I decided to watch a couple of older movies that deal with murder so I can get a few ideas for my new novel "1211". It's going to be to research this way; I love old cheesy movies anyway, and those that have murder as a theme make me smile. I'm not smiling because there's a murder, per se, but you know what I mean. There are always detectives wearing Fedora hats, and women with stupid expressions! I love it.
Universal Pictures put out a film in 1944 with June Preisser and others. The movie is "Murder in the Blue Room", and it didn't disappoint. It was cheesy, it was lame, it was one of the worst films out there in terms of actual acting, but let me just say I loved it. I'll recommend it to anyone who wants to spend an hour of their day watching dance routines, listening to old tunes, and trying to figure out the plot.
I'll admit, I knew who the killer was almost right away, but I didn't see some of the twists that were thrown at me. I didn't particularly like the "ghost" as he was not only faker than fake, he was just too - - well, lame. I can't find another word, even though I have already used it. The ghost was lame for sure. He's not needed or necessary, but he's there, and it does make you shake your head and giggle - - so maybe he did his part.
June Pressier is the smaller of the three "actors" who come and perform for the guests in the house. She is an amazing acrobat and performer. She used to dance in the streets to get money for her family back in the late '20s. Just such an amazing soul - - look her up on Wikipedia and learn something fun. Here's the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Preisser
When you have nothing else to do - - and you're not even writing a sequel to a murder book, you too can watch the movie on YouTube and just laugh a little. I'd suggest grabbing some popcorn and making a thing of it. Don't expect too much, OK? Don't think it's gritty, gutsy, or even glamorous. It's pretty...well, I shouldn't use the word "lame" again, but there it is. It's lame, but it's amazingly so. I loved it.
Now, I can come up with a few cheesy things for my characters in "1211" to do or say. I like having real inspiration and being able to credit it. I will too!! I'll write something in the book about the movie, even though the movie doesn't take place until 1944 and my book is placed around 1931...I can figure it out. I can make it happen. If nothing else, I'll leave a link in the back of the book - - and I guess I can leave it here too. Enjoy! ("Murder in the Blue Room")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsHnvXj22FU
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