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Writer Kenneth Magee (Phillip Terry) has made a bet with his friend Bentley (Pierre Watkin) that he can write a novel in a mere 24 hours, and Bentley was sport enough to provide him with the perfect location to write the book in, Baldpate Inn, a summer resort that in winter is utterly deserted ... or at least that's the theory, as once he arrives he finds Cargan (Eduardo Ciannelli), who claims to be the caretaker Magee didn't know about but who seems to be utterly suspicious. Soon enough a pretty blonde, Mary (Jacqueline White), arrives whose sole function seems to be to beseech Magee to leave Baldpate, and who's eventually revealed to be a plant by Bentley to make sure Magee doesn't get any writing done, next up it's eccentric hermit Pete (Jimmy Conlin), who has a habit for climbing through windows, a woman called Connie (Margaret Lindsay), a dame to slick to not be a gangster's moll, "harmless" professor Bolton (Arthur Shields), gangsters Bland (Richard Powers) - whom Cargan is quick to shoot dead - and Rogers (Tony Barrett), and finally rich man Hayden (Jason Robards sr), who apparently was involved with Cargan and company in a case of insurance fraud concerning diamonds worth a million - but things go awry when the diamonds get locked away in a safe only Mary has the combination to, the money involved in the deal changes hands rapidly, Connie tries to outsmart everyone and is shot dead for her efforts, ultimately Bolton turns out to be an insurance detective, all the baddies get their just desserts, and Magee doesn't get to write his novel but gets the girl, Mary, in the end.

The film sure is entertaining enough, with Phillip Terry making a likeable enough leading man surrounded by all sorts of able character actors, but frankly it seems to make the rather convoluted plot of Earl Derr Biggers' source novel even more muddled, in its mere less than 70 minutes of running time and thus every now and again seems to lose direction a bit. On the other hand of course, the film's well enough paced for one to let small details slip, and it's sure best to enjoy rather than overthink the movie - but it sure could have done with a more rounded out screenplay.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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