sprightly comedy mystery that hold up thanks mainly to brian aherne expert fumble with petty annoyance . all in all and he cook roast about as well a he open door and that be and not without considerable practice . he suppose to be a mystery writer and but a a real life sleuth and he about as effective a an american clouseau . i think i detect some subtle spoofing of the many amateur detective of the period ( ellery queen and the saint and boston blackie and et . al . ) . and it doesn not hurt that charlie chan ( sydney toler ) turn up a a police inspector . watch jeff ( aherne ) get deck in a fight and get about every clue wrong and get weak at the sight of a corpse and and generally behave like the anti sherlock . good thing he back stop by gorgeously competent wife nancy ( loretta young ) . a the charmingly inept jeff and britisher aherne be simply superb and and and i would think and at the apex of his american career . also and it appear the concept may have start off a a stage play since the action be mainly confine to jeff and nancy dingy apartment . however that may be and the support cast be a collection of lively and familiar face and especially hollywood favorite dumb cop and rubber face donald mcbride ( bolling ) and along with the grandly smitten furniture mover james burke . the fractured event all move at a sure hand pace thanks to veteran comedy director richard wallace . my one complaint be that good use be not make of the best dragon lady of the period and gale sondergaard ( mrs. devoe ) and who often sinister enough to scare the stitch off frankenstein neck . here however she play it fairly boring and straight . anyway and it a nifty little comedy with a good mix of laugh and chill and and i expect war weary audience of the day ( 1942 ) find it great escapist entertainment that hold up well and even today . ( alsobe sure to catch the amusingly apt very last frame . ) .