Cheating Blondes: A Dusty Old Mystery That's Mostly Just Neat

Is it worth your time?

If you're into pre-code mystery fluff, yeah, sure. It’s got that specific, snappy 1933 energy that doesn't drag on for three hours. If you’re looking for high-stakes noir or actual logical pacing, you're gonna hate this. It’s basically a soap opera with a body count.

The whole thing hinges on this reporter guy who is insufferably bitter about a rejection. He decides that because he can't have the girl, she must be a criminal. That’s not a hobby, that’s a red flag, buddy.

The Twin Thing

There's this whole business with the twin sister hiding in plain sight. It’s the kind of plot device that would never hold up in a real court, but here? It’s charming in a goofy way. Thelma Todd is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, honestly.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Cheating Blondes (1933) through its definitive frames.

There’s a scene where she’s trying to keep up the charade and you can just see the panic in her eyes. It’s not subtle acting, but it works for the pace of the thing. Some of the other folks in the cast feel like they wandered in from The Count of Ten just to fill out the background.

• The dialogue is sharp but occasionally falls flat.
• The pacing is so fast you might miss the actual point of the murder.
• I’m still not sure why that one waiter shows up twice in the same scene.

It’s weirdly similar in spirit to some of the stuff I saw in The Voice in the Fog. Not that it’s the same movie, but they both have that feeling of being filmed in a single weekend with nothing but a coffee machine and a dream.

Anyway, don't overthink it. It's a brisk, weird little flick that gets the job done. Just don't ask too many questions about the police procedure. Or the logic. Or the reporter's personal life choices. 🎞️