Wally Benton, "The Fox," master detective on radio, is about to go with his sweetheart to Niagara Falls in order to get married. Unknown to him, his valet has told a newspaper reporter that Benton is "Constant Reader," someone who has sent information to newspapers about murdered people and where to find their bodies, thus making the police look bad. The police are sure that "Constant Reader" is the murderer himself, since no one else could know all of the details. And so they begin a chase after Benton, a chase which leads to old abandoned warehouses and old abandoned mansions. Wally is being chased not only by the police but also by the real "Constant Reader." Can he save his girl, his assistant, and the reporter and solve the crime before either the villain or the police, who have been told to shoot on sight, kill them all? Radio crime show host "The Fox" finds himself on the trail of a serial killer while a suspect himself. If you like old-fashioned corny humor you'll love this. I'm hesitant to give a movie this silly, corny and stupid eight stars but I had to because overall it was fun to watch and provided a number of genuine laughs. In fact, some of the scenes were downright hilarious. A lot of it is innocent old-time slapstick and, if it entertains, it did its job.<br/><br/>This was my first look at early Red Skelton films (I had only known him through his TV show) and it reminded of some Bob Hope films except this one had more slapstick and action.<br/><br/>It inspired me to go out and buy other Skelton comedies on VHS but, unfortunately, none ever measured up to this one. The real star of film might not have been Skelton, anyway, as Rags Ragland, playing the chauffeur, had perhaps the highest percentage of funny lines. The baseball scene in here also was very good.<br/><br/>Yes, this is stupid, generally-speaking, but it's really entertaining. If only two people have reviewed it (as of my review) then apparently a lot of people haven't seen this. That's too bad, especially with the older crowd, because they've missed a funny movie. The third and final movie in the Wally "The Fox" Benton series starring Red Skelton. In this one, Wally and sweetheart Carol (Ann Rutherford) are still trying to get married. Their plans are interrupted by the police thinking Wally is a killer. So Wally, Carol, and Chester (Rags Ragland) all find themselves on the run from the cops. Along for the ride is a reporter (Jean Rogers) trying to get a story.<br/><br/>Red's funny as usual. Ann gets less to do and not as many funny lines as the previous two movies. Rags Ragland, the only constant in the series besides the two leads, is hilarious here. The scene arguing with the telephone operator is a hoot. Other highlights are the elevator shaft scene and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Good cast includes William Frawley, Henry O'Neill, Sam Levene, and Ray Collins. Each movie in the series had a second prominent female actress behind Ann Rutherford. This time it's the very likable Jean Rogers. This was Rutherford's last film on her MGM contract. She would continue acting for decades and even have decent roles in a couple of big movies. But, for the most part, her career trajectory started to decline after she left MGM. Which is a shame. It's a fun movie, better than the second but not as good as the first. Skelton fans will no doubt enjoy it.
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