'No Hands on the Clock' is flawed but still fun

No Hands on the Clock (1941)
Starring: Chester Morris, Jean Parker, George Watts, Astrid Alwynn, Lauren Raker, Dick Purcell, and Rose Hobart
Director: Frank McDonald
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

A missing person case in Reno turns into a tangle of mistaken identities and murder involving a dysfunctional family and bank robbers... and it's disrupting the honeymoon of a private detective (Morris) and his bride (Parker), not to mention threatening to end their marriage before it even gets off the ground.

"No Hands on the Clock" is a light-hearted murder mystery that is dragged down by a mystery plot so complicated that it's difficult to follow. It's not neccesarily a bad plot--and I think it was probably perfectly fine in the novel this film was based on--but this film has too short a running time to give enough room for the motives for kidnapping and murder of the many characters to be given enough context and explanation.

But, honestly, the plot is almost secondary to the antics of the quirky detective, Humphrey. played by Chester Morris, and his wife Louise, played by Jean Parker. They're fun to watch as they exchange one-liners and witty remarks, although I couldn't help but think this marriage is going to end in a quicky Reno divorce with the level of disrespect Humphrey has for his wife, and the rampaging jealousy Louise has regarding he husband talking to other women, even when he's obviously doing so while "on the job."

The film is also fun to watch, because Morris and Parker are supported by actors and actresses who are cast as perfectly as they are in their various roles. Dick Purcell shines almost as brightly as Morris and Parker in a small but crucial role as a notorious gangster. The only sour note is a strange performance given by Astrid Allwyn, in what would be her final film appearance of note. She has a fake smile frozen on her face and she is never looking at the actors with whom she shares a scene but always slightly away from them, staring into space with a gaze as fixed as her smile. I don't know if she was reading cue cards just off set or what was going on there, but she gave a performance more fit for radio than the screen, and she stole her scenes in a bad and distracting way whenever she appeared. (I could understand what she was doing if her character was supposed to be blind that wasn't the case.)

In the end, there is just enough bad in "No Hands on the Clock" to outweigh the good. It's flawe, but still fun, and comes in on the low end of average.

'Danger on the Air' is saved by its stars

Danger on the Air (1938)
Starring: Nan Grey, Donald Woods, Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher, Peter Lind Hayes, Lee J. Cobb, Berton Churchill, and Jeff Prouty
Director: Otis Garrett
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

When a radio network's biggest, and most obnoxious, sponsor dies under mysterious circumstances, an ad executive (Grey) and sound engineer (Woods) turn amateur detectives to unravel the mystery and bring the murderer to justice.

On the one hand, "Danger on the Air" feels as light-weight as the balloons floating about the radio station throughout this picture. On the other hand, it feels like it's trying to do too much in its short running time (70 minutes), because it is crammed full of characters, nearly every one of which has a reason for wanting the murder victim dead.

The airy, light feeling comes from the snappy, well-crafted dialogue, of which not a single line or word is without  reason--either to advance the plot or to provide characterization. The great interplay that Nan Grey has with just about ever actor she shares a scene with also adds to the film's sense of breeziness. This is especially true for scenes with co-star Donald Woods and the soon-to-be murdered Berton Churchill.

Speaking of Berton Churchill and Nan Grey, they both play characters that I think go a long way to making this movie appeal to modern audiences. Churchill's character of Cesar Cluck is a lecherous, self-promoting businessman who uses any and all means available to crush his competition and forces himself upon every pretty woman he meets because he feels it's his right. Meanwhile, Nan Grey's character, Christina McCorkle is an independent-minded professional woman in charge of her own ad agency who takes no guff from anyone; she may be partners with her brother in the venture, but it's clear who's in charge. When Cluck turns on the "charm" and tries to sexually assault her, she treats him like Harvey Weinstein should have been treated by his victims--she decks him with a sold punch to face. The men in the movie, who have all been kowtowing to Cluck cheer for her actions. Grey's character, and almost every action she takes, is one that should appeal to modern viewers and is as big a part of making this movie as enjoyable as it is as Grey's bright presence on the screen.

