Better Late Then Never

A lot of fun.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The concept is good-a tenor singing in an opera production at the Hollywood Bowl is told by a fortune teller not to sing his aria the next day or he will die. Of course that is exactly what happens, and there is a long list of suspects: two mistresses, a Russian tenor who wanted the role, a maniacal composer whose composition the tenor wouldn't sing, the aggravated production director, and others. The police are called in to figure out how the tenor died and if it were foul play.A young policeman, his chemist girlfriend, and the clownish police chief all try to solve the mystery, if they can stop fighting one another. The movie has its laughs, but with an unfortunate-and least credible-resolution. But it was only meant to be a B movie, as other reviewers pointed out, so we shouldn't expect much.

It's opera night at the Hollywood Bowl and tenor Gino D'Acosta (Leo Carillo) has everyone mad at him: his understudy, the conductor, two women he's been leading on, an aspiring composer upset because Gino won't read his opera….It seems only a matter of time before somebody knocks Gino off. A fortune teller has already told him: "If you sing tomorrow night, you will die." The story's not real unique but it's performed with panache by a solid and colorful cast. Chester Morris is a fast talking police detective who strikes up a romance with cute scientist Madge Evans. Grant Mitchell is earnest as the tenor's doctor friend. Frank McHugh has some good moments as the singer's secretary who keeps belting out bits of opera, much to the annoyance of maestro H.B. Warner.The setup of various characters' motives is rather involved and there is a fair amount of music, as well, so the story itself moves somewhat deliberately. The complicated plot eventually arrives at a surprising (and unlikely) resolution.It's certainly not the best B mystery ever made, but MGM's production values, the somewhat unusual setting, and a fun cast make it very watchable.

...and annoying is the best way to describe tenor and opera singer Gino D'Acosta (Leo Carrillo). In the looks department he is a solid 5/10 yet in spite of that and his obvious lack of sincerity and subtlety he is a lady's man with two currently on a string, he has an understudy that badly wants his big chance, then there are the boyfriends (husbands??) of the girls he is stringing along, and a lunatic that wants to kill D'Acosta because he won't sing an opera he has written. So when D'Acosta dies on stage it is no surprise to the audience. On hand to solve the murder is the reason I - and maybe most people - hang around. That reason is Chester Morris as Detective Steve Farrell. He teams up with Dr. Adams' niece Toni (Madge Evans) who is a chemist and helps him analyze evidence. You see, at first it is thought D'Acosta was poisoned by some wine he drank before going onstage, but the autopsy proves that the poison was delivered while he was performing, and now it is a combination of Steve's detective work and Toni's forensic analysis that work to crack the case. Madge Evans is playing this role somewhat as a screwball comedienne Jean Arthur style, and the result is a good performance and good chemistry between herself and the always entertaining Chester Morris who plays this role as a good yet tough guy.So what's not so good about this film? Mainly the short running time combined with, IMHO, an excess of opera music. The time taken up by the opera music could have been used to beef up the plot a bit more. Still I'd recommend it for fans of B murder mysteries from the 30's and 40's and definitely for fans of Chester Morris.

Chester Morris and Madge Evans head an absolutely stellar cast (well, this was MGM - even their B movies were made with class and sophistication). This snappy murder mystery is set at the Hollywood Bowl, amidst Grand Opera and prima donnas!!The dress rehearsal of "Il Travatore" is not going smoothly - dancers have their mind on other things and the lead tenor, Gino D'Acosta (Leo Carrillo) has just been told by a fortune teller that if he sings tomorrow, he will die!! As he is temperamental, egotistical and a womanizer, there are no end of suspects. There is an unhinged composer, Bejac (J. Carroll Naish), a tenor eager to replace him, a jealous wife and an unhappy dancer who carries knives (Duncan Reynaldo). For a while Bejac is safely in custody, being driven to the local asylum but he manages to overpower his guards and is soon back at the Hollywood Bowl and at the top of the list of suspects. The conductor (H.B. Warner) proves to be pretty callous, the way he organises back up singers only moments after Gino meets his death.Chester Morris breezes through his role as the enthusiastic sleuth with his usual professionalism and Madge Evans makes a very attractive scientist. J. Carroll Naish adds another to his long list of superlative characterizations and one person you can definitely count on for laughs is Frank McHugh.This movie went through quite a few name changes - "Hollywood Bowl", "Murder Under the Stars" and "Murder in the Bowl". I actually liked the Opera and thought this movie had the perfect blend of music and murder.Recommended.