NOTES: As a general rule, picturegoers and TV viewers don't like spoofs unless they are warned beforehand – in which case they probably won't watch the movie at all. The 1934 novel depends upon "Alice in Wonderland" for some of its scenes and characters, but the 1936 movie version goes the whole way. Republic made the mistake of publicizing the "Alice" connection in their initial pressbook. As a result, the movie was subsequently blackballed by most of the trade. It had no New York release and had to wait six months for a spot in Los Angeles.
COMMENT: Not so much a picturization of Ellery Queen's 1934 "The Chinese Orange Mystery", this flick is a take on Paramount's 1933 "Alice in Wonderland", with Miss Henry snugly and smugly repeating her part as the innocent abroad, while Eddie Quillan makes impotent if cheeky woo as the bungling knight. Alas, although the knight's role is little more than a cameo in "Alice", the writers here have mercilessly expanded the part, even though it meant treading on the lines of more capable players like break-your-heart Rita La Roy (a most engaging and super-attractively regal young duchess) and Kay Hughes' pleasing Cheshire Cat who, as we might expect, disappears from the action, alas, for long spells. We are left too often with Wade Boteler's far too bellicose Queen (which although rather cleverly based on the "Alice" Queen becomes rather monotonous when played on the one note for this length of time), and are also forced to suffer far too much tiresome comic relief from Tweedledum's Franklin Pangborn, although admittedly William Newell's occasional input as Tweedledee is just about right.
Worse still, Ralph Staub (who squeezed maybe a dozen feature assignments in between his excruciating "Screen Snapshots" series) has handled "TMM" in a mercilessly heavy-handed and thoroughly routine style that almost totally smothers every latent spark of wit in a screenplay that was none too promising to begin with. Photographer Jack Marta also follows the "Alice" line by smothering the sets with far too much light. Routine "B" production values don't help either. (Available in Mill Creek's 250 Mystery Movies Collection).
COMMENT: Not so much a picturization of Ellery Queen's 1934 "The Chinese Orange Mystery", this flick is a take on Paramount's 1933 "Alice in Wonderland", with Miss Henry snugly and smugly repeating her part as the innocent abroad, while Eddie Quillan makes impotent if cheeky woo as the bungling knight. Alas, although the knight's role is little more than a cameo in "Alice", the writers here have mercilessly expanded the part, even though it meant treading on the lines of more capable players like break-your-heart Rita La Roy (a most engaging and super-attractively regal young duchess) and Kay Hughes' pleasing Cheshire Cat who, as we might expect, disappears from the action, alas, for long spells. We are left too often with Wade Boteler's far too bellicose Queen (which although rather cleverly based on the "Alice" Queen becomes rather monotonous when played on the one note for this length of time), and are also forced to suffer far too much tiresome comic relief from Tweedledum's Franklin Pangborn, although admittedly William Newell's occasional input as Tweedledee is just about right.
Worse still, Ralph Staub (who squeezed maybe a dozen feature assignments in between his excruciating "Screen Snapshots" series) has handled "TMM" in a mercilessly heavy-handed and thoroughly routine style that almost totally smothers every latent spark of wit in a screenplay that was none too promising to begin with. Photographer Jack Marta also follows the "Alice" line by smothering the sets with far too much light. Routine "B" production values don't help either. (Available in Mill Creek's 250 Mystery Movies Collection).