Unfortunately, for all the good it has going for it, the movie suffers from trying to do too much in a short running time. It is crammed full of too many characters, each of which get at least a line or two, each of which is referenced by other characters repeatedly, and each of which has a motive for killing the murder victim. Unfortunately, most them are middle-aged men in dark suits, so even the most attentive viewer will had a hard time telling who's who. What's worse, in the end, because of the abundance of characters who all blend together, the stereotypical "gather all the suspects for the big reveal" just adds more confusion to the overall storyline when the killer is ultimately revealed. Although a foundation for the motive is well established, it still feels like the solution comes out of left field.

Usually, I find myself needing the structure of the mystery and the interplay between actors to be of almost equal importance in films of this kind. In this case, however, I found the leads to be so strong--and Grey in particular--that they more than made up for the deficiencies elsewhere. I don't recall seeing films with Woods before, and I've never been as impressed with Grey as I was here (heck, the only other place I remember her from is "Daughter of Dracula", although I am fairly certain she's been in other films I've watched and written about). I will have to seek out more movies with both in the future to see if they shine the way they did here.

Picture Perfect Wednesday: It's June!

We're going all Junes on the June Picture Perfect Wednesdays! First up is June Lang!

Born in 1917, June Lang began acting professionally in her early teens after lying about her age to a casting director. During the 1930s, she climbed the studio system ladder, starting in supporting roles in B-pictures and serials (such as "Chandu the Magician", along side Bela Lugosi, under her true name June Vlasek), and eventually starring along side the likes of Laurel & Hardy (in "Bonney Scotland") Fredric March (in "Road to Glory"), and Shirley Temple (in "Wee Willie Winkle").

Lang specialized in playing wholesome, perky women, but when she married mob boss Johnny Roselli--in love and unaware of his criminal connections--the ensuing publicity tarnished her image and essentially ended her career in 1940. Even after divorcing him in 1942, she was unable to reestablish her career, and she all but retired from acting in 1947. She passed away in 2005.

Read more about June Lang at the Internet Movie Database by clicking here.

Musical Monday: Leo's 'Hurt'

I think the only person who's done this song better than the multi-talented Norwegian rocker Leo Moracchioli is Johnny Cash... and I'm including the original performance by Nine Inch Nails when making this judgement. It's spookier and more intense that Leo's usual high energy and wild performances, but it's still fantastic.



This is the third in a series of posts with music videos by Moracchioli. I'm a fan, and I hope you will become one, too. For literally hundreds more fantastic covers from this talented artist, check out his YouTube Channel.

Love is blooming in 'Rough Necking'

Rough Necking (1934)
Starring: June Brewster, Carol Tevis, Grady Sutton, Spencer Charters, and George Chandler
Director: George Stevens
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

After her domineering father (Charters) forbids June (Brewster) from seeing her boyfriend Grady (Sutton), her younger sister Carol (Tevis) convinces Grady to disguise himself as a woman and visit June right under their father's nose. Complications arise when both the father and a male house guest (Chandler) decide to make romantic overtures to the cross-dressing Grady.

"Rough Necking" is one of those comedies where it's a Bad Thing to think too hard about the events that are unfolding. The situation is very funny in the moment, but I foresee jailtime (or at least probation) for two of the characters when all is said and done.

Although that somewhat mood-spoiling thought was in the back of my mind, I still found this film to be very funny. The laugh-lines are plentiful, the physical comedy is well-choreographed and hilarious, the content is exactly as baudy as the punny title implies, and the ending is about as perfect as it can be. (But, like I said, I would hate to be some of these characters the following day.)

"Rough Necking" was the fifth in a series of comedic short films starring Carol Tevis and a troupe of performers. It has been made available to modern audiences on the Blondes and Redheads: Lost Comedy Classics DVD along with three other installments in the series.

Return of the Space Girls!

Fishbowl helmets, ray guns, and form-fitting spacesuits... space girl fashion is as timeless as the little black dress!

