Slightly Honorable

(1940)

74 minutes.

Film / Mystery / Comedy / Romance

Directed by Tay Garnett

Cast: Pat O'Brien, Broderick Crawford, Edward Arnold, Ruth Terry and Eve Arden

Greed, graft and corruption pollutes the city in director Tay Garnett's witty slapstick murder mystery, Slightly Honorable. Framed for the murder of party girl Alma Brehmer, honest lawyer John Webb (Pat O'Brien) crusades to prove his innocence while encountering all manner of hilariously corrupt big city denizens. A director comfortable in nearly any genre (be it the high comedy of China Seas, the heartbreaking romantic melodrama of One Way Passage , or the smoldering intrigue of the film noir classic, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Tay Garnett (1894-1977) infuses Slightly Honorable with his hallmarks: Frank sexual innuendo, a rich and witty visual style and finely drawn performances. He deftly manages to strike the right blend of humor and drama to Slightly Honorable. O'Brien, Crawford, and Arnold do well in very familiar roles to them.