Genius at Work

1946
5.1| 1h1m| en
Details

Two actors who play detectives on the radio find themselves investigating a real crime masterminded by an arch-criminal named the Cobra.

Director

Producted By

RKO Radio Pictures

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Reviews

Ehirerapp Waste of time
Nonureva Really Surprised!
Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.
Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
htcnve The following two very entertaining comedy movies GENIUS AT WORK(1946 - Wally Brown, Allan Carney, Anne Jeffreys, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill - directed by Leslie Goodwins) Two radio detectives find themselves targets of a murdering fiend when their on-the-air recreations of the murders prove to be too accurate. The bonus film, GIRL RUSH, Wally Brown, Allan Carney, and Robert Mitchum, (1944 - directed by Gordon Douglas) is included free on the same DVD. Jerry and Mike (the comedy team of Wally Brown and Alan Carney), two vaudevillians stranded in San Francisco during the 1849 Sutter's Mill gold rush, strike it rich in a completely unexpected way. They decide to bring a musical revue top- lined by female entertainers to the womanless frontier town of Red Creek, an idea which is quickly endorsed by the local miners who view these shapely recruits as potential mail order brides. Success brings complications, of course, and Jerry and Mike's plans to buy a wagon train and return east to New York are constantly frustrated at every turn by crooked gamblers and assorted varmints though a friendly cowpoke (Robert Mitchum) often bails them out of trouble. In the end, it takes a huge street brawl to set everything right and bring the townspeople together in a united front. These two movies are available online on one single DVD. Visit: http://htcnve.wix.com/sale
gridoon2018 A lot of people are comparing the little-known today comedy team of Wally Brown and Alan Carney with the much more famous Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, and I can see the resemblance, though one crucial difference is that their relationship is never physically abusive; their put-downs to each other are frequent but strictly verbal. Brown and Carney may not be comedic geniuses, but they are quite funny in their own right. And they are surrounded by a strong supporting cast: Anne Jeffreys is a smarter-than-average female sidekick, while Lionel Atwill and Bela Lugosi make a great villainous team (I wish the identity of "The Cobra" hadn't been revealed so early, though). These two wisely play it straight - even when Atwill disguises himself as an old lady in a wheelchair! ** out of 4.
tmpj This poor excuse for a movie really ought to be ashamed of itself. The two comedians in the principal roles are about as funny as a ruptured spleen, and Atwill and Lugosi probably scared each other more than they scared the intrepid audiences who dared sit through this film. RKO sets a new low for itself. It's released some pretty shabby B-flix during its time, but this one stands out because it brings all of the trappings of a cheap, hastily done celluloid nightmare that you might expect from one of the poverty row studios...PRC, Tiffany, Mascot...you name it. "The Cobra" has struck again, leaving its murderous imprint upon the already burdened psyche of the city. The two "radio detectives" have a show that re-constructs what they call 'the crime of the week'. But the ne'er do well heroes along with Anne Jeffreys do so well that they step on the toes of the villains and they do not like it. It then becomes a matter of having to get rid of them because they feel it is only a matter of time before their villainy will be discovered along with their true identities. It was a ridiculous, tired plot...even then in the 40s. It may have been a good vehicle for better actors...but that is not the case here. It is so bad..nothing can save it. If...as I have read...this is remake of a Jack Oakie vehicle from the 30s, this is one time when RKO should have just let sleeping dogs lie...and this film is really a DOG ! I cannot and do not recommend it. Even though I love old flix, this one is a time waster.
MartinHafer Jealous of the success of Abbott and Costello at Universal Studios, RKO decided to create their own version of the team in the form of Carney and Brown. While the duo didn't bear much physical similarity to the other team, the writing for their films often seemed identical to those who wrote for Abbott and Costello.This film is rather reminiscent of the Abbott and Costello film WHO DONE IT? Both are about the duo working on a radio detective show and they actually get tangled up in a REAL crime--which they then solve on the air. However, since WHO DONE IT? came out four years earlier and featured the original comedy team, you are left wondering "why not just watch the original?". The bottom line is that this is a very competently written rip-off of the other film.Along with Carney and Brown, the film stars Anne Jeffreys and Bela Lugosi (who both starred with the team in ZOMBIES ON Broadway) as well as Lionel Atwill. Atwill comes off pretty good as the main villain, but Lugosi fans will no doubt be disappointed that Bela is given a subordinate and rather dull role in the film.