Mystery Broadcast (1943)

Ruth Terry and Mary Treen are fantastic, 29 April 2020

Trying to boost her ratings, a radio show mystery writer, Jan Cornell (Ruth Terry), promises to solve a real life murder on the following week’s program.  With the help of her soundman . . . er, make that soundwoman . . . she sets out to investigate.  When one of her witnesses turns up dead, Jan realizes she’s on the right track.

Despite the poor image and sound quality of the transfer I watched, Mystery Broadcast was still an enjoyable experience.  It’s pretty obvious right from the start that director George Sherman didn’t have much of a budget to work with.  Calling it a “B” is an understatement.  Still, Sherman crafted a funny, suspenseful film that moves at a fantastic pace for its all too brief 63 minute runtime.  There’s a lot packed into just over an hour.  Most of the fun comes from watching Terry and co-star Mary Treen (who steals almost every scene she’s in) navigate the variety of sometimes spooky situations they find themselves in.  The bit with the old, dark house and the crying pines is especially memorable.  Terry and Treen work off each other expertly in these scenes.  The ending is clever, even though there’s no way you can play along and guess the killer’s identity.  The plot has the murderer sort of out themselves.  Overall, a solid little film that should appeal to any fan of old mystery/comedies.  

7/10