69min/Not Rated
Prose (Story): Based on the radio play "The Three Scratches", this lighthearted whodunnit follows mystery writer/detective Ellery Queen (Ralph Bellamy) and his outspoken assistant/secretary Nikki Porter (Margaret Lindsay) when Nikki's friend tasks the duo with finding out what happened to her ventriloquist father ... and the large fortune in jewels he'd brought with him from China, as an emissary, when the man and his dummy and the jewels all vanish soon after arriving in New York.
Don's (Review): This so-so comedy-mystery with way too convoluted a plot benefits from the comedic touches provided by Margaret Lindsay as the earnest but fumbling secretary ... while at the same time suffers from a very lackluster Ellery Queen in Ralph Bellamy, who all but fades into the background via the other actors/characters, who have more presence (and even screen time, in some cases). Playing more on an espionage story than a straight-up whodunnit, viewers are let in early on as to who the bad guy behind it all is, and while the film doesnt hit too hard on Asian stereotypes as most films of its day did (the presence of Anna May Wong, though she's not given too much to do, is definitely a highlight), overall the film just comes off as fluff - without even a particularly engaging mystery - that's okay while you're watching it, but easily forgotten soon after. 2.5/5 stars (NOTE: Link below is not just for the trailer, but the entire film.)
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