The Phantom of 42nd Street (1945)

Tony Woolrish (Dave O'Brien) is a theater critic thrust into the role of crime reporter. At first he resists, but as the bodies pile up, he realizes the theater is the common thread behind a series of murders. With the help of his trusted cab-driving friend Romeo (Frank Jenks), he sets out to unmask a killer.Recently, I've watched a good number of low-budget mysteries from the 30s and 40s. The Phantom of 42nd Street is easily (and it's not even close) the worst of the bunch. While there are a few elements of the plot that appealed to me, the movie has way too many problems. The direction is terribly uninspired, leading to an overall dull movie. The sets have that cheap look I associate with the worst of the Poverty Row films. Lighting is non-existent. The acting is hit or miss at best. O'Brien is actually pretty good in the lead role. But at the other end of the acting spectrum, Edythe Elliott gives one of the worst performances I've seen lately. Her delivery is just so stilted and unnatural. Finally, I have an issue with the movie's finale. Agreeing with another comment on IMDb, I've gone back and watched the ending twice and I still can't tell you whodunit. It's a very poor ending to a very unappealing movie. A 3/10 from me.

The Phantom Of 42nd Street from PRC is a not too bad murder mystery of a group of people connected to a theatrical company. Theater critic Dave O'Brien is on the job reviewing a play when the first murder is committed. He gets drafted into the job of covering this and the other murders as they are committed. The ultimate target seems to be Alan Mowbray who is the actor/manager of the company and his daughter Kay Aldridge.It all goes back to some dirt done the murderer many years ago by many members of the company both in front of and backstage. The culprit has gone quite nuts about it, no doubt fixating for many years on how he would do the job. It is a he, I'll give that much away.Having a critic be a detective is an intriguing plot premise. Surprisingly the cops seem to warm up quickly to the outside help they're getting unlike in so many of these mysteries.At a major studio this might have been a minor classic with a lot of the holes in the plot not existing. Still for a PRC film it's far from the worst I've seen.

Dave O'Brien is the surprise lead in this mystery - made in between his roles of "Mr Everyman" in the Pete Smith Specialities series. He plays drama critic, Tony Woolrich, who has reluctantly gone to review a new play starring Claudia Moore (Kay Aldridge) in her stage debut. Alan Mowbray, with his perfect diction and superior air is ideal casting as Cecil Moore, Claudia's renowned father. After the performance her uncle is murdered and Tony is sent to interview the Moores.Another murder is discovered - a nightwatchman and the killer leaves a note that seems to imply that he is connected with the stage. Tony thinks someone is trying to kill Cecil and traces the clues back to a play "Captain Kidd" (the nightwatchman had originally been a stage electrician in Cecil Moore's old repertory company. The star back then was Doris Hill, who under an assumed name now runs a boarding house. Tony thinks she knows something and she does - Claudia Moore is her daughter but Claudia doesn't know who her mother is!!! Doris knows other things too and is able to help Tony piece together the mystery.There is obviously a few minutes cut out at the start - but it is still easy to follow. I figured out the killer long before Tony!!!Beautiful Kay Aldridge was given a rare leading role in this, her last film. Although she had been around since the late 30s, usually playing decorative roles, her main claim to fame was as Nyoka, the Jungle Girl. She took over the role in the serial, when the original Nyoka (Frances Gifford) went on to bigger things.Recommended.

A haughty theatre critic is co-opted by his editor to investigate a sleazy backstage murder. Reluctant at first, he warms to the task through the enthusiastic prodding of his Shakespeare-loving, cab-driver sidekick and his developing interest in the aristocratic young lady involved in the case. For the Charlie-Chan-like climax, he sets up an audition of Julius Caesar, hoping to lure the murderer into all-to-realistically participating in the assassination scene. Imagine what a breezy and biting satire Hecht and MacArthur could have made of that premise. Unfortunately, the idea ended up at lowly PRC studios, which assigned the picture to Albert Herman, one of the most inept directors in history. At least Ed Wood and Andy Milligan had some flair and energy (no matter how misguided), but Herman just contributed dullness to all he touched (coincidentally, the final plot revelations have some ingredients in common with Wood's "Jailbait"). Thankfully, the cast of B-movie stalwarts makes the entire outing at least watchable. Prolific Dave O'Brien cops a rare leading role, and although disappointingly subdued, he elicits intelligence and charm throughout (unfortunately, he's now best remembered for his giggly emoting in "Reefer Madness" and not his many fine comic character turns in both features and shorts).