HAUNTED HONEYMOON (1940) and Dorothy L. Sayers

I have to admit that I've never read one of Dorothy L. Sayers detective novels. She's one of those well-regarded mystery writers from the early 20th century that I've just not gotten around to yet. Every now and then I'm reminded that she's someone whose work I should examine more closely and then it slips away and I forget. But having now re-watched a film adaptation of one of her stories I have to say that I'm really going to have to bear down and find some of her work. 

There's a short film entitled THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF AGATHA CHRISTIE (2019) that popped up on the Flix network that I found incredibly amusing. It recounts the 1926 disappearance of Agatha Christie and recounts the details of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy Sayers becoming involved in the hunt to find the missing mystery novelist. It was quite amusing, painting the various men attempting to locate Miss Christie as oblivious dolts trying bizarre methods to solve the case. Dorothy Sayers comes off as the most level-headed investigator of the bunch and, indeed, is the one who manages to locate Miss Christie. This short has a touching scene between the two characters as Christie explains exactly why she would want to be missing and how they're going to fix the situation as it stands. I recommend checking this fun 24 minute film out if you can find it.

Having been reminded of Miss Sayer's work I decided it was time to re-watch HAUNTED HONEYMOON (1940) a film that I remembered enjoying quite a bit. The credits tell me that it's not only based on one of her novels but that she and a co-writer had actually turned this into a stage play (called Busman’s Holiday) at some point. The sharpness of the dialogue and the speed of the plot certainly give that credence as the entire movie plays like one of the best Thin Man movies never made. Robert Montgomery is smooth charm personified as Lord Peter Whimsy giving every line a just enough ‘english’ to have it bounce perfectly to his co-stars. Constance Cummings is excellent as his fiance/wife capable of more than holding her own in the verbal thrust and parry. I am informed that this film has little resemblance to the play as Miss Sayers wrote it and that, sadly, Mr. Montgomery never again played the character. That’s a shame.

I really much read some of these stories!