Whistling in Brooklyn (1943)

Radio crime show host "The Fox" finds himself on the trail of a serial killer while a suspect himself.

Director:

S. Sylvan Simon

Writers:

Nat Perrin (screenplay), Wilkie C. Mahoney (additional dialogue),

Stars:

Red Skelton, Ann Rutherford, Jean Rogers

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Red Skelton	...	Wally 'The Fox' Benton
Ann Rutherford	...	Carol Lambert
Jean Rogers	...	Jean Pringle
Rags Ragland	...	Chester (as 'Rags' Ragland)
Ray Collins	...	Grover Kendall
Henry O'Neill	...	Inspector Holcomb
William Frawley	...	Detective Ramsey
Sam Levene	...	Creeper
Arthur Space	...	Detective MacKenzie
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Detective Leo Finnigan (as Robert Emmet O'Connor)
Steven Geray	...	Whitey (as Steve Geray)
Howard Freeman	...	Steve Conlon
Tom Dillon	...	Manager of the Beavers
The Brooklyn Dodgers	...	Brooklyn Baseball Players

Storyline

Wally Benton, "The Fox," master detective on radio, is about to go with his sweetheart to Niagara Falls in order to get married. Unknown to him, his valet has told a newspaper reporter that Benton is "Constant Reader," someone who has sent information to newspapers about murdered people and where to find their bodies, thus making the police look bad. The police are sure that "Constant Reader" is the murderer himself, since no one else could know all of the details. And so they begin a chase after Benton, a chase which leads to old abandoned warehouses and old abandoned mansions. Wally is being chased not only by the police but also by the real "Constant Reader." Can he save his girl, his assistant, and the reporter and solve the crime before either the villain or the police, who have been told to shoot on sight, kill them all?

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Plot Keywords:

police | reporter | chase | detective | warehouse | 

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Taglines:

HE'S WHISTLING AGAIN! Red's newest is his funniest! (original print ad)

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gangsterjagd in Brooklyn

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Loew's, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brooklyn Dodger players Max Macon, Alex Kampouris, Ray Hayworth, Pat Ankenman, Newt Kimball and Hal Peck were reported (by the New York Times) to be cast in the movie as baseball players, with some of them as "Beaver" players. A few of them had left the Brooklyn Dodgers by the time this film was released.

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Quotes

Chester: [referring to elevator brake] Hey, Boss, this thing is loose!
Wally 'The Fox' Benton: Well, don't take it off! The elevator'll fall!
Chester: Ah, I did the same thing in jail one time, and the elevator didn't fall.
Wally 'The Fox' Benton: It didn't huh? That's against the law of gravity!
Chester: That was before the law was passed.

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Connections

References By Hook or by Crook (1943)

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Soundtracks

"Auld Lang Syne"
(1788) (uncredited)
Traditional Scottish 17th century music
Lyrics by Robert Burns
In the score with sounds produced by the saw Wally uses to deflect objects thrown at him

User Reviews

Oops, Where Did the Floor Go?

The gags fly thick and fast in this, the last of Skelton's Whistling series for MGM. The pace is so hectic you may have to check your fast-forward. But the first half-hour is near hilarious with the usual Skelton mugging and pratfalls, backed up by experts Rags Ragland and Ann Rutherford, along with clever quips galore, so stay tuned. As usual, the plot amounts to little more than a convenient hat-rack on which to hang Skelton's usual brand of madcap. And what better fare for wartime audiences than a chance to escape the horrors with this slapstick whirlwind. I really did wonder how they would escape the elevator shaft, one of those great moments when you don't know whether to laugh or hide your eyes. And, yes, that is Jean Rogers as the reporter, on a break from Ming the Merciless and his serial effort at conquering the universe and Flash Gordon all in the same breath. There's also a chance to scope out Ebbetts Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers before both were torn down and shipped to LA. All in all, good period fun, even this many years later.