Abbott and Costello fans get more that their moneys’ worth as the team provides non stop comedy as they try and solve a murder at a radio network.
Colonel J.R.Andrews (Thomas Gomez), the director of GBS Radio is told by Doctor Anton Marek (Ludwig Stossel) that he needs to slow down due to a bad heart. He’s just replaced the head writer of “Murder At Midnight” with college professor Jimmy Turner (Patric Knowles). Jimmy meets his old girlfriend Jane Little in the office and thinks he’s getting a handout. He refuses the job and says he’s taking the next train home.
Downstairs is the network drug store and soda fountain. The soda jerks are Chick Larkin (Bud Abbott) and Mervin Q.Milgrim (Lou Costello) At the counter is the Colonel’s secretary Juliet Collins (Mary Wickes). The boys want to be script writers on a mystery show. Chick tells Merwyn to get romantic with Juliet.
That night they sneak into the live broadcast of “Murder At Midnight.” The story is “The Steel Chair Murder.” The Colonel takes his seat behind the microphone. The opening announcements are made. Before the show begins the Colonel has an important word. Then he keels over and dies.
Chick and Merwyn pose as homicide cops. The Colonel was electrocuted as his chair was wired up to cause current to run through it when he pressed the mic switch. The real cops show up. They’re Inspector Brannigan (William Bendix) and Lt.Moran. A rubber glove was found and that’s the big clue.They spend more time chasing Chick and Merwyn around than questioning suspects.
Jane tells the cops the Colonel had been talking with the F.B.I. While hiding from the cops Merwyn discovers the body of Dr.Marek in a closet. When he and Chick bring the cops around to show them Juliet is hiding in the closet and the body is gone.
Jimmy, who had a change of heart and returned is searching the Colonel’s office with Jane for clues. While that’s going on Chick and Merwyn escape in the back of a truck. They hear on the radio that Merwyn has five minutes to call a program where he’s won ten thousand dollars….if he can phone them in five minutes. This leads to another good routine.
Jimmy says the way to catch the murderer is to recreate the broadcast and gather everyone in the studio. The real murderer is discovered and that leads to a chase scene on and over the roof between him and Merwyn.
The movie is very funny and it has one routine after another including one near the end with Lou and William Bendix. This is one of Bud and Lou’s best
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