edwagreen
Less than enthusiastic 1942 Red Skelton vehicle where he stars as a radio sleuth who goes with his girlfriend down south to get married, and instead both get caught up in a supposed murder mystery.Rags Ragland steals the film playing twin brothers- a chauffeur and convicted killer who escapes and is constantly confusing Skelton in the resulting mayhem that ensues.3 years after Gone With the Wind, Ann Rutherford is reduced to playing his girlfriend, literally up to her neck in adventure.Trouble is that in this less than 75 minute film, the real killers are identified and all concerned are trapped below with water sprouting as they are slowly drowning. Of course, they have to find a way out of their dilemma. The picture couldn't really find a way out of its dilemma, unfortunately.
utgard14
Sequel to Whistling in the Dark has Red Skelton once again playing radio star Wally "The Fox" Benton. This time he's headed to Georgia along with his fiancée Carol (Ann Rutherford). There they get mixed-up with a mystery involving Carol's old sorority sister and a treasure hunt. Red and Ann are both good fun in this delightful comedy. Solid support from George Bancroft, Guy Kibbee, Celia Travers, and Rags Ragland. Rags plays a dual role in an amusing follow-up to the last movie. In addition to adorable Ann Rutherford, Diana Lewis provides the pretty. It's not quite as good as Whistling in the Dark but it's still a very enjoyable comedy-mystery. Lots of funny gags. Also lots of awful fake Southern accents.
gridoon2018
The sequel to "Whistling In The Dark" is about on the same level with the first film, quality wise: a non-stop barrage of gags, both visual and verbal, and some genuine suspense as well, particularly in an extended sequence near the end where our heroes come alarmingly close to drowning. Red Skelton overdoes the "spasms" gag at the start, but generally he hits the mark ("You don't say....you don't say....you don't say....- "Who was it?" - "He didn't say!") more often than he misses. "Rags" Ragland returns as Sylvester AND his twin brother Chester; creative editing allows the two brothers to interact, and Ragland is one (or two) of the high points of the film. Ann Rutherford is still delightfully scrappy (and sweet), but I missed the sarcastic presence of Virginia Grey. Not "the funniest film ever made", as an old poster proclaims, but funny enough. *** out of 4.
bkoganbing
Whistling in Dixie finds Red Skelton as radio detective the Fox and gal pal Ann Rutherford away in Georgia where Red's kind of faked an illness so he and Rutherford can get away and maybe get married down there. Rutherford has another agenda as well. Her old sorority sister Diana Lewis has sent her a pre-arranged signal that the sisters have in one needs help.Finding out that there is a five day waiting period in Georgia, the two of them get involved in a mystery where Lewis has witnessed a murder, but no body can be found. It all leads to some buried Confederate treasure in an old arsenal guarded by Civil War veteran Lucien Littlefield who's a might addled.Rags Ragland appears here as twins, both are convicts, one quite a bit nastier than the other. This film marked the farewell performance of George Bancroft as the sheriff who retired right after Whistling In Dixie was in the can. And of course unless you got Raymond Walburn, no film like this would be complete without Guy Kibbee as an expansive, mint julep drinking, son of the South colonel.With that kind of cast, this film can't miss being funny and the comedy is eternal.