A comedy with Ann Savage, W. Gargan, L. Gorcey, Don Beddoe, Zucco—a heterogeneous cast, small but choice, with each's style played freely, the director's input being to allow each to play ad _libitum, yet this was the twilight of a style, as in the hyperbole of the wax museum, by which the movie symbolizes jokingly its own nature, a show about the events of an evening in the life of a museum owner and his employee, two reporters, several cops and two gangsters, these last added symbolically to the museum (yet another age is also heralded in this comedy about gangsters and reporters), the structure of an ordinary but effective comedy, its main strength the speed; the policeman is clueless, but the gangster seems tough enough, and the reporter relies on his friend's having a gun. The owner of the joint could of shown a behavior a bit more dignified. Zucco is threatening and austere, good at what he does, and genuinely creepy, as others call him; Beddoe tries to manage a zany situation, but isn't ridiculous. Each of these: Gorcey, Beddoe, Zucco, even Gargan (as his leads are also typecast), were character actors. The actress' role serves well her undisputed talent. Her character is the only one who hasn't been summoned, tipped, like her rival or the copper, but steps into a scoop. The finding of a corpse, a gangster's corpse, is naturally kindred to the wax museum. The professional competitors, reporters and copper, didn't track a gangster, but his corpse. He lived in a hotel next to the museum, but none, save for his killers, recognized him alive.
Also, there's no over the top silliness, from the two really humorous characters, the owner and his employee, only the 1st displays a silly scare, and even this is understandable, and it's not given much time.
Some characters are changed by this evening: the employee gets the chance to play in a real gangster action (though he lately falls asleep, missing his main scene), the reporters' careers are boosted, a gangster is liquidated and his killer is caught; intrepidity is rewarded (the reporters), zaniness, to some degree (L. Gorcey in a justly praised role, the kid as grownup), _cluelessness (the copper, Beddoe, who as a matter of fact didn't get a fair chance to be more useful) and apathy (the joint's owner), not. Watchable for its cast, watchable for the comedy.
Also, there's no over the top silliness, from the two really humorous characters, the owner and his employee, only the 1st displays a silly scare, and even this is understandable, and it's not given much time.
Some characters are changed by this evening: the employee gets the chance to play in a real gangster action (though he lately falls asleep, missing his main scene), the reporters' careers are boosted, a gangster is liquidated and his killer is caught; intrepidity is rewarded (the reporters), zaniness, to some degree (L. Gorcey in a justly praised role, the kid as grownup), _cluelessness (the copper, Beddoe, who as a matter of fact didn't get a fair chance to be more useful) and apathy (the joint's owner), not. Watchable for its cast, watchable for the comedy.