Poor Uncle Joe has died and disappeared after a family picnic and in order to collect his insurance, the family at least needs to come up with a body without being made suspects in his supposedly accidental death. this film is 80 minutes of them claiming they've gotten the body and then something comes along that proves it isn't indeed poor Uncle Joe. Standing in their way is Uncle Joe's nasty lady friend, a good pairing apparently because according to the family, nobody like him either.
I am surprised to see this listed as a comedy because it really isn't other than the much later developed the genre of the black comedy. Yes, that genre had been experimented with, most notably Charlie Chaplin's "Monsiuer Verdoux". Then, there is the very similar "The Trouble with Harry", which is a true classic simply because of the Hitchcock touch. What this does have is a fine cast who does what they can with the script to make it enjoyable.
The leading lady is he always likeable Ann Sheridan, playing her part completely without humor simply because she knows that she's the only smart person in her family and has to keep some sort of control. She works for the local real estate agent Leif Erikson who makes plays for her that she isn't quite turning down while working, and when out of town insurance agent Victor Mature arrives, it's apparent that his business has something to do with Uncle Joe. Add in Evelyn Varden as Sheridan's dizzy mother and David Wayne as an idiotic in law and you've got a family that perhaps shouldn't breed any further.
Leah Penman, the aristocratic actress who the same year got onstage abused by Bob Hope in "Fancy Pants", plays the nasty lady harassing the family about the missing Uncle Joe. Chill Wills is also present as local law enforcement. this is simply just a series of events where the body is allegedly discovered, revealed not to be the body, and more of the same until even the final shot which actually gives one semi belly laugh. It's a nice attempt at a black comedy that falls flat and just does not hold up with other similar films done much better.
I am surprised to see this listed as a comedy because it really isn't other than the much later developed the genre of the black comedy. Yes, that genre had been experimented with, most notably Charlie Chaplin's "Monsiuer Verdoux". Then, there is the very similar "The Trouble with Harry", which is a true classic simply because of the Hitchcock touch. What this does have is a fine cast who does what they can with the script to make it enjoyable.
The leading lady is he always likeable Ann Sheridan, playing her part completely without humor simply because she knows that she's the only smart person in her family and has to keep some sort of control. She works for the local real estate agent Leif Erikson who makes plays for her that she isn't quite turning down while working, and when out of town insurance agent Victor Mature arrives, it's apparent that his business has something to do with Uncle Joe. Add in Evelyn Varden as Sheridan's dizzy mother and David Wayne as an idiotic in law and you've got a family that perhaps shouldn't breed any further.
Leah Penman, the aristocratic actress who the same year got onstage abused by Bob Hope in "Fancy Pants", plays the nasty lady harassing the family about the missing Uncle Joe. Chill Wills is also present as local law enforcement. this is simply just a series of events where the body is allegedly discovered, revealed not to be the body, and more of the same until even the final shot which actually gives one semi belly laugh. It's a nice attempt at a black comedy that falls flat and just does not hold up with other similar films done much better.