Dangerous Blondes (1943)

Dangerous Blondes wants to be The Thin Man, and if judged on those terms it falls quite short. However, if taken as just a light comic murder mystery, Blondes is really rather diverting. The mystery itself is perfectly acceptable; it's not the greatest puzzle ever created, but it works just fine. The dialogue has style and wit, even if it lacks some of the sparkle and pizzazz associated with the best of the Thin Man entries. The comedy is sometimes pushed a bit too hard, and the rivalry between the detectives and the Craigs is certainly something we've seen many times before and so lacks a bit of freshness. But the pacing is lively, and if Allyn Joslyn can't fill William Powell's shoes, he fills his own very nicely. Evelyn Keyes, looking like (and at times sounding a bit like) Ann Sothern does even better, making even some of the triter moments work to her advantage. The supporting cast is solid and dependable, and occasionally much more than that. All in all, a pleasant little way to spend an hour and a half. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide