''Fast Company'' is a 1938 mystery film starring

Melvyn Douglas Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy ''Ninotchka ...

and

Florence Rice Florence Davenport Rice (February 14, 1907 – February 23, 1974) was an American film actress. Early years Florence Davenport Rice was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the only child of the noted sportswriter Grantland Rice and Fannie Katherine ...

as married rare-book dealers who try to solve a murder case. It is based on the novel of the same name by "Marco Page" (

Harry Kurnitz Harry Kurnitz (January 5, 1908 – March 18, 1968) was an American playwright, novelist, and prolific screenwriter who wrote swashbucklers for Errol Flynn and comedies for Danny Kaye. He also wrote some mystery fiction under the name Marco ...

). It was followed by two 1939 films featuring the fictional couple, '' Fast and Loose'' and ''

Fast and Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a ...

'', though they were played by different actors in each. Apparently, cinema distributors were complaining about the time lag between

The Thin Man ''The Thin Man'' (1934) is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in a condensed version in the December 1933 issue of ''Redbook''. It appeared in book form the following month. A film series followed, featuring the main cha ...

movies, so

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

started this trilogy featuring married amateur sleuths. To avoid confusion with a 1953 MGM film of the same title, ''Fast Company'' was rechristened ''Rare Book Murder'' for television.

Plot

Joel and Garda Sloane run a rare book business in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. To supplement their meager income, Joel recovers stolen books. Insurance man Steve Langner drops off a check for his latest success. The couple also tries to help Ned Morgan, recently released from prison, find a job; they do not believe he was guilty of the theft of books from dealer Otto Brockler. Ned is in love with Brockler's daughter Leah. Eli Bannerman barges into Otto's office, despite the best efforts of secretary Julia Thorne. Otto is not pleased to see his business associate. He warns Eli that Joel is snooping around, but reluctantly agrees to take another shipment of fake

first edition The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed from substantially the same setting of type, including all minor typographical variants. First edition According to the definition of ''edition'' above, a b ...

s created by Sid Wheeler for $5000. Eli tells Sid that Otto only paid $2000. Incensed, Sid insists on going to see Otto to complain. That night, Otto is struck with a bust sitting on his desk and killed. Ned is the main suspect, especially since he was seen entering the office around the time of the murder. When Sid suggests that Eli might have killed Otto, Eli slugs him. Sid produces a gun, ends their partnership and takes Eli's wallet, full of cash. Joel begins seeing Julia, pretending to be attracted to her in order to try to obtain information. Julia eventually tells him about a secret compartment in the office which holds the books Ned supposedly stole, but Ned is arrested before Joel can notify the police. Meanwhile, Eli convinces Sid that Joel is after him, sure that he is the murderer. Sid shoots at Joel on the sidewalk, but Joel is only hit in the buttocks. Later, Eli kills Sid and takes back his money. Then he hires Danny Scolado and Paul Terison to murder Joel. The two knock Joel out, but do not kill him right away; instead, they tie him up and stash him at a hideout. Having seen how concerned Eli was, Danny talks him into paying more money. In the meantime, Joel frees himself and knocks Paul out. When Danny and Eli return, they spot Garda following them and take her prisoner. Joel is forced to give up his gun, but Garda manages to disconnect the lamp. In the confusion, Eli gets away, while the police arrive and take Danny and Paul into custody. Joel then goes to confront Julia. He has figured out that she killed her boss. Eli shows up with a pistol, but Joel manages to wrestle it away from him and hands him and Julia over to the police.

Cast

as Joel Sloan *

as Garda Sloan *

Claire Dodd Claire Dodd (born Dorothy Arlene Dodd; December 29, 1911 – November 23, 1973) was an American film actress. Life and work Dorothy Arlene Dodd was born on December 29, 1911, in Baxter, Iowa, to Walter Willard Dodd, a farmer whose family ...

as Julia Thorne *

Shepperd Strudwick Shepperd Strudwick (September 22, 1907 – January 15, 1983) was an American actor of film, television, and stage. He was also billed as John Shepperd for some of his films and for his acting on stage in New York. Early years Strudwick was ...

as Ned Morgan *

Louis Calhern Carl Henry Vogt (February 19, 1895 – May 12, 1956), known professionally as Louis Calhern, was an American stage and screen actor. Well known to film noir fans for his role as the pivotal villain in 1950's ''The Asphalt Jungle'', he was n ...

as Elias "Eli" Bannerman *

Nat Pendleton Nathaniel Greene Pendleton (August 9, 1895 – October 12, 1967) was an American Olympic wrestler, film actor, and stage performer. His younger brother, Edmund J. Pendleton (1899-1987), was a well-known music composer and choir maste ...

as Paul Terison *

Douglass Dumbrille Douglass Rupert Dumbrille (October 13, 1889 – April 2, 1974) was a Canadian actor who appeared regularly in films from the early 1930s. Life and career Douglass Dumbrille ( ) was born in Hamilton, Ontario. As a young man, he was employed ...

as Arnold Stamper, Ned's lawyer * Mary Howard as Leah Brockler *

George Zucco George Zucco (11 January 1886 – 27 May 1960) was a British character actor who appeared in plays and 96 films, mostly American-made, during a career spanning over two decades, from the 1920s to 1951. In his films, he often played a suave ...

as Otto Brockler *

Minor Watson Minor Watson (December 22, 1889 – July 28, 1965) was a prominent character actor. He appeared in 111 movies made between 1913 and 1956. His credits included '' Boys Town'' (1938), ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' (1942), ''Kings Row'' (1942), '' Guada ...

as Steve Langner * Donald Douglas as Lieutenant James Flanner *

Dwight Frye Dwight Iliff Frye (born Fry; February 22, 1899 – November 7, 1943) was an American character actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his portrayals of neurotic, murderous villains in several classic Universal horror films, such as R ...

as Sidney "Sid" Wheeler *

Horace McMahon Horace McMahon (May 17, 1906 – August 17, 1971) was an American actor. He was one of Hollywood's favorite heavies. McMahon began his acting career on Broadway, then appeared in many films and television series. In 1962, he received a P ...

as Danny Scolado (as Horace MacMahon)

Critical reception

Sky Movies Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema ...

wrote, "

nostalgia Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek language, Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", ...

fans will catch their breath at a list of suspects that includes some of Hollywood's most distinctive

character actors A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...

of the day:

Thurston Hall Ernest Thurston Hall (May 10, 1882 – February 20, 1958) was an American film, stage and television actor.Aylesworth, Thomas G. and Bowman, John S. (1987). ''The World Almanac Who's Who of Film''. World Almanac. . Pp. 186-187. Career Stag ...

and Horace MacMahon among them."

External links

* * * *

References

{{Edward Buzzell 1938 films 1938 romantic comedy films American black-and-white films 1930s comedy mystery films Films based on American novels Films directed by Edward Buzzell Films set in New York City Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films with screenplays by Harry Kurnitz American romantic comedy films American comedy mystery films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films