vincentlynch-moonoi This was really the first film in which Red Skelton was the star, rather than a supporting character. And while it was a B movie, it was a good one that received a fair amount of acclaim for Skelton. The general shtick is a good, but common one in that era -- a sort of twist between gangsters and spooks.Here, Red plays Wally Benton, the star of a radio mystery series; he's "The Fox", an expert criminologist (and accidentally a goofball). He plans to elope with his girlfriend Ann Rutherford, but his agent urges him to also date the sponsor's daughter to assure that his show is not canceled. Meanwhile, Conrad Veidt runs a religious cult that preys on the wills of oldsters, mostly women. One member has died and bequeathed a life interest in $1,000,000 to a nephew (Lloyd Corrigan), with the principal going to Silver Haven only after Upshaw's death. Veidt is determined to have Upshaw murdered so that the money will come straight to the cult. Members of the cult develop a plan to have "The Fox" develop a fool proof murder. Kidnappings ensure, and the bumbling Skeleton tries to save himself and his two female paramours. Can "The Fox" save the women and prevent the murder? How he does it is rather clever.Red Skelton, in his first starring vehicle, is very good here, although he got even better in the two sequels. This is a good role for Conrad Veidt as the head of the phony religion; must have been a nice change not playing a Nazi in the World War II era! Ann Rutherford was a good romantic interest for Red. "Rags" Ragland, who later played Red's pal, in this film was one of the reprobates, but did so nicely. Venerable character actor Henry O'Neill is along as the sponsor of Red's radio program. Eve Arden is here as Red's manager, but has little to do, and that's a shame...but she was a known scene stealer.If there's a criticism here it's that about two-thirds of the way through the film it lags a bit, but then comes on stronger at the end. Aside from that, it's a pretty refreshing B movie. Recommended, particularly to see the young Red Skelton.

blanche-2 Red Skelton plays a radio detective known as "The Fox" in "Whistling in the Dark," also starring Ann Rutherford, Conrad Veidt, Eve Arden, Virgina Grey and Rags Ragland. Wally Benton, aka "The Fox" finds his plans to marry his fiancé Carol (Rutherford) thwarted when he's kidnapped by a the leader of a sham cult (Veidt). Joseph Jones (Veidt) has just learned that his cult, The Silver Haven, is not getting a promised inheritance because of the existence of the old woman's nephew, who is going to be living off of the interest. He wants Wally to devise a perfect murder plot so the man can be killed on the airplane en route to meet with his attorney. For backup, and because he's not sure which one is Wally's fiancé, Jones kidnaps Carol and also the radio sponsor's daughter (Grey).This, to me anyway, is a superior film to the second entry in this series, "Whistling in Dixie." The plot is better, the cast is better, there is less slapstick and fewer corny jokes. Skelton, when he's not making faces and rolling his eyes, is quite amiable, and Rutherford is very good. Veidt always played these evil men to perfection. Eve Arden is Wally's agent, who arranges a date for him and Grey to make sure his contract is renewed. I had only seen Grey in films from the 1950s onward. She was always a good-looking woman, but who knew she was such a knockout in the '30s and '40s? This is a fun film with a neat cast.

J. Wellington Peevis There are 3 of these movies, all similarly crafted and each extremely amusing. Red plays radio sleuth Wally Benton, aka The Fox who gets wrangled into solving real life crimes along with his fiance played by your typical wartime girl next door looker, Ann Rutherford. Many of the one-liners and gags are dumb and probably were in the 1940s which I anticipated. But, just as many actually made me laugh out loud, which was unexpected to say the least. Red Skelton has a surprisingly strong screen presence, surprising I say because I grew up with a much older version of the man who's charm really didnt play well in my formidable years. I have to give these movies the go ahead though -if your in the mood for this type of nostalgic fare. I almost threw in light hearted, but in truth people get wasted and beaten up and dare i say it, the suspense at times is well above average. As with most movies from this era, it gets a PI (politically incorrect) rating for reasons you can well imagine. Wartime is funny that way I guess, and so then again are these movies. Watch one, watch them all.

Ash-65 If that cracks you up, you'll be deliriously happy for an hour and twenty minutes. If you're not amused, watch Red Skelton say it. If you're funny bone still hasn't been tickled, go away. Otherwise, Whistling in the Dark is a good bet, even for family.