User reviews

This film truly is a Hollywood story, employing real actors from the silent period and filmed on real locations throughout Hollywood and Los Angeles. There are views of buildings up and down Hollywood Blvd., including Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Roosevelt Hotel, Charlie Chaplin Studios on La Brea Ave., the Sunset Strip, Universal Studios, and the Hollywood Christmas Parade. It appears that more silent film stars shot cameos than actually made it into the film, but it still salutes and highlights the early days of Hollywood. Art direction is top notch, the acting is fine, and the story is really entertaining. The mystery is well thought out and keeps you guessing until the end. This is much more serious and top notch than the typical William Castle film.

Producer Richard Conte comes to Hollywood to make his next picture. While he's figuring out a subject, he rents an old studio. The guard tells him about a director murdered at the dawn of sound, still unsolved. Conte decides that will make a terrific picture. High school friend and now Hollywood agent Jim Backus hates the idea, as does Conte's partner Fred Clark. Julia Adams, the daughter of a movie star with whom the dead man was linked, asks him to drop it. Even police detective Richard Egan comes by to quiz Conte and tell him it's a terrible idea. conte persists, even hiring the dead director's washed-up screenwriter, Henry Hull. Then there is another murder...

It's a canny, nostalgic movie directed by William Castle, who knows how to evoke old Hollywood without getting trapped in antiques. The studio that Conte rents is Chaplin's studio, and there cameos for a Betty Blythe, a Francis X. Bushman, and William Farnum. The mystery, although far from the William Desmond Taylor murder that inspired it, is nicely constructed, with some decent red herrings. It's a fine example of the unassuming picture that does everything you so right that that it becomes a minor masterpiece.

Supposedly based on a real unsolved Hollywood murder, Hollywood Story tells the story of film director Larry O'Brien (Richard Conte), who's leases on old, abandoned studio for his next movie. The studio was the scene of an unsolved murder and O'Brien decides the story would make a good film. As he starts poking around and asking questions about the murder, it becomes apparent that someone doesn't want the film made. After a couple of attempts on his life, O'Brien realizes that he's on the right track to actually unmasking a killer.

Overall, I found Hollywood Story to be an entertaining film with an interesting plot, good acting, and nice production values. More of a mystery than a true film noir, there are plenty of plot twists to keep things interesting throughout the 77 minute runtime. The "old" Hollywood locations are a nice touch and add to the film's authentic feel. As expected, Richard Conte is rock solid in the lead. It was great seeing him play the good guy for a change. It was also nice seeing Julie Adams in a film where she's not being stalked underwater. As much as I love her in Creature from the Black Lagoon, it's odd I can't remember seeing Adams in much else. The supporting cast (Jim Backus, Richard Egan, Fred Clark) add a lot to the experience. And special mention to the cast, particularly cinematographer Carl Guthrie. I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but these Universal films from the 1940s look so good. Absolutely beautiful.

Finally, I need to mention director William Castle. Until just recently, I only knew Castle from his 1960s era horror output. I really enjoy many of these movies like House on Haunted Hill, Homicidal, and I Saw What You Did. But, as I'm learning after watching Hollywood Story and Undertow, there's so much more to Castle than I imagined. He made a load of films prior to the 60s just waiting for me to discover. How fun is that!

7/10.

Saw this movie as a kid, watching " The Late Show, " which was always a great old b/w movie. Years later, read about the murder of William Desmond Taylor and thought this hit awfully close to home. Taylor was a director of some note in early Hollywood, but also known to be quite the ladies' man. He was murdered in his apartment and the case was never officially solved. After his murder, the career of Mary Miles Minter, a well known Hollywood starlet was pretty much in ruins, due to several pieces of her personal belongings found at the scene of the crime, which is interesting, as studio bigwigs were called to the apartment before the police were called. Also interesting was the rumor that his now missing valet / butler / chauffeur was in reality his brother. The deceased Tayor was not who he appeared to be - he had long before abandoned a wife and child and re-invented himself. Years later, the famed Hollywood director King Vidor became interested in the mystery and worked on it for some years. His efforts were detailed in a book called " A Cast Of Killers, " well worth the read.

