This outlandishly doll murder mystery with elements of journalistic comedy a la "The Front Page" is an overly chatty nightmare that features an oboxious leading character, reporter Hal Skelly, who investigates a murder surrounding the robbery of $1000 bank notes, apparently all in serial number order. Convoluted in every way, this seemed much longer than its 67 minutes, and wasted the talents of its forgotten talented leading lady, Rose Hobart. Along with Robert Keith (a character actor who became familiar as patriarchal figures in the 1950's), she gives this poverty row bore a little bit of class. Matilda film is simply either the police or newspaper men sitting around and talking rather than doing anything, meaning that this is actionless and stiff. As for the title, it simply exists only to manipulate the audience based upon their knowledge of a popular radio show.
Review of The Shadow Laughs
