Just Off Broadway

1942 "That slick sleuth...Mike Shayne...is at it again"
6.1| 1h5m| NR| en
Details

Private detective Michael Shayne is on the case again, but this time he's stuck on a jury for a murder trial. So, what does he do? Why, he skips out on sequestration in order to solve the case himself!

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Reviews

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
bkoganbing Just Off Broadway an entry in the Michael Shayne film series has Lloyd Nolan sitting on a jury in a murder case where the beautiful Janis Carter is on trial for killing her fiance. How given his line of work he got on a jury is beyond me, but there he is.Things really get interesting when a witness tesitfying is killed with a thrown knife from the rear of the courtroom. Why the cops also can't come to the conclusion that only an expert could have made such a throw is also beyond me.Not particularly happy with how the defense is going Nolan when sequestered for the evening sneaks out and with Lois Lane like reporter Marjorie Weaver and in a few hours he gathers what evidence he needs to unmask the real killer. In terms of the criminal justice system this is all patent nonsense. But Nolan and the rest of the cast keep the nonsense moving along quite nicely with some snappy dialog. You won't believe who the real killer is.Phil Silvers abrasive comic style is put to good use as a nosy news photographer Nolan and Weaver have to keep dodging.In the end no good deed goes unpunished for Michael Shayne. Watch and see what I mean.
edwagreen How the jury system could allow a private detective to sit on a jury amazed me. In addition, since when are jurists allowed to question people on the witness stand? That was also amazing.Lloyd Nolan is great here and he even shows wonderful comedic skill, especially in the elevator scene when he talks like an Irish person playing a plumber.Imagine a witness for the defense is killed in the court while testifying thanks to a knife being thrown from the rear of the court.The film is devoted to the escapades of Nolan and Marjorie Weaver, his gal pal and journalist seeking to uncover information on the murder.Phil Silvers is in fine form, his usual comedic self, this time as a photographer attempting to shoot a picture of Nolan.
utgard14 Michael Shayne is serving on a jury when a key witness is murdered in front of everybody by a mysterious knife thrower. Despite the jurors being sequestered in a hotel, Shayne manages to sneak out to investigate. A decent B detective movie with a nice mystery and healthy dose of comedy. Lloyd Nolan is perfect in the role of Shayne and always a treat to watch. A trio of lovely starlets in this one: Janis Carter, Marjorie Weaver, and Joan Valerie. All three are pretty but Weaver has the best part as the reporter helping Shayne investigate. Good chemistry between her and Nolan. The rest of the cast includes Phil Silvers, Don Costello, and Richard Derr. Not one of the best of the series but a fine time-passer.
gridoon2018 ....as a jury member, mind you. And despite the fact that he's not getting paid by anyone, he takes it upon himself to clear the glamorous defendant Janis Carter from a murder charge. But to do that he has to sneak out of the hotel where the jurors are required to stay - and avoid a pestering freelance photographer. The murder plot is far too murky to fit into just 65 minutes, but the film has entertaining bits of comedy, some smart lines ("I tried counting sheep to go to sleep, but they got so tired that they couldn't jump the fence"), and a spirited sidekick for Shayne (Marjorie Weaver, in her third and best appearance in this series - in three different roles). The climax is either audacious or ridiculous, depending on your point of view: Shayne steps down from the jury box, shoves the lawyers aside and starts asking questions directly to the witnesses! The judge allows all this to happen, and THEN, after Shayne has solved the case, sends him to jail for contempt of court! Incidentally, the title has nothing to do with the film. **1/2 out of 4.