This movie is a double tribute to the old silent Hollywood era. First because the topic is a mystery oriented scheme and looks very like many late twenties and early thirties movies. There were many mystery tales during this period, the early talkies. The second element that makes me say this film is a tribute to the old Hollywood is the topic itself, concerning a crime commited in 1929 when the movie takes place in the fifties. You see the old shooting lots, old stars such as William Farnum and a couple of other silent era stars as cameo appearances. This kind of movie in the early fifties is rare,but in the seventies, there were some TV movies also evoking old stars in the SUNSET BOULEVARD scheme, and unsolved murder mysteries. A good unusual and brilliant topic for an Universal Studios production, with for once Richard Conte in a non gangster nor hard tough cop role.

My position is exactly the same as that of bsnmsn. I saw this on "The Late Show" (for me, a locally-operated movie slot following the post-prime time news), where I saw numerous great, old films. Then, years later I learned about the William Desmond Taylor murder and recognized the parallels to this movie. Just couldn't be coincidence. I think I've seen "Hollywood Story" once since then, either on local TV in the late 70s to early 80s, or on a cable channel (TBS, WGN, WOR) in the early 80s. I keep scouring the listings of Turner Classic Movies for it, but so far no luck. BTW, I gave it a 7 out of 10, dropping a little because I remember it as looking somewhat low-budget; it IS an early William Castle effort.

I got this film because I like 40s/50s mysteries, because I like Richard Conte, and because it was directed by William Castle and thus HAD to be interesting. Actually, it is an excellent little mystery. New York-based producer Conte comes out to LA to make some films and rents an old studio building that hasn't been used since the silent era (which was only 22 years ago at the time of this film). The last year of silents, 1929, a major silent director was killed at the studio, and the case has never been solved. Conte decides to research the director and the murder for a film plot--he digs up a few of the people who worked at the studio and learns more about the mystery... while a new mystery starts to develop and the guilty party from 1929 starts to cause trouble again. It's as cleverly plotted as the best Columbo or Perry Mason episode, and Conte as always is powerful and sympathetic. He was one of the great post-WWII stars and his work should be revived today--watch THE BROTHERS RICO sometime! Great supporting cast with Jim Backus, Richard Egan, the lovely Julie Adams, and silent star and 30s independent-film regular William Farnum. It's always good to be pleasantly surprised by a film that delivers much more than you expected, and this is such a nice little mystery. It's not on video or DVD, but keep your eye out for it.

This is another film I think is incorrectly billed by YouTube as a film noir. In fact it's an intriguing, well-made mystery, made by William Castle in the first phase of his career. From 1943 to 1956 he made a string of B movies: having seen this one and "When Strangers Meet" (1944, with a young Robert Mitchum) I'm keen to see more. After a couple of years in TV Castle made "Macabre", the first of the horror films which he advertised using outlandish marketing techniques, and it's for these, and his producing of "Rosemary's Baby" that he's best known.

"Hollywood Story" was made the year after "Sunset Boulevard", which had revived interest in the silent era. While Gloria Swanson and von Stroheim had leading roles in "Sunset" the old stars who appeared in "Story" (I confess I'd only heard of Francis X. Bushman) had the briefest of walk-ons, as themselves. While the screenwriter in "Sunset" was handsome young William Holden, the one in "Story" is played by Henry Hull as a drunken wreck, living in squalor, who hasn't written a film since the coming of sound, so has never written dialogue, which makes you wonder why the hero hired him. Fred Clark, BTW, was in both films, and Swanson's character was called Norma Desmond, combining the names of silent movie director William Desmond Taylor and his lover Mabel Normand, one of several people suspected of his murder in 1922, which remains unsolved to this day.

Independent producer Larry O'Brien arrives to make his first Hollywood film and on a tour of the old studio he plans to use becomes fascinated by the story of the murder of a silent movie director called Franklin Farrara who was killed in a bungalow on the lot. He wants to film the story, but to do that he must solve the mystery. People try to dissuade him, including one who takes a shot at him. Richard Conte may be ethnically incorrect casting as Larry O'Brien (Edmond O'Brien, also big in 1951, would have been more appropriate) but he makes a very personable hero, and Richard Egan is wonderfully laid-back as a sympathetic cop: in those days actors playing cops worked hard at being tough and unsmiling. There's admirable support from Clark, Hull, Jim Backus and Houseley Stevenson, and the photography is excellent.

