Edna May Oliver and James Gleason were perpetual supporting players teamed as leads in a series of mysteries. Oliver is wonderful as a vinegary schoolteacher with a nose for murder, and her banter with detective Gleason is terrific.The problem with this film is that it's two strong leads and some good dialogue in a story that makes less and less sense. The beginning is solid, as a man is murdered on an airplane, resulting in a small pool of murder suspects. Oliver looks for clues and makes deductions while Gleason pretty much arbitrarily suspects people and then is embarrassed when proof comes he was on the wrong track.Unfortunately Gleason's random suspect shtick gets wearying, and the solution to the crime is convoluted and unlikely, with some notable loose ends. It's still worth watching just for Oliver, but it's not really a very good movie overall.

Another fun Hildegarde Withers mystery starring the great Edna May Oliver. This is the third and final Withers film starring Oliver. She would be replaced by two other actresses in the other films. Those don't match up to the Oliver entries in the series but are watchable. The plot here is about Hildy flying on a plane when one of the passengers is mysteriously killed. When the plane lands Hildy wastes no time starting her investigation. She contacts Inspector Piper (James Gleason), who quickly comes to help. Oliver and Gleason are terrific, as always. Their banter and chemistry is the primary reason to watch these movies. Nice cast includes Leo G. Carroll and the lovely Lola Lane. Willie Best also appears in one of his stereotypical parts that will make some modern viewers uncomfortable.

This, and Penguin Pool Murder, are just plain fun and pleasant. Both are well written, surprisingly well photographed and edited. As I get older, I like less drama and more mystery, and more characters. Not a bad format for a TV mystery, like a light-hearted Columbo.I did not have an appreciation of James Gleason until viewing these two. He is often a minor character actor as is Edna May Oliver (sometimes Mae). Both fare very well as lead actors. It was fun to see a younger Leo G Carroll.These old movies give one a glimpse of early 1930's America, although perhaps an inaccurate one (it was Depression time). Murder on a Honeymoon shows Catalina Island offshore of Los Angeles in 1935 and of travel/commute by seaplane. It hasn't changed much except that the seaplanes are gone.

"Murder On A Honeymoon" is the last of the three film appearances of Edna May Oliver as schoolteacher and amateur sleuth Hildegarde Withers, and is in my opinion the best of the three films, mainly for the following reasons: a) Slightly improved production values, with the Catalina island providing a nice change of sceneryb) A more intricate plot, with several surprising plot developments (not just limited to "who-done-it")c) Two terrific supporting performances, by Dorothy Libaire (who, if IMDb is correct, is still with us at the astonishing age of 107!) and Lola Lane (whose character forms a rare bond of friendship with Miss Withers - usually, Inspector Oscar Piper is Miss Withers' only "buddy").And of course, Edna May Oliver and James Gleason put on their usual good show.I give this one **1/2 out of 4.