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Movie Info & Details
Release Year1942
Runtime1h 00m
LanguageEnglish
CertificationNR
GenresMusic, Comedy
Votes4
DirectorEdward F. Cline
WritersStanley Roberts, Mel Ronson
TypeFeature Film
Rating5.3 out of 10
Cast8 credited
Also Known AsBehind the Eight Ball
About Behind the Eight Ball
The story takes place at a summer theater in the Berkshire Mountains, where heroine Joan Barry (Carol Bruce) is staging a Broadway-bound musical comedy. Only one problem: two guest stars are shot and killed on two successive evenings, right in front of the audience. Hoping to solve the mystery, detective William Demarest demands that everyone -- actors and theatergoers alike -- return the following weekend to restage the show. But with no major performer willing to assume the fatal guest-star slot, Joan is forced to hire the Three Jolly Jesters (Al, Harry and Jimmy Ritz), Manhattan washroom attendants with showbiz aspirations.
Directed by Edward F. Cline, Behind the Eight Ball leans on a strong ensemble — Al Ritz, Jimmy Ritz, Harry Ritz — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about music titles of 1942.
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