Ceticultsot
Beautiful, moving film.
Invaderbank
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Rosie Searle
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
csteidler
Jean Parker and Peter Cookson return for a second and final Kitty O'Day film—and it's basically a ripoff of the first one.This time around, Kitty has a job as switchboard operator in a large hotel. Snoopy as ever, she listens in on conversations, suspects guests of being criminals—and keeps an eye on boyfriend Johnny Jones, who works across the lobby at the hotel travel bureau.Parker does her best as the scatterbrained but persistent and occasionally lucky would-be girl detective; Cookson is again the somewhat saner half of the couple who reluctantly joins her investigations. When Kitty reports hearing a gunshot while phone eavesdropping, Johnny urges her to call the police—an idea she quickly nixes. "We'll investigate first," Kitty says, "then call the police."Tim Ryan is exasperated police detective Clancy, eventually summoned to the hotel only to find (repeatedly) that the supposed corpse has disappeared. Much of the middle section of the picture is devoted to Kitty and Johnny running around after the missing corpse and Inspector Clancy running around after them.Inspector Clancy is "assisted" by the usual dumb police sergeant, played this time around by Ralph Sanford. (Clancy: "Why is it every time we get here the corpse runs away?" Mac: "Maybe he don't like cops, Chief….") There are some funny moments and a few good bits of dialog. The cast is certainly pleasant if unexceptional. However, it all seems kind of forced – possibly because the plot is so similar to this film's immediate predecessor, the previous year's Kitty O'Day, Detective.Overall, it's a harmless enough picture that seems to mean well….but it lacks surprises.
mark.waltz
That is the cemetery plot of movies that were D.O.A.One-shot director William Beaudine could sometimes take a sows ear of a script and turn it into a silk purse, with clever dialog, amusing characters and inspired casting. But for this sequel to "Detective Kitty O'Day", he simply took the same story, moved it to the location of Jean Parker and Peter Cookson's newest employer, and had the script changed a bit to make it appear fresh. Now the pair is working for a major hotel when the boss gets the axe, shot rather than drowned like her boss in the first film. To see this on a double bill with the previous entry in this (fortunately) two entry series is to waste an additional hour of viewing and a reminded that just because the poverty row studios turned out a few classics doesn't exclude them from having had some duds as well. The cheap sets and blurry photography only document the quick production schedule shooting of many Monogram films with no thought to the viewers recalling, "Wait a minute. Didn't I see this one once before with the exact same characters?".At least the laundry shoot scene where Parker, Cookson and the new detective working with veteran character actor Tim Ryan (husband of "Beverly Hillbillies" granny Irene Ryan and one of the writers of this opus) is a lot funnier than the window ledge sequence of the first. The absence of the original detective is explained by him being in a mental institution. He probably just read the script, panicked and said, "Oh no, not this again!".
jotix100
Kitty O'Day, the telephone operator at the Townley Hotel loved her detective stories, popular at one time in America. She was also a snoop who loved spying on conversations from the guests at the hotel. She could spot danger anywhere, but because of her meddling character, she got into hot water all the time. When she overhears one day the shooting of Mr. Williams, the owner of the Townley, she goes to Johnny Jones, the travel desk colleague, and love interest, into coming with her to investigate. Kitty and Johnny don't stop until they solve the crime and attracting the police attention who think the either one of them is really the assassin.This Monogram Pictures comedy is mildly amusing. It never hides the fact it is a B picture because of the humble production values. Directed by William Beaudine, it featured Jean Parker, an actress who worked a lot in the Hollywood of the 30s and 40s. She never made it big the movie industry. Peter Cookson, seen as Johnny, also did not have much success with important pictures.Watch it as a curiosity if it shows on cable.
kraiggb
I had a lot a fun watching both Kitty ODay films, they didn't take themselves seriously so why should we? The leads had wonderful chemistry which went a long way in enjoying the seemingly endless body count that they both had the bad luck to run into! It was unfortunate that the running length was so short. Had it been a bit longer, it may have helped add some depth to the mystery and some additional characters so there were more suspects to choose from. Kitty Oday walked a fine line on being loud and annoying but her boyfriend Johnny was able to reel her in from time to time. He was a great character, thrown into this strange situation and wanting to get out while Kitty jumps in deeper without learning how to swim first! I had never heard of these films until I saw them on Turner Classic Movies and I wish they would have made more.
