Paularoc Review of Tomorrow at Seven

Tomorrow at Seven (1933)

A winning combination of murder and mystery

[8/10 · 26 August 2013]

Mystery novelist Neil Broderick, played by the ever engaging Chester Morris, plans to base his next book on the real life serial murderer known as The Black Ace. The killer always lets his victim know before hand that he plans to kill them by leaving a black ace. When Broderick is on his way to meet an expert in the Black Ace, Thornton Drake, he has a humorous encounter with Martha Winters, who is the daughter of Thornton's secretary. Soon after Broderick meets Thornton, a representation of a black ace is found. Two cops, Dugan and Clancy (Allen Jenkins and Frank McHugh) come to investigate. Dugan is prone to using very dense slang and Clancy "translates" the slang so others can understand. Dugan is relating how they almost caught the Black Ace after nabbing his girlfriend: "She's a snowbird and I gives her some gold dust and she opens up." His entire account is hilarious. In an effort to escape the Black Ace, the entire group decides to fly to Thornton's plantation in Louisiana. Dugan is terrified of flying and asks how often do these things fall? "Once" says Clancy. Before they land, Winters is found murdered. Once at the plantation another murder occurs. In spite of the murders, this movie is mostly a comedy and a highly entertaining one at that. The cast is excellent and the dialog sparkles. I'm a huge fan of 1930s and 40s comedy/mysteries and this is one of the most entertaining I've seen.