellery (Oakie) to save seats for him and his girl at the new show but Ellery failed to deliver. "Just try and ask me for a favour!" says Murdock and, wouldn't know it? A dame, a private detective, no less, turns up dead in the rafters.
The drama here revolves around the the wardrobe woman (Jessie Ralph), who's secretly the mother of the show's star, Eric Lander (Carl Brisson), and also secretly a former European opera star of thirty years ago. An opera star who may already be guilty of one murder back in her home country.
No-one's sure the girl's been murdered yet so Ellery calls the police. And who shows up?
ELLERY: Ah, old Croc Head. So it's you.
MURDOCK: Yeah, me.
ELLERY: I sent to the police station and look what I get. I thought this was your night off.
MURDOCK: So it is. But I'll do anything to do an old pal a favour. Especially after all the trouble you went through for those tickets.
ELLERY: Oh, now, listen--
MURDOCK: Oh, you can't square yourself! What are we here for? Somebody disturbing your peace?
ELLERY: Not mine, somebody else's.
MURDOCK: Uh-huh.
ELLERY: Seems somebody around here's dropping sandbags on a leading lady's dome. Trying to cut her up with broken glass.
MURDOCK: Hey, boy. Go back to your bootleg. This legal stuff ain't agreeing with you.
ELLERY: Listen, Mallet Head, we got comedians in this show, they get paid to be funny.
MURDOCK: Hey, what do you want me to do? Make a pinch for, for . . .
Several scantily clad chorus girls walk by
ELLERY: Judas H. Priest, thirty thousand cops in New York, I gotta pick out a big. flat-footed Romeo like you. Why don't you take your lamps off those dames and do a little police work, huh?
MURDOCK: This is police work. Them babies look like they got clues or somethin'.
ELLERY: Oh, be serious, will you, Bill? Somebody around here's committing merry mayhem, maybe murder, why don't you kind of peep around a little, huh?
MURDOCK: Sure, I'll peek around. Now there's a baby over there that looks suspicious! And oughta be followed!
ELLERY: Don't get too close to her, she'll mistake you for King Kong!
King Kong came out the previous year so that's some timely humour.
The film's romantic leads, including Kitty Carlisle, are kind of dull but the musical numbers are great thanks to those same pre-Code chorus girls Murdock was making eyes at. The movie's maybe best known now for the song about marijuana. The movie came out a few years before marijuana was made illegal throughout the U.S. It's not a bad song but there's a much better performance from Duke Ellington later in the film. However, by far, the best number is a desert island set up where the sea is simulated by great big feather fans in the hands of chorus girls.
There's no clip on YouTube (and I don't have time to get one myself) and screenshots just don't cut it. So I highly recommend checking the movie out yourself. It's on The Criterion Channel on the pre-Code playlist.
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