Despite actor Morgan's subtly effective performance, it's a concocted screenplay, part murder, part politics, part floorshow, and part romance. Then too, the focus shifts midway from Morgan to daughter Rutherford, further dispersing plot progression. No whodunit here since we see Dailey smack the doomed girl into a fatal tumble. For song and dance man Dailey, it's quite a career departure that takes some getting used to.
Seems wealthy Morgan's trying to get a Congressional bill passed to help those Europeans now under Nazi conquest (1941). In this, he's opposed by newspaper editor Taylor who thinks Nazis will simply seize the assistance for their own. Thus the subtext somewhat mirrors the bigger issue between isolationists (Taylor) and interventionists (Morgan) of the time. Anyhow, Morgan gets innocently involved with a showgirl who's murdered by Dailey. Trouble is Morgan's left incriminating evidence in murdered girl's room. So how will he clear himself, and maybe more importantly not compromise his Congressional bill.
That indoor pool that suddenly opens up from the nightclub floor is a grabber. But then so are the swimsuit chorines that dive in. Seems like that queen of aquanauts, Esther Williams, should be there, somewhere. Then too, the overhead geometry the pool girls perform made me think Busby Berkeley lurking above with a camera. In fact, those floorshow routines may be the movie's best part.
On the whole, the film's well acted and well mounted for a B-production, but then it is MGM. However, the screenplay could use some serious shaping and trimming to achieve needed impact. As is, it's 80-minutes of occasional parts, but a ho-hum whole.
Seems wealthy Morgan's trying to get a Congressional bill passed to help those Europeans now under Nazi conquest (1941). In this, he's opposed by newspaper editor Taylor who thinks Nazis will simply seize the assistance for their own. Thus the subtext somewhat mirrors the bigger issue between isolationists (Taylor) and interventionists (Morgan) of the time. Anyhow, Morgan gets innocently involved with a showgirl who's murdered by Dailey. Trouble is Morgan's left incriminating evidence in murdered girl's room. So how will he clear himself, and maybe more importantly not compromise his Congressional bill.
That indoor pool that suddenly opens up from the nightclub floor is a grabber. But then so are the swimsuit chorines that dive in. Seems like that queen of aquanauts, Esther Williams, should be there, somewhere. Then too, the overhead geometry the pool girls perform made me think Busby Berkeley lurking above with a camera. In fact, those floorshow routines may be the movie's best part.
On the whole, the film's well acted and well mounted for a B-production, but then it is MGM. However, the screenplay could use some serious shaping and trimming to achieve needed impact. As is, it's 80-minutes of occasional parts, but a ho-hum whole.