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Dressed to Kill More at IMDbPro »

26 out of 26 people found the following review useful:
Terrific 'B' mystery, 6 February 2000

Author: John Seal from Oakland CA

Dressed to Kill is one of the most enjoyable 'B' movies I've ever seen. Lloyd Nolan is terrific as Michael Shayne, detective, and his supporting cast is superb to say the least. William Demarest is the best hapless police inspector this side of James Gleason, a youthful Henry Daniell plays a stuck up prig to perfection, Milton Parsons is a bad baddie, and we even get small turns from Mantan Moreland and Billy Benedict. The story is reasonably well written, fast paced, and a lot of fun.

9 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
One of the best B-movies ever!, 20 August 2009

Author: bill-688 from Brownsville, Texas

Watching this and other Mike Shane entries in this series is truly a treat. They simply don't make them like this any more! Lloyd Nolan is a glib, fast-talking, somewhat arrogant Mike Shane but these traits only add to the character. This one was filmed on a set--unlike some of the others--and the viewer doesn't get a time-travel perspective of the way things looked in 1941. Even so, this little film is well worth watching and owning. Black cast members are given roles of ghost-fearing janitors and one--Mantan Moreland--has his name misspelled in the credits. Oh, if you like double-breasted suits, this film is for you. Shane and other male members of the cast wear them in every scene.

8 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Fun and funny, 28 December 2007

Author: expandafter from United States

Lloyd Nolan's Michael Shayne is a refreshingly human private detective, jumping to wrong conclusions and once not even being able to say his own name correctly (you'll see why). The two policemen assigned to the case are delightfully dense.

Shayne is within hours of being married when he and his bride-to-be hear a scream that he investigates. He has to spend the rest of the movie not only attempting to solve the crime but placating and putting off his impatient fiancée. Secret passageways and trapdoors, people who have changed their identities, magicians' sleight of hand, and a hilarious singing-telegram scene add to the tasty mix.

I really enjoyed this and found the humor a welcome addition to the murder investigation.

7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
An Absolute Must for Lloyd Nolan's Legion of Fans, 10 July 2008

Author: JohnHowardReid

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

If ever a "B" could be said to have a surfeit of production values that movie is Dressed To Kill, the third in the seven-picture Fox series (that was then taken over for a further five films by Producers Releasing Corp). Just look at that cast! It's so richly extensive in name players that some of the top-billed people like Sheila Ryan are in and out before you can blink an eye. Mary Beth Hughes' fans are not well served either as she has an unsympathetic role (which she plays well). On the other hand, Mr Nolan exerts his fulsome presence in almost every scene and does his level best to squeeze the other players out of the action. Fortunately, it's mighty hard to steal scenes from a master of slapstick like William Demarest (the bit in which he falls into the orchestra pit is a hoot!) and director Eugene Forde is also on hand to see that actors like Henry Daniell get a fair shake. Forde even slows down his admirably fast pacing on occasions to allow his players time to breathe. Mystery fans will be pleased to note that the identity of the killer is very cleverly (but not unfairly) concealed. Beautiful camera-work and great sets add to the movie's appeal. In short, a most entertaining "B" that will appeal to everyone who can at least tolerate Lloyd Nolan.

4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
'B' Picture With An 'A' Story, 30 November 2011

Author: GManfred from Ramsey, NJ

"Dressed To Kill" was an excellent murder mystery and the third entry in the Michael Shayne detective series of the 40's. It is the first one I've seen and I enjoyed the way Lloyd Nolan fit the title character like an old shoe. It had a great supporting cast and a story to match, unlike many B murder mysteries of this era which are often formulaic and predictable.

This one took considerable thought, and both the denouement and deus ex machina are pretty clever. Shane/Nolan has to solve a double murder in which the victims are killed at a dinner table with two different guns, and along the way we get to meet some very interesting characters, played by some very interesting character actors. We also find out that he knows nearly everybody within shouting distance, which is a formidable number of people as this is New York City. It creates a cheerfully amiable atmosphere, despite the grumpy Chief Inspector, played by William Demarest in his customary bombastic style. Also on hand is Henry Daniell as a theatrical snob, and Mary Beth Hughes, maybe the prettiest B picture girl who never made the jump to more important pictures.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think I will buy the Shayne collection selling on Amazon. Always appreciate good, solid movie-making and "Dressed To Kill" is a sterling example. It played on FMC the other morning.

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
entertaining crime/comedy, 13 December 2011

Author: blanche-2 from United States

Lloyd Nolan brightens up the screen as investigator Michael Shayne in "Dressed to Kill" from 1941. While picking up his fiancé (Mary Beth Hughes) from her residential hotel so that they can finally get married, Shayne hears a scream from upstairs. Racing up there, he finds two people sitting at a dining table in costume and quite dead.

Eventually Shayne is led to a play done years earlier by the victims and begins looking at the other performers. Meanwhile, he's constantly tripping over both his angry fiancé and Police Inspector Pierson (William Demarest).

There's lots of comedy in this B movie, mostly provided by Demarest, who is one-upped every time by Shayne. The acting is terrific, with some really neat character actors: Virginia Brissac, Erwin Kaiser, Henry Daniel, and Mantan Moreland. Though in a stereotyped role, Moreland shows his talent as he does in the Charlie Chan films, this time even going into a dance.

Recommended.

1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Average Whodunit, 21 December 2011

Author: dougdoepke from Claremont, USA

Despite some notable features, this programmer fails to rise above standard detective shows of the time. Nonetheless, the opening scene is a hoot, as a double-breasted Shayne (Nolan) gets harassed by an aggressive clothing salesman. In fact, Nolan's the best thing about the film. His fast-talking brash personality holds a center of attention. I'm just sorry we don't see more of Mary Beth Hughes whose brassy personality is a perfect foil for her meandering fiancée, Shayne. Then there're two exotics from the period—creepy Milton Parsons (Max) in a beard no less, plus snooty Henry Daniell (Julian) getting sympathetic treatment for a change.

That initial murder scene remains a grabber. The dog's head plopped onto one of the corpses is like nothing I've seen and shows real imagination. The trouble, for me at least, is that the whodunit part never really gels, despite clever touches with the murder weapon. At the same time, the pacing is uneven, better suited at times to character study than to plot. There's also the standard dumb cop humor, plus Mantan Moreland doing his familiar bug-eyed comedic bit.

All in all, it's an unexceptional entry, mainly for fans of Nolan, myself included.

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