I couldn't help thinking about half way through this film - Charlie Chan could have used one adventure like this one! Played very lighthearted, the film is a hoot that maybe suffers from being a tad too lengthy.
An eccentric millionaire with a penchant for astrology has died, specifying in his will that he be entombed in a glass vault and placed atop his mansion which houses an observatory. The will also stipulates that the prospective heirs must stay on site until the vault is completed or their share of the inheritance is forfeit.
Enter insurance salesman Albert Tuttle (Jack Haley) with an appointment to sell the dead man a policy. Mistaken for a detective, the antics begin when he's assigned to guard the casket. Along the way, he develops an eye for one of the heirs, Carol Dunlap (Jean Parker). Tuttle manages to find himself in a number of humorous if contrived situations, but they are funny enough to earn a chuckle or two.
I'll admit, my motivation for viewing the film was Bela Lugosi's name on the credits, but his screen time is sporadic and quite minor, even though third billed. His running gag consists of a tray of coffee purportedly laced with rat poison, which he and maid Matthews (Blanche Yurka) are unsuccessful in serving throughout the proceedings. Lugosi actually does appear to be having fun in the role, perhaps allowing himself time to relax while the top billed Haley goes through his paces.
An eccentric millionaire with a penchant for astrology has died, specifying in his will that he be entombed in a glass vault and placed atop his mansion which houses an observatory. The will also stipulates that the prospective heirs must stay on site until the vault is completed or their share of the inheritance is forfeit.
Enter insurance salesman Albert Tuttle (Jack Haley) with an appointment to sell the dead man a policy. Mistaken for a detective, the antics begin when he's assigned to guard the casket. Along the way, he develops an eye for one of the heirs, Carol Dunlap (Jean Parker). Tuttle manages to find himself in a number of humorous if contrived situations, but they are funny enough to earn a chuckle or two.
I'll admit, my motivation for viewing the film was Bela Lugosi's name on the credits, but his screen time is sporadic and quite minor, even though third billed. His running gag consists of a tray of coffee purportedly laced with rat poison, which he and maid Matthews (Blanche Yurka) are unsuccessful in serving throughout the proceedings. Lugosi actually does appear to be having fun in the role, perhaps allowing himself time to relax while the top billed Haley goes through his paces.