The Hidden Hand (1942)

A homicidal escapee (Milton Parsons) from an insane asylum goes to his wealthy sister (Cecil Cunningham) to hide. To protect him, she passes him off as her butler. In the meantime, she must deal with a gaggle of money hungry relatives and friends who hope to inherit her money. But she has a plan and then the bodies start to pile up. Based on the play INVITATION TO A MURDER by Rufus King and directed by Benjamin Stoloff (AFFAIRS OF ANNABEL). If you can stomach such sensitive subjects as murder and insanity treated as a zany comedy then this movie is quite fun. While I enjoyed it, I would rather have seen the farfetched plot treated much more seriously. The film moves along rapidly so you never have time to analyze the dubious plot but then again, one shouldn't dwell on a piece of entertaining piffle like this much. Just enjoy the nonsense! With Craig Stevens, Elisabeth Fraser, Julie Bishop, Frank Wilcox, Ruth Ford and Willie Best doing his patented "scared of ghosts" servant.