What a delightfully, harmless, innocent, fun movie discovery! Every once in a while, we give up trying to find some new movie we haven't seen that will grab us and hold us until the end. Usually, we come up terribly empty. And then...You find THIS movie. It is no blockbuster. But why must every movie be one? I came upon this movie tonight on YouTube and was so pleasantly surprised at the whole thing.The stars are hardly on the tips of our tongues except the wildly amusing and very posh CONSTANCE COLLIER. I don't know what it is about this actress, she delights me at every turn. There are others like the perennial old man, character actor, Clem Bevans! It's amazing how a man at only 63 could play the same part in movies for so many years...but there were such talented men, many years ago.I recommend this movie if you are looking for a fun, Saturday afternoon movie to enjoy. You won't need to scratch your head at this comedy-murder-mystery, just delight in the entirely implausible plot and you will be handsomely rewarded with an hour of fun!

This movie has a number of things going for it, not the least of which is the fact that while it is not stingy on production values, it runs less than an hour. It's also one of a mere half-dozen features directed by super-prolific comedy shorts director, Al Christie. The ingratiating star, Heather Angel, acquits herself well, and there's no doubting the sincerity of a large support cast including John "Dusty" King, Constance Collier, Clem Bevans and Walter Catlett. Based on a reasonably amusing story by Dalton Trumbo, the screenplay certainly strains credulity, but it has enough amusing twists to keep us on our toes, and it never runs out of puff. Admittedly, Heather Angel makes an ideal distraction, but the other players prop up the screenplay admirably too. And for all its lack of pretentiousness, the thin story also breezes along at a praiseworthy pace, despite a plot housed with plentiful people, plus a playfully pleasant precociousness that makes DVD viewing a fervent pleasure.

Heather Angel was an exquisite actress who just seemed to slip through the cracks. By the time of "Half a Sinner" she was quite at home playing young heroines in light hearted mysteries. But her career had started out differently - she was the wistful and lovely girl Leslie Howard loved when he went back in time in "Berkeley Square" (1933). Over the next couple of years she played a mousey murderess in "Springtome for Henry" (1934) and a "sorrowing sister" in "The Informer" (1935) and then nothing more of note. She did become "the girl" in the Bulldog Drummond series and she was remembered (by me) as being quite feisty and intelligent - unusual for those types of roles!!A prim school teacher has a secret desire to kick up her heels and leave her small town behind her. She does the next best thing - buys some silk stockings, a new hat and goes on a spree for the day. She gets some unwanted attention from a hood, "Handsome", and in her haste to escape, pushes him over and steals his car. Unbeknownst to her, there is a body in the back. She picks up a hitch-hiker, whose car has broken down, and a romance begins. Larry (John "Dusty" King) soon discovers the body but when a policeman starts chasing them, Anne is more concerned about the car being stolen - she doesn't know about the body!!Heather Angel is great as Anne - she really gets into the spirit of the film. Another great player is Constance Collier as the dowager whose chauffeur takes the wrong car. She really livens up the last part of the movie. Henry Braddon plays "Handsome". The original story is by Dalton Trumbo.Recommended.

Comedy noir would seem to be a contradiction in terms, but there are in fact movies in this vein that deserve serious attention, particularly The Ladykillers (1951). A much lesser entry, however, is Universal's 1940 release, Half a Sinner, in which a none-too-flatteringly photographed and costumed Heather Angel is pursued not only by comic cops and comic crooks but by smiling bland man, John King. The second last of over 400 films (many of them shorts) directed by comedy giant, Al Christie, this Trouble with Harry/Midnight Manhunt effort is somewhat repetitious but pleasant enough to talk during and even come late for. The players do what they can with their something-borrowed (cf. the overcoat device in Manhattan Melodrama), something-thin material, but only Clem Bevans, Tom Dugan, William B. Davidson and ever-reliable Constance Collier really shine.