Wally ‘The Fox’ Benton (Red Skelton) writes and performs on a popular radio program where he solves crimes. His fiancé and co-star, Carol Lambert (Ann Rutherford) is tired of waiting for him to get time off so they can marry and go on a honeymoon. Wally finally gets the time off he needs.
Before they can make plans, Carol receives a package in the mail. Inside is a brooch in the shape of a beetle from one of her sorority sisters, Ellamae Downs (Diana Lewis). The brooch is a signal that tells Carol her friend is in trouble and needs help. Ellamae lives in Georgia with her uncle, Judge George Lee (Guy Kibbee) and the Judge’s daughter, Hattie Lee (Celia Travers). The Lees have an estate that includes an old Civil War era fort called Fort Dixon.
When Wally and Carol arrive in Georgia, Ellamae tells them that her boyfriend, Martin Gordon (Mark Daniels) has disappeared in the area of the fort and is believed to have been killed. Ellamae wants Wally to help in getting answers. Wally finds himself in the middle murder, mayhem, buried treasure and various murderous treasure hunters.
“Whistling in Dixie” was released in 1942 and was directed by S. Sylvan Simon. It is an American crime comedy film and a bit of a farce. The film is a direct sequel and the second of three ‘Whistling’ films produced that starred Red Skelton as the radio detective and amateur crime solver Wally ‘The Fox’ Benton. The other two films were “Whistling in the Dark” 1941 and “Whistling in Brooklyn” 1943.
Ann Rutherford reprises her role as Carol Lambert, the long-suffering fiancé. Also on board again is Rags Ragland. This time around he plays twins, Chester and Sylvester Conway. Sylvester was his character’s name in the first film, “Whistling in the Dark”. Chester is a reformed criminal but Sylvester, who had been sent to jail, escapes and makes his way to Georgia looking for help from his brother. Rags does a wonderful job.
The second of the ‘Whistling’ series is just as light and silly as the first film but has even more slapstick. Merry mix-ups and running jokes abound. The slapstick got a little repetitive after a while and slightly monotonous. Other than that, it was amusing and crazy enough to be fun.