Whistling in Dixie (1942)

Director:

S. Sylvan Simon

Writers:

Nat Perrin (screenplay)
Wilkie C. Mahoney (additional dialogue)

Release Date:

December 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery | Crime

Tagline:

"I DOOD IT AGAIN!" (original ad - all caps)

Plot:

Radio sleuth Wally "The Fox" Benton forgoes his honeymoon to help his wife's old friend solve a murder and hunt for Civil War gold inside a spooky mansion and fort.

Plot Keywords:

Fort | Old Friend | Buried Treasure | Honeymoon | Murder

Cast

Red Skelton	...	Wally 'The Fox' Benton
Ann Rutherford	...	Carol Lambert
George Bancroft	...	Sheriff Claude Stagg
Guy Kibbee	...	Judge George Lee
Diana Lewis	...	Ellamae Downs
Peter Whitney	...	Frank V. Bailie
Rags Ragland	...	Chester Conway / Sylvester 'Lester' Conway (as 'Rags' Ragland)
Celia Travers	...	Hattie Lee
Lucien Littlefield	...	Corporal Lucken
Louis Mason	...	Deputy Lem
Mark Daniels	...	Martin Gordon
Pierre Watkin	...	Doctor
Emmett Vogan	...	Radio Producer
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Mr. Panky

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #8663) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Loew's

Goofs:

Factual errors: When The Fox finds the treasure chest, he holds up a coin and says, "Look, a $20 gold piece, 1839." The first $20 gold pieces were minted in 1850.

Quotes:

Carol Lambert: Don't be such a coward!
Wally 'The Fox' Benton: Who's a coward? I'm as brave as they go, and I'm going.

Movie Connections:

References Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

Soundtrack:

Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)

One of the more amusing entries in the series...

Although the slapstick is pretty heavy at times, especially toward the wild climactic scene that winds up the whole story, WHISTLING IN DIXIE has all the ingredients that made the Bob Hope films successful in the '40s, with Hope as the cowardly male lead being intimidated by gangster-type bullies.

Here it's RED SKELTON who seems to have inherited Hope's gag writers, because all of the jokes could just as well have been hand-me-downs from Hope during his heyday. Skelton plays "The Fox", a radio sleuth who solves impossible crimes, and is lured to Georgia by his girlfriend when one of her friends is in a dire situation requiring the kind of help "The Fox" can offer.

Lots of fun ensues when Skelton arrives at a spooky Georgian mansion, and some of the sight gags involving RAGS RAGLAND (in a twin role--one good, one bad), are quite funny although they tend to be overdone by the time the last reel is reached.

ANN RUTHERFORD has a flair for light comedy that makes her a good mate for Skelton and the rest of the cast goes along with the gags and pratfalls in a professional manner. DIANA LEWIS lays on the Southern accent a little too thick, but this is probably for comedy effect. GEORGE BANCROFT, GUY KIBBEE and PETER WHITNEY have fun with good supporting roles.

Summing up: Good fun, if you like these sort of slapstick murder mysteries.