All in all a most enjoyable film. A bit naughty, though, to pretend that the fictional Farrara directed the 1925 Lon Chaney "Phantom of the Opera" and that the heroine's mum was Chaney's co-star. Still, Rupert Julian was dead and Nora Philbin had been a recluse ever since the coming of sound and probably never saw "Hollywood Story."

Richard Conte plays Larry O'Brien, a New York-based film producer who moves to California to make his first L. A. picture. There, he becomes obsessed with the legend of an unsolved murder. Silent film director Franklin Ferrara was killed in his studio bungalow, and over 20 years later, the culprit remains unrevealed. Larry hopes that by producing a film on the subject, he can bring this cold case back into the light.

With a top supporting cast including the lovely Julie Adams, Richard Egan, Henry Hull, Fred Clark, Jim Backus (whose agent character also narrates the story), Houseley Stevenson, Paul Cavanagh, Peter Brocco, and Katherine Meskill, this Tinseltown mystery is no great shakes, but it entertains quite well for a decently paced 77 minutes. It offers no major surprises, up to and including the identity of the killer, but it keeps the viewer engrossed, and director William Castle does a fine job of creating that classic Hollywood feel. That's complete with brief cameo appearances by Francis X. Bushman, Betty Blythe, William Farnum, Helen Gibson, and Joel McCrea, who all play themselves.

Overall, the movie is a nice, atmospheric mix of nostalgia & suspense, and is sure to entertain audiences who favor this "Old Hollywood" era. Conte makes for a personable lead, playing a savvy, stubborn (he's not to be deterred from his mission) man with deductive abilities to rival that of the actual detective on the case (Egan). Good fun.

Seven out of 10.

Anyone want to see Richard Conte as the good guy? There aren't too many movies to fit the bill, so you might want to rent Hollywood Story if you're a fan of his. He stars as a movie producer interested in making a movie about a real-life Hollywood scandal. Back in the silent era, an unsolved murder stopped the careers of an actress, a director, and a writer. Richard actually hires the writer, now unemployed and living in squalor, to create the screenplay!

Henry Hull, the writer, is very funny in this movie. He starts off unshaven, broke, and sleeping in a hammock, but when he thinks his career has been revived, he dresses to the nines and changes to an affected accent. Director Fred Clark isn't too keen on making the movie, and neither is policeman Richard Egan. With so many obstacles in the way, Richard soon finds himself the target of danger as he learns too much.

Yes, this is a bit of a knock-off of Sunset Blvd., especially since there are a few cameos from real movie stars playing themselves (Francis Bushman, Betty Blythe, William Farnum, Helen Gibson, and Joel McCrea). It's not the greatest mystery movie you'll ever watch, so you'd better be devoted to the cast in order to enjoy it.

On arriving in Hollywood a movie producer sniffs out an old showbiz murder for his first project, but not everyone wants the story told.

Satisfying murder mystery that clips along at a good pace. The establishing scenes are efficient, the dialogue doesn't waste time, and the performances are all strong. This director really knew what he was doing, and in one scene there's an unspoken question why the old-timer watchman didn't hear a gunshot, which is simply answered by him raising a hand to his ear when spoken to.

The story is on an Agatha Christie level of complexity, with all the elements of Marlowe thrown in, but none of the lines live up to Chandler. The solution is a bit pat, and the drama of the love-interest's mother and of the mysterious beautiful nun turn out red herrings, when they should have been the real leads to the truth, drawing us into complex emotions. And so we end up with a short run time.

Music is unremarkable. A lot of interest in the shots of contemporary Holywood.

The iconic filmmaker William Castle made everything before be labeled as master of low-budge horror pictures something alike Roger Corman, he proved be a prolific director in this small Noir fulfilled for a fine casting in early fifties, about a unsolved murder took place in Hollywood during silent movies era, the story is narrated in the third person by his friend talent scout Mitch Davis (Jim Backus) when his old buddy and independent producer Larry O'Brien (Richard Conte) arrives in Hollywood, thus they rent an old studio where in the past was closed by a strange murder carried out there.

