One scene shows Morgan having some fun with a waiter by making sugar bowls disappear and reappear.
The first time he does the trick it is cleverly executed, but the second and third time it is clearly accomplished with a camera effect instead of actual slight-of-hand.
Just the whole set-up alone seems ridiculously unbelievable, even if it is set up to be light-hearted entertainment in "The Thin Man" mold of complex situations. The world of mind reading and prophecy dominates the background of murder, set up by the light-hearted banter of mind reader Robert Young, paired with the beautiful Florence Rice, an almost forgotten leading lady of MGM's golden age, overshadowed by Garbo, Shearer, Crawford, MacDonald and Loy, seemingly second string among those legends.
As I've watched more and more of MGM's B pictures, courtesy of TCM, I've noticed that quite often they were mostly talk and no action. This is a case in point.
Back in the 1930s and 40s, a bazillion B-mystery movies were made. Some were quite good, others rather cheap and indifferent.
If Browning had the cast speaking any faster, this would have been a half hour film. A very convoluted third tier film.
This film rarity was the last film directed by Tod Browning, who directed Dracula (1931) and FREAKS (1932) as well as several Lon Chaney films. Sadly it turns out to be a surprisingly conventional murder mystery.
A genuinely offbeat mystery film from MGM, Miracles for Sale concerns Michael Morgan (Robert Young), a former stage magician who now makes a living selling illusions he creates for use in magic shows. He has also become dedicated to stamping out fake spiritualists, which leads him to meet Judy Barclay (Florence Rice), after which he becomes involved in an ingenious murder plot.
This was Tod Browning's last film and it got a good send-off. The budget was in the B bracket and the movie itself was somewhat stage-bound, but that's what the plot required and besides, Browning wasn't an "outdoor director" anyway.
A professional magician has retired from active stage performance. Instead he designs clever tricks and illusions which he later sells to other magicians.
Creative, underrated detective picture from MGM. The final film from Dracula director Tod Browning.
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