The Hat Box Mystery movie backdrop
The Hat Box Mystery poster

The Hat Box Mystery

Like-a-Jack-in-the-Box----Murder jumped out and claimed its Victim!

4.5 / 1019470h 44m

Synopsis

Susan Hart, assistant to private detective Russ Ashton, is given a camera concealed in a hat box and assigned to take a picture of a woman. A gun is accidentally hidden in the box and the woman is killed. Susan is charged with murder, but Russ and his less-than-useful associate, Harvard, get on the case.

Genre: Crime, Comedy, Mystery

Status: Released

Director: Lambert Hillyer

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Main Cast

Tom Neal profile

Tom Neal

Russ Ashton

Pamela Blake profile

Pamela Blake

Susan Hart

Allen Jenkins profile

Allen Jenkins

'Harvard'

Virginia Sale profile

Virginia Sale

Veronica Hoopler

Leonard Penn profile

Leonard Penn

Stevens, aka John Moreland

Olga Andre

Marie Moreland

Tom Kennedy profile

Tom Kennedy

Policeman Murphy

Al Hill profile

Al Hill

Flint

Edward Keane profile

Edward Keane

District Attorney

Zon Murray profile

Zon Murray

Joe

User Reviews

CinemaSerf

Pamela Blake is "Susan", the assistant to PI Tom Neal ("Russ") whose business has rather hit the skids. Whilst he is away, she takes on a case trying to prove infidelity and using a hat box that, ostensibly, conceals a harmless camera she follows her target. Unfortunately, her snaps have a fatal consequence and she is charged with murder. It falls to "Russ" and his hapless helper "Harvard" (Allen Jenkins) to get to the bottom of it before "Susan" is toast. It's all just a routine B-drama with little jeopardy or menace, but it does have quite a few quite engaging scenes between "Harvard" and waitress "Veronica" (Virginia Sale) who offers him her body but he'd rather have a goose-burger.... It's short and sweet, and though pretty unremarkable, it does pass 45 minutes easily enough.

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