You wonder why 20th Century Fox made this - it was a time when movie attendances were plummeting, audiences keen to see new and interesting films... maybe they needed something to pay the overhead. It's written and directed by Claude Binyon, an experienced screenwriter who dabbled in directing, but from this evidence wasn't much of a talent.
It's an odd sort of Arsenic and Old Lace pastiche, with a wacky family dealing with a dead uncle, trying to collect the inheritance. This sort of farce - I think it's meant to be a farce - really only works if it's based on a popular stage play; this was based on a novel. It's not that funny though - is it meant to be? It's not scary or a mystery. It's like a farce without gags. I could never understand the tone. Black comedy... only not comedy.
Ann Sheridan looks bored as the sensible member of the family. Victor Mature is sleazy as the man interested in her - his sexual harrasment is very uncharming and he has no chemistry with Sheridan. More attention needed to be paid to the support cast. David Wayne is there, as is Chill Wills. But no one shines. What is the point? It's one of a number of Victor Mature films from the early 50s whose existence feels random eg Affair with a Stranger.
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