I'll give Alan Carney and Wally Brown credit for one thing; they are more amusing than Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo, the Martin and Lewis wanna-bee's of "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla". That is not saying much, but at least for a few years, they were under contract to RKO and starred in a series of forgettable B comedies. This is their last, and they get above the title billing supported by Lugosi and fellow horror movie veteran Lionel Atwill. A lovely young actress named Anne Jeffreys is also featured, and she's a private detective who works with Brown and Carney to try to catch a notorious kidnapper/murderer, only known as "the Cobra".
The funny bits come ironically from the two boogie men. Atwill and Lugosi make being evil a humorous pairing, and the idea of Brown and Carney outwitting them is preposterous. That leaves the future Marian Kirby of the" Topper" TV series to be the brains. A few funny visual gags come because of the serious way that Atwill and Lugosi play their parts. Lugosi gets laugh for simply being an unseen echo, reminding the audience of a talent beyond urbane villainy. More laughs also come from the statues made for the film as set pieces, upstaging the stars. The film goes into overdrive in the last five minutes with a Harold Lloyd like finale that does bring on some genuine suspense and thrills. Carney and Brown couldn't even be considered a second rate Olsen and Johnson but are surrounded by pro's who manage to hold the film together from becoming a total disaster.
The funny bits come ironically from the two boogie men. Atwill and Lugosi make being evil a humorous pairing, and the idea of Brown and Carney outwitting them is preposterous. That leaves the future Marian Kirby of the" Topper" TV series to be the brains. A few funny visual gags come because of the serious way that Atwill and Lugosi play their parts. Lugosi gets laugh for simply being an unseen echo, reminding the audience of a talent beyond urbane villainy. More laughs also come from the statues made for the film as set pieces, upstaging the stars. The film goes into overdrive in the last five minutes with a Harold Lloyd like finale that does bring on some genuine suspense and thrills. Carney and Brown couldn't even be considered a second rate Olsen and Johnson but are surrounded by pro's who manage to hold the film together from becoming a total disaster.