Murder, He Says

Not to be confused with another film, Murder, She Said, starring Margaret Rutherford.

Murder, He Says
Directed by	George Marshall
Written by	Lou Breslow Jack Moffitt (story)
Starring	Fred MacMurray Helen Walker Marjorie Main
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	1945
Running time	91 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Murder, He Says (1945) is a slapstick comedy film about a murderous rural family and the hapless pollster who becomes entangled in their hunt for a cache of money.

Plot

Peter Marshall (Fred MacMurray), who works for the Trotter Poll ("like the Gallup Poll, but not as fast"), is sent out to find a missing co-worker. He goes to see the last family the man was supposed to interview, the nutty, gun-toting Fleagles.

The matriarch of the clan, Mamie Fleagle Smithers Johnson (Marjorie Main), insists he pretend to be the boyfriend of jailed Bonnie Fleagle in order to gain the confidence of her dying grandmother (Mabel Paige). Grandma Fleagle has hidden $70,000 stolen by Bonnie and her now-executed father, but refuses to divulge where to her unwanted relations for a very good reason: she tells Pete that she has been poisoned by them. Before she dies, she teaches Pete a nonsensical song.

The Fleagles are sure Grandma told Pete where the money is hidden and keep him captive. Then, a woman claiming to be Bonnie shows up, also looking for the loot. When she gets Pete alone for questioning, she reveals she is actually Claire Matthews (Helen Walker). Her innocent father was maliciously implicated by Bonnie's father in the bank robbery. Pete wants to escape, now that they are alone, but Claire insists on staying. If she can retrieve the money, she can exonerate her father.

The Fleagles try to poison Claire at dinner, but Pete accidentally discovers that all but one of their plates have been poisoned (the poison glows in the dark); only the dish in front of Mamie's third husband, Mr. Johnson (Porter Hall), is safe to eat. Johnson slips away, but is soon found glowing and dead.

The uneasy situation is further complicated when the real Bonnie Fleagle (Barbara Pepper) breaks out of prison and comes for her money. She makes Pete sing the song and understands the seemingly meaningless lyrics. Pete gets away, and deciphers the clues hidden in the words, from which Claire finds a key to the safety deposit box. Soon, all of the Fleagles, including Mr. Johnson (who only faked his death), are chasing Pete and Claire through the various secret passageways of the house. Fortunately, the plucky pair are able to drop each of their pursuers into a hay baling machine, from which they emerge safely secured.

Cast

• Fred MacMurray as Pete Marshall
• Helen Walker as Claire Matthews
• Marjorie Main as Mamie Fleagle Smithers Johnson
• Jean Heather as Elany Fleagle, the harmless lunatic daughter of Mamie
• Porter Hall as Mr. Johnson
• Peter Whitney as Mert and Bert Fleagle, Mamie's half-witted twin sons
• Mabel Paige as Grandma Fleagle
• Barbara Pepper as Bonnie Fleagle

External links

• Murder, He Says at the Internet Movie Database
• Murder, He Says at the TCM Movie Database
• Murder, He Says at AllRovi