Shirley Holmes is named after the famous sleuth of Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle fame. This might be enough for any
girl to bear, but in Shirley's case the name is ideal. She's
a fanatic on the subject of mystery and crime. Her big
chance comes when the threatening housemother in her
dorm is found dead under peculiar circumstances. The correct
procedure would be to call the police, but Shirley is
determined to solve the crime herself and promptly locks
all the girls in the communal study.
The "suspects" include
Melanie, the professional "Southern belle"; Sniffles, the
hypocondriac; Theda, the world's "greatest undiscovered
talent"; and Fifi, an exchange student whose biggest battle
is understanding the English language. And, of course,
Shirley has a noble assistant in "Dotty" Watson who is
delighted to write everything down in her "memoirs."
Shirley's sleuthing is hilarious and causes something of a
scandal as she unravels the laugh-provoking "heinous
crime." The acting roles give excellent opportunity for
characterization.