Behind the Eight Ball
Cast & Crew
Edward F. Cline
Harry Ritz
Al Ritz
Jimmy Ritz
Carol Bruce
Dick Foran
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
The crowd attending the second night of the new musical revue Fun for All at the Green Barn Playhouse arrives in great anticipation, as on opening night, the guest star of the show, Jack Daily, was murdered. The new guest star, Wally Raymond, is also shot dead during his first performance. McKenzie, the chief of police, orders that a third show be performed the following Saturday, featuring another guest act, in order to set a trap for the killer. Joan Barry, the producer and star of the show, and Bill Edwards, her boyfriend, however, tell McKenzie that no other act would dare appear in the show. Their contention is confirmed by New York theatrical agent Harry B. Kemp, who nonetheless sends the three to the "Club Royale" nightclub, where the amateur vaudeville trio, The Jolly Jesters, sneak on stage and perform their act. After being thrown out of the nightclub, the trio is approached by Kemp and, unaware of the danger involved, agrees to perform in the revue. Later, upon learning the truth, the three brothers attempt to run away, but they are caught by McKenzie and returned to the theater. Joan tells them they are free to go, but when they learn that the show may be headed for Broadway, the brothers agree to stay. That night, the three overhear some men discussing plans to set an explosion, in an attempt to drive everyone off the farm where the theater is located. After the explosion, the brothers tell Bill, who co-owns the farm with Joan, what they overheard, and he and the trio search the barn and theater for clues. In the middle of the show, McKenzie stops the performance and announces that Bill is the killer. The police chief then states that the explosion was caused by chemicals found in Bill's laboratory, and declares the case solved. Later, Bill, along with the three brothers, discovers a secret passageway backstage, which hides a shortwave radio. Back on stage, the brothers do their impression of Ted Lewis, using the clarinet of band member Clay Martin, which, unknown to the boys, has a gun hidden in it. Clay, afraid of being shot himself, confesses to the murders, and with the case finally solved, the show finally completes a performance and is a big success.
Director
Edward F. Cline
Cast
Harry Ritz
Al Ritz
Jimmy Ritz
Carol Bruce
Dick Foran
Grace Mcdonald
Johnny Downs
William Demarest
Richard Davies
Sonny Dunham
William Ruhl
Kernan Cripps
Lew Kelly
Russell Hicks
Jack Arnold
Johnnie Berkes
Claire Whitney
Ruth Lee
Emmett Lynn
Hal Belfer
Jane Cowan
Henry Hall
Eddie Coke
Forbes Murray
William Cabanne
Charles Sullivan
Jack C. Smith
Ethan Laidlaw
Duke York
Bob Barron
Mickey Simpson
Crew
Howard Benedict
Bernard B. Brown
Ted Cain
Sonny Dunham
William Fox
R. A. Gausman
Harold H. Macarthur
Bill Munro
Jack Otterson
Gene De Paul
Charles Previn
Eddie Prinz
Don Raye
Stanley Roberts
Stanley Roberts
George Robinson
Mel Ronson
Melville Shyer
Andrew B. Sterling
Ira S. Webb
Vera West
Maurice Wright
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Imagine them calling the show "Fun for All".- Jolly Jester
I'm glad we got out of there before they called it "Three Men in a Hearse".- Jolly Jester
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Off the Beaten Track. A Hollywood Reporter news item includes Alan Bridges in the cast, but he was not seen in the viewed print. Hollywood Reporter news items also state that John Mattison was assigned to the film as dance director, but Eddie Prinz was credited in that position by the onscreen credits and contemporary reviews.
