Movie Review: Fashion Model (1945)
Synopsis: Dress store model Peggy Rooney is dating the store's stockboy, Jimmy O'Brien, leading to some jealousy when another model, Yvonne, shows interest in him. When Yvonne is found murdered and Jimmy becomes the primary suspect, Peggy tries to help him clear his name. However, when another model and the store's owner are also murdered, she becomes a suspect too.
Who's in it? The movie stars Marjorie Weaver, Robert Lowery, Tim Ryan, Lorna Gray and Dewey Robinson.
Review: I came across Fashion Model some time ago but while it sounded interesting, I didn't get an opportunity to watch it until this morning. Overall, I have to say it turned out to be a good choice.
While primarily a comedy movie, the murder mystery was a solid one. You had three dead bodies, no clear motive, other than an expensive broach floating around the store, and no real suspects other than Jimmy (Lowery), who was caught with two of the bodies and had been overheard (in comical fashion) talking about killing the victims.
And I am going to admit, I was surprised by who the killer turned out to be. There aren't a lot of movies that manage to do that. In fact, I didn't even once think of that person (even though it was a bit obvious in hindsight).
In addition to the mystery, the film had just the right amount of comedy in it - enough to keep things lighthearted without diminishing the seriousness of three people being murdered. I especially loved the scene involving Jimmy and Peggy (Weaver) posing as mannequins in an attempt to escape the police only to be undressed in a storefront window by a near-sighted (and possibly drunk) attendant.
As I've said in the past, I find I like movies with strong female characters, and this was one of those movies. Peggy wasn't always the one calling the shots but was clearly the more intelligent of the two fugitives, while still treating Jimmy as an equal. While the end of the film did put her in a bit of a "damsel in distress" role, I'm not so certain she really needed help to get out of it.
My only real complaint about the film is the ending doesn't really clear up the motive behind the murders. I know it had something to do with the broach, but it was unclear why that piece of jewelry was so important, three people needed to die. It kind of feels like the filmmakers accidentally left something out when they edited the film.
Final Opinion: The motive could have been explained better, but the film was still fun to watch, both because of the mystery and comedy. I'd recommend it.
My Grade: B
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