Having Wonderful Crime (1945)

In 1945 Carole starred in the screwball comedy Having Wonderful Crime. She plays Helene Justus, a ditzy newlywed who gets involved in a murder mystery while on her honeymoon. 20th Century Fox loaned her to RKO to make this low budget B-movie. George Murphy plays Helene's husband Jake Justus who helps her solve a crime involving a missing magician and a check for $50,000. She and George also costarred in the 1942 comedy The Powers Girl. The cast includes Pat O'Brien, Chili Williams, Carole was close firiends with Pat O'Brien and his wife Eloise. She and Pat had worked together before in Secret Command and A Slight Case Of Murder. Having Wonderful Crime was based on the book by Craig Rice. It was directed by Carole's friend Eddie Sutherland who would later be a pallbearer at her funeral.

 Carole with Pat O'Brien and George Murphy

The costumes were designed by Edward Stevenson. Having Wonderful Crime was made on location in Del Monte, Carmel, and Malibu Lake. Filming took place between April 25 and July 1, 1944. During this time Carole was having marital problems with Tommy Wallace and in May she was hospitalized after a suicide attempt. Having Wonderful Crime was released on April 12, 1945. The tagline for the film was "When a body meets a body...in a trunk". Unfortunately the movie was not a box-office hit. Although most of the reviews were mixed many critics said that Carole gave one of her best performances.

Carole and George Murphy