True Confession (1937)

Starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, John Barrymore, Una Merkel, Porter Hall
Directed by Wesley Ruggles
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A struggling novelist tries to get a regular job, but in so doing, ends up accused of murder, and her propensity for telling white lies puts her on trial with her lawyer husband defending her.

My friend Dan Day Jr. calls this a really strange movie, with the entire cast trying a bit too hard to be funny.  I'm forced to agree, as they're handcuffed by a script that isn't really amusing, especially when it delves into dark material.  There's some talented actors and comedians in the cast, but MacMurray who when paired with Lombard before has had real chemistry and fine comic timing, is hardly allowed to crack a smile in the movie.  Barrymore fares no better, playing an inebriated criminologist with a loose collection to the plot, who doesn't seem to fit into the story very well, and isn't given any particularly witty lines or comic bits, other than making silly noises with balloons.  That's also the problem for Merkel, who despite a good part as Lombard's gal pal, doesn't get any good material she can work with.  Lombard and MacMurray are still appealing leads, Edgar Kennedy gets to do a little of his slow burn act, and Porter Hall has some amusing moments as the over the top prosecuting attorney.  However, some lighter subject matter and a funnier script would have better served the film's stars.

The Mad Doctor Of Market Street (1942)

Starring Una Merkel, Lionel Atwill, Claire Dodd, Nat Pendleton, Richard Davies
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After a failed experiment that ends in murder, a reckless scientist flees the police aboard a doomed cruise ship, and is stranded with his fellow passengers on a South Seas island. 

An entertaining horror-adventure film from Universal, with Atwill in fine form as his typical sinister man of science, the picture also features a wonderful supporting cast, playing an amiable lot of characters stranded with Atwill.  Merkel and Pendleton in particular lighten up the proceedings with their usual comedic shtick.  It may not be a great film, but it's more than representative of the fun potboilers Universal was putting out for the better part of the decade.

The Bat Whispers (1930)

Starring Chester Morris, Chance Ward, Una Merkel, Richard Tucker, Wilson Benge
Directed by Roland West
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After renting the house of a prestigious banker, a lady and her housemaid are frightened by the appearance of "The Bat," a masked villain after a sum of money hidden in the house. 

According to Wikipedia, this film is reputed for being filmed in an early widescreen format and also as a possible inspiration for the creator of the comic book hero Batman.  I found it to be an interesting and well-filmed mystery, although it has probably a few too many characters to keep track of.  The camerawork in particular should be singled out, which is very dynamic for an early sound film, panning up buildings and through windows and following a police car as it darts in and out of traffic during a high speed chase.  Based on a story and stageplay by Mary Roberts Rinehart, and previously filmed by director West in the 1920s as a silent film, the spoken dialogue this time around benefits the comic moments in the screenplay, and gives Morris a fine showcase.  However, there's just a bit too many characters and too much going on to follow for my taste.