Perry Mason faced insurmountable odds to defend his clients. Phoenix Wright fought for justice amidst a colorful collection of crooks, con artists, and killers. John J. Malone...is still sleeping off last night's bender. Throughout the '30s and '40s, Malone was the antidote to all those crusading attorneys and amateur detectives who put themselves in harm's way for the sake of the innocent. In the pages of Craig Rice's many novels and short stories, the hard-drinking lawyer did all in his power to avoid responsibility, only to save the day by virtue of happenstance. This combination of mystery and farce became a hit with readers, and while the inevitable movie adaptations that ensued weren't as fruitful as those of Sherlock Holmes or even Hildegarde Withers, a handful of flicks did make its way to the silver screen. Warner Archive's John J. Malone Mystery Double Feature collection presents two of these pictures, one of which is a woeful letdown (that swaps out the name of our hero for no good reason), while the other finds far greater success in getting giggles out of people.

HAVING WONDERFUL CRIME (1945)

A guy, a girl, a goon held at gunpoint...and that's just the opening act! Scrapes such as these are no stranger to Michael J. Malone (Pat O'Brien), who's usually dragged into them by his pals the Justuses (George Murphy and Carole Landis). But the three just might have landed their craziest case yet, one involving a mystery girl (Lenore Aubert), a missing magician (George Zucco), and a trunk with a knack for attracting corpses. Right from the opening narration -- which assures us viewers of how "zany" the characters we're soon to meet are -- Having Wonderful Crime feels conspicuously confident in its own hilarity. However, the contrary swiftly reveals itself to be true, for the more this caper insists that its screwball antics are the bee's knees, the more the glaringly lazy contrivances fueling them are likely to be met with our unamused mugs. The trouble isn't so much with Malone's reluctant hero act as it is with the means by which he's thrust into peril, that being the Justuses lugging him around and generally coming off as inconsiderate jerks. The script shuttles our ensemble from one scenario to another with no real motivation, and because the film tries sweeping it all under the rug of madcap comedy, nobody comes out looking terribly likable or funny. The slapstick is tiring, the mystery at hand isn't engaging, and despite how well our trio of leads perform to the best of their abilities, their characters can't stifle the quipping long enough for us to care about them or the danger they face. Although it contains a few choice zingers that hit the spot, Having Wonderful Crime tries way too hard to force its charm, ending up the sort of flick that mistakes being loud for being witty.

MRS. O'MALLEY AND MR. MALONE (1950)

By his own admission, John J. Malone (James Whitmore) can't afford the sales tax on a stick of gum. He's beyond broke, which is why he hops aboard a train to shake some cash from a client (Douglas Fowley) who's trying to skip town. But when someone bumps off said fink and frames Malone for the deed, our man teams up with a radio contest winner (Marjorie Main) to sniff out the real killer. Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone has a more solid grasp on Rice's creation than Having Wonderful Crime -- and, thusly, is a more organic, satisfying, and fitfully funny mystery farce. The picture isn't at all skittish about Malone's loutish nature, as it's used to inform both the comedy and the way the story unfolds. Our protagonist is driven by pure selfishness, and it's just a hoot seeing him begrudgingly grow something resembling a conscience as he attempts to clear his name. Whitmore delivers exactly the kind of affable scoundrel that his role calls for, but Main also hits a home run with her delightful heroine, a tough old gal and sucker for pulp thrillers who jumps at the chance to help Malone round up a baddie. The whodunit aspect is lax to the point that you'll probably have long forgotten the murderer's place in the plot by the time their identity is revealed, but if anything, the whole mess wraps up in a surprising fashion that suits the movie's unconventional MO to a tee. Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone was intended as the first chapter in a whole series of comedies featuring Whitmore and Main sleuthing up a storm, and while such plans unfortunately never came to fruition, at least we got one crack-up of a collaboration out of it.

(John J. Malone Mystery Double Feature is available from the Warner Archive Collection.)