It's overtime on laughs and thrills in this comedy crime paper about an alleged kidnapping of four men and the ransom money which keeps turning up, as well as the reporters, federal agents and local police involved in the case. June Lang and Dick Baldwin May not be remembered today, but they are truly enjoyable as the novice reporter and federal agents are the odds in trying to get the lowdown on the case. Familiar faces Sidney Toler, William Demarest, Lyle Talbot and J. Edward Bromberg are memorable in supporting performances, and at one point, Toler ("Charlie Chan") seems to be making fun of Baldwin for being the number one son of the top federal agent.
This rather short film packs a lot of detail in only 72 minutes, and there are some moments that are truly genius. To have practically everybody in town show up to the bank with a marked bill is hysterical, and both Toler (busting out of his extra tight cop uniform and ending up in all sorts of clumsy situations) and Demarest (as the frustrated newspaper editor) are given very funny material that brings on real belly laughs. I had my own suspicions story behind the kidnapping (based on a newspaper headline showing the victim's wives), but after a while, I began to feel like I was watching a bugs Bunny Daffy Duck cartoon featuring live humans instead of animated figures.
This rather short film packs a lot of detail in only 72 minutes, and there are some moments that are truly genius. To have practically everybody in town show up to the bank with a marked bill is hysterical, and both Toler (busting out of his extra tight cop uniform and ending up in all sorts of clumsy situations) and Demarest (as the frustrated newspaper editor) are given very funny material that brings on real belly laughs. I had my own suspicions story behind the kidnapping (based on a newspaper headline showing the victim's wives), but after a while, I began to feel like I was watching a bugs Bunny Daffy Duck cartoon featuring live humans instead of animated figures.