Movie Review: Irish Luck (1939)
Synopsis: Bellhop Buzzy O'Brien dreams of solving crimes like his father, a now-deceased police officer, and while he has had some success, family friend Det. Steve Lanahan doesn't like Buzzy's meddling, which he knows can put the young man in danger.
This comes to a head when a banker is murdered in Buzzy's hotel and Buzzy chooses to protect the police's top suspect, Kitty Monahan, because he doesn't believe someone with that last name could commit murder. Facing possible jail time for interfering in the investigation, Buzzy must figure out who the real killer is before Steve or the hotel detective, Fluger, catch and arrest him.
Who's in it? The movie stars Frankie Darro, Dick Purcell, Mantan Moreland, Sheila Darcy and James Flavin.
Review: While trying to decide if I wanted to watch vampire movie this morning or a fantasy film promising plenty of sword fighting, I happened to come across Irish Luck. Unable to decide between my first two choices, I ended up picking third film as a compromise. While far from perfect, it did prove to be better than expected.
As far as the main plot goes, I thought the story was entertaining. The murder mystery is a solid one, with questions about who murdered the victim and why. Plus, while I wanted to believe Kitty Monahan (Darcy) wasn't the killer, the evidence didn't look good, especially since she was seen exiting the room just minutes before the body was discovered. Buzzy (Darro) choosing to believe her solely because of her Irish last name was a bit of a stretch.
I also liked the stance Steve (Purcell) took regarding Buzzy's investigating. I often find it humorous when the police in movies like these are perfectly content letting some outsider do their job. It was refreshing to see a film that took the opposite approach, even threatening an arrest if Buzzy was caught "helping."
I am also going to give praise to the legendary Mantan Moreland for adding his blend of comic relief in the film. I especially liked how he was a potential wrench in Buzzy's plan because of his unwillingness to lie to the police, though he was also quick to help his friend when needed. There was just enough unpredictability from his character, Jefferson, to keep the movie from being predictable.
My biggest complaint about the movie is one I've had with similar films from this era - it isn't a sequel but certainly feels like one because it seemed as though I was supposed to be familiar with the characters already. While not a huge deal, the movie was entertaining regardless, it did leave me with quite a few questions.
Probably the most prominent of these was a question about why Buzzy, who clearly had crime solving abilities, was working as a bellhop and not following in his father's footsteps and becoming a police officer. I am going to assume it had something to do with his smaller size or his age, but the movie never takes the time to explain that (or the explanation was so brief, I missed it). Again, not a game changing question, just one that I wish was answered.
Final Opinion: It wasn't my first choice this morning but did prove to be a good decision overall and is a movie I'd recommend.
My Grade: B
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Here are some reviews of other 1930s murder mysteries:
Movie Review: Blondes at Work (1938)
Movie Review: Murder at the Baskervilles (1937)
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