'Murder on the Honeymoon' needed work

Murder on a Honeymoon (1935)
Starring: Edna May Oliver, James Gleason, Lola Lane, George Meeker, Spencer Charters, Dorothy Libarie, Leo G. Carroll, Arthur Hoyt, and Harry Ellerby
Director: Lloyd Corrigan
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

When a fellow passenger dies on a puddle-jumper flight to Catalina Island, vacationing school teacher Hildegarde Withers (Oliver) suspects foul play. She reaches out to her friend Inspector Oscar Piper (Gleason), who flies out to investigate as it appears to be a contract killing with connections back to New York City.

"Murder on a Honeymoon" is the third film to star Edna May Oliver and James Gleason as bickering sleuths, and it is yet another decline from the excellence that we saw in the first one, "The Penguin Pool Murder". While the beginning and end of the film are strong, almost everything in between is underdeveloped. There are several neat plot-threads inhabited by interesting murder suspects, but they are never completely followed nor even properly developed or connected. Worse, the characters of Withers and Piper are shells of their former selves. The mature relationship that we saw begin in "Penguin Pool" is nowhere to be seen and instead we're left with a pair of mean-spirited characters that makes you wonder at times why they even like each other.

As disappointing as this movie is on many fronts, when it's good, it's really good. Although poorly developed, the mystery of the film is solid in its foundation and the way Withers and Piper solve it is logical (even if it almost gets them killed). And speaking of getting killed, the film is at its best during a sequence where our heroes are investigating a closed casino and encounter some of the suspects there; it's well-filmed and well-written and all-around tense. The same is true for a scene where Ms. Withers is literally at the mercy of a contract killer. Finally, the Big Reveal of the murderer is handled in a different and thrilling way that what is typical for mysteries of this kind--there's no "let's get all the suspects together in a room", so it comes as a surprise. (The identity of the murderer may not be surprising if you've been paying attention, but that may make the scene even more satisfying for you.)

The acting is solid all around, with the supporting cast being so strong that it's a shame none of their characters are given more time in the spotlight. The film would have been a bit stronger if we'd seen more of the honeymooners referenced in the title (Dorothy Libarie and Harry Ellerby), as well as gotten a little more development and screen time for Lola Lane's mysterious fame-seeking (?) character.

While "Murder on the Honeymoon" is another step down in quality when compared to the launch of this series, it's still entertaining enough for you to take the time to watch. It's firmly at the low end of average, but it has just enough going for it.