Movie Review: The Fuller Brush Man (1948)
Synopsis: Red Jones wants to marry his girlfriend, Ann, but she rejects his proposal because of his bumbling ways have made it impossible for him to hold a job. Determined to change her opinion of him, Red attempts to get a job as a salesman for the Fuller Brush Company, where Ann works as a secretary. However, his romantic rival, Keenan Willack, does his best to sabotage the effort, including giving Red the address of Gordon Trist, the boss who recently fired him. Despite the odds, Red manages to sell ten brushes to Trist's wife but when he returns to collect the money, becomes the primary suspect in Trist's murder.
Who's in it? The movie stars Red Skelton, Janet Blair, Don McGuire, Hillary Brooke and Adele Jergens.
Review: After being left a bit traumatized from Lady Bug Lady Bug yesterday, I decided I needed to lighten the mood with this morning's movie and ended up watching The Fuller Brush Man, which was recently added to my library. Long story, short, it did the trick.
There was a lot to like about this film. For me, the thing that both pleased and surprised me was the murder mystery part of it. Even though the movie was most definitely a comedy first, it was still a pretty decent locked room mystery, complete with a variety of suspects and a missing murder weapon.
On top of it, in addition to being the guy the police are convinced did it, Red (Skelton) also had quite a few people who were interested in getting into and searching his apartment for unknown reasons. When combined with his shaky relationship with Ann (Blair) and interference from Keenan (McGuire), it was both unclear who the real murderer was and how Red would get out of the mess he was in.
As far as the comedy goes, the movie was funny throughout, especially with some of the slapstick. One scene, in particular, that stood out was the one involving Red and Ann trying to reach help using a radio and cutting into various radio programs and commercials as a result. The scenes inside his crowded kitchen were memorable as well.
My only real complaint about the movie is some of the scenes went on for a bit too long, especially toward the end, when Ann and Red were trying to escape the killer and their henchmen. After a while, it got a bit repetitive, and I think the movie could have easily been about twenty minutes shorter simply by cutting out the repetition. Fortunately, the both the ending and the rest of the movie did make up for it.
Final Opinion: This is an entertaining movie with a good mix of comedy and mystery. I was glad I took the time to watch it because it certainly improved my mood.
My Grade: A
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