Larry foresees in this story enough elements to put it on big screen, it somehow triggers many complains from everybody for Larry tries lift a carpet where underneath lies a dust which weren't wholesome to anyone by open the pandora's box, certainly it will ruins many reputations over a buried case, even so Larry carries on, then came up some corpse from someone linked with the past case, also a daughter Sally Rousseau (Julie Adam) of old actress that may was the key of murder, further involving the police department interested in this old case leading by the Lt. Bud Lennox (Richard Egan), for worst Larry hires an old acquaintance to make the screenplay Vincent St. Clair (Henry Hull).

Engaging thriller on average production, has some holes as usually, many casuistic events on purpose to enrich the story, a bit corny as well, however let it see easily to those less demanding viewers, no femme fatale or trashy girls whatsoever, I've found it a slight disappoint offering.

Thanks for reading

Resume:

First watch: 2024 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.

A Fictional 1929 Silent-Era Murder of a Hollywood Film-Director (loosely based on a real-story from 1922), Open this William Castle B-Picture.

Film-Maker Richard Conti comes to Hollywood in 1951, Discovers the Case and is Intrigued and Considered it as a Story For His 1st Movie There. Even Going so Far as to Rent the Studio and Actual Building where the Murder Took Place.

An Off-Beat "B" from the Prolific William Castle, has Conti Slightly Miscast, but Brings Along a Number of "Old Timers" (mostly for Cameos), and Concocts a Dreary 20 Year Old Sensational Crime Juxtaposed to Contemporary Times.

Dredging Up Folks who Worked or Knew the Murder-Victim, Like Co-Workers (Henry Hull) and His Lover's Family and Acquaintances (Julie Adams and Paul Cavanaugh), along with some Others Around at the Time.

Conti Begins Making the Movie, when the Local Police Show Up as the Word Gets Out by Way of Scuttlebutt, in the Form of Richard Egan ("an unsolved murder case is never closed.").

It's a Somewhat Interesting "Who Done It?" with Hollywood a the Backdrop, with some Dark Norish Exposure, Red Herrings, and a Good Cast.

But the Film Ends Up Rather Flat, Considering, with a Melancholy Presentation and Motivations and Machinations of the Plot a bit Standard and Precautionary, with Very Little Style usually Found in This Type of Thing, a "B"-Crime-Mystery-Noir.

Also With Jim Backus and Cameos from Francis X. Bushman, Joel McCrea, and Other Walk-Ons and some who Appear in Old Movie Screenings.

Overall, Different, Intriguing, but Not Very Stylish, with a Flat and Unimpressive Look.

Still, for Movie-Buffs, it's Somewhat a Treat and Others Might Find it...

Worth a Watch.

This film starts with the totally redundant film agent Jim Backus (Mitch) greeting his old schoolfriend film producer Richard Conte (Larry) and showing him around a film studio in which they will be working together. Conte is intrigued by an unsolved murder that occurred on set 20 years previously and he puts his energies into digging up the past to make a film about it and potentially solve it. This is not a popular move and someone takes a shot at Conte. He must be on to something...

The story takes inspiration from the real-life murder of silent film director William Desmond Taylor in 1922 and they should have stuck with the real-life incidents surrounding this case. Unfortunately, the film is a bit boring and complicated. It just comes across as Conte spouting an endless stream of people's names. Wow, how interesting.

As for the characters, Backus also acts as narrator but there is absolutely no point to having him in the film. The female lead Julie Adams (Sally) adds no glamour or interest. The best character is the funeral director who references the beloved departed. Henry Hull is suitably eccentric as the script writer and does have some good lines. One that stands out is when he is asked whether he has finished the script, his response is "Yes". Pause. "I just need to fill in the words". Ha ha.

This style of response could be used in so many situations. For instance, when asked if you have done the washing up - "Yes". Pause. "I just need to make contact with the cutlery and the dishes".

The film is corny with some obvious moments and some stupid moments. How come nobody from the original investigative team either looked at the music roll on the pianola or failed to identify a bullet-hole in the music roll. This is really dumb stuff.

Ever reliable director William Castle does sound job of keeping HOLLYWOOD STORY interesting, active and coherent, to some extent thanks to revisiting the silent era and posting cameos with actors of that time like Bushman and Farnum, and a splendid Joel McCrea at the top of his fame, he who began as a silent actor and managed to make the transition to a distinguished career in the sound stages of Hollywood.

The screenplay boasts an unusual and imaginative approach to those elements and, in particular, to the whodunnit type of movie, using credible