Genius at Work

Genius at Work is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Monte Brice and Robert E. Kent. The film stars Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Anne Jeffreys, Lionel Atwill and Bela Lugosi. The film was released on October 20, 1946, by RKO Pictures.^[1][2][3]

Genius at Work
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Leslie Goodwins
Screenplay by	Monte Brice Robert E. Kent
Produced by	Herman Schlom
Starring	Wally Brown Alan Carney Anne Jeffreys Lionel Atwill Bela Lugosi
Cinematography	Robert De Grasse
Edited by	Marvin Coil
Music by	Paul Sawtell Roy Webb
Production company	RKO Pictures
Distributed by	RKO Pictures
Release date	October 20, 1946 (1946-10-20)
Running time	61 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

It was the last of eight films starring the Brown-Carney comedy team, as well as the final feature film appearance of Atwill, who died in 1946 while filming a serial.

Plot

Jerry Miles and Mike Strager co-host a radio mystery series, "Crime of the Week," with young Ellen Brent writing their scripts. What she writes about the kidnapping of millionaire John Saunders by someone called "The Cobra" is suspiciously close to the facts of the case.

It turns out that the radio station's owner, Latimer Marsh (Lionel Atwill), is the Cobra, assisted in his diabolical crimes by Stone (Bela Lugosi), his sadistic butler. Chloroform is used on Ellen when she gets too close to the truth and an attempt is made to frame her for the kidnapping and a murder. The bumbling and cowardly Jerry and Mike try to be of help to her in their own way, but Lt. Rick Campbell is the one who ends up saving them all.

Cast

• Wally Brown as Jerry Miles
• Alan Carney as Mike Strager
• Anne Jeffreys as Ellen Brent
• Lionel Atwill as Latimer Marsh / The Cobra
• Bela Lugosi as Stone
• Marc Cramer as Lt. Rick Campbell
• Ralph Dunn as Lt. Gilley

References

1. "Genius at Work (1946) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
2. "Genius At Work". TV Guide. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
3. Hal Erickson (2016). "Genius at Work (1946)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2014.

External links

• Genius at Work at IMDb

See also

1. The Thin Man Series - A collection of detective comedies featuring a husband-and-wife sleuthing team.
2. His Girl Friday (1940) - A fast-paced comedy centered around journalism and an impending execution.
3. Charade (1963) - Starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, this film is often called "the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made."
4. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - A comedy about a man who discovers his aunts are murderers.
5. Clue (1985) - A comedy-mystery based on the board game, featuring multiple endings and an ensemble cast.
6. A Shot in the Dark (1964) - Part of the Pink Panther series, it blends slapstick humor with a murder mystery.
7. The Ladykillers (1955) - A British black comedy about a group of criminals and an innocent old lady.
8. Murder by Death (1976) - A comedy that parodies traditional mystery films, featuring characters based on famous detectives like Hercule Poirot and Sam Spade.
9. The Big Lebowski (1998) - More of a crime-comedy, it's about a man who gets entangled in a kidnapping plot.
10. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - A dark comedy involving a petty thief, a struggling actress, and a murder mystery.
11. Fargo (1996) - A crime-comedy that revolves around a kidnapping scheme gone terribly wrong.