6/10
Silly comedy-mystery moves fast but really goes nowhere
30 July 2014
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.
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