By Al Bigley

By J.R. Murray

By Frank Cho

By Casey & Deering

The Space Girls will once again be seen regularly here at Shades of Grey. I may even resume the reposting of Travis Charest's "Space Girl" series, which  I left on a cliffhanger waaaay back in 2011.

'Putting Pants on Philip' is the dawn of a great comedy team

Putting Pants on Philip (1927)
Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Harvey Clark, Sam Lufkin, and Dorothy Coburn
Director: Clyde Bruckman
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A young Scotsman, Philip (Laurel), comes to visit his uncle (Hardy) in the U.S. After a series of mishaps involving Philip's kilt, the uncle decides to make him wear pants.

"Putting Pants on Philip" is the birth of the legendary comedy team of Laurel & Hardy. While the personalities of their characters weren't in place, and their trademark costumes were likewise nowhere to be seen, the interplay between them is here... and that is enough to make this film worth watching.

In fact, I have a sense that if this film had featured anyone *but* Laurel & Hardy, it may have been boring indeed. Its thin premise is bolstered slightly by the kilt-wearing Scotsman also being a womanizer whom the uncle must keep a close eye on or he will literally chase attractive women down, but unfortunately almost every other gag is repeated to the point where it out-stays its welcome. Even with the charm and unpredictable energy of Laurel & Hardy, the 20-minute run-time of this short film is about five minutes too long. Once we get to the point of the title event of the film, things pick up, but it's a bit of a slog getting there.

For big fans of Laurel & Hardy, or lovers of silent comedies, this film might be worth checking out. Everyone else might want to view some of their films from the mid-1930s. But... don't just take my word for it. Take a look at the film right now: I've embedded it below for your viewing pleasure!

'A Night in the Dormitory' is a fun artifact

A Night in the Dormitory (1930)
Starring: Ruth Hamilton, Ginger Rogers, Thelma White, Si Wills, and Eddie Elkins
Director: Harry Delmar
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

A college girl (Hamilton) returns to the dorm after sneaking out for a night on the town. She relates her experiences to one of her bunkmates.

"A Night in the Dormitory" is an all-singing, all-dancing spectacular that gives the viewer a sense of what it must have been like to go to a night club that featured floor shows Back in the Day. Heck, the obviously underrehearsed chorus lines that back Thelma White and Ginger Rogers (in her second screen appearance) probably added a healthy dose of verisimilitude to audiences watching this short in theatres back in 1930.

If you enjoy musical production numbers and vaudville routines, I think you'll enjoy this 22-minute collection of bits loosely tied together by the college girl's walk on the Great Depression wildside. The tunes are catching--I find myself humming the one performed by White as I type this--and sloppy chorus lines aside, they're fun to watch.


For everyone else, though, this film is little more than a historical artifact that records the live entertainment preferences of a by-gone era... and one that is probably quite faithful to the nightclub experience, since the producer and director of the film got his start booking and staging the kinds of shows this movie revolves around.

Picture Perfect Wednesday: Solo!

I am looking forward to the newest Star Wars prequel, which comes out later this Friday! From the previews, it looks like it could fit right in with the vision I've always had of the Star Wars Universe, one which has been living since I was playing with the action figures on the Death Star playset, and through the Star Wars roleplaying game campaign I've either been running or playing in since 1995.

Here are some illos  in anticipation of "Solo" (aka "When Han Met Lando & Chewie").

By Rich Bernatovech

By Sean Murphy

Sean Murphy

Musical Monday: The Final Countdown with Leo

Here's another entry in the series spotlighting the cover tunes by Leo Moracchioli. Moracchioli is an extremely talented musician and producer of music videos from Norway who specializes in making metal-themed covers of... well, just about any type of song from any genre you care to mention. One of the great things about his work is the crazy sense of humor and wild fun that comes with it.

This cover of "The Final Countdown", and the video that comes with it, are fine examples of everything that makes Leo's presentations so enjoyable!




Check out more of Morachioli's covers on the YouTube Channel for Frog Leap Studios.