[Bounci]

The 3rd video and stage show from Murder at the Vanities (1934) is the one that caused the most rumpus among the Hayes Code brigade. As well as showing a bevy of nude girls in flowers, with only their hands to cover their modesty (and it's quite disconcerting that the 4th girl in the flowers looks like Gracie Fields!), the song being sung by Gertrude Michael during the act is a song called "Sweet Marijuana!" Among all this is a police investigation into murder attempts (led by Victor McLaglen), but he is more interested in checking out the showgirls. "Why don't you take your lamps off those dames and do some police work?" says stage manager Jack Oakie. "This IS police work," grins McLaglen. "Those babies look like they've got clues or something." And on spotting one girl he adds "Now there's a baby over there that looks suspicious and ought to be followed," before going over to one girl climbing up the steps just to ogle her backside! You also get to see Toby Wing in this video, while at the end of the act it even shows us the moment when one of the girls discovers a dead body. It's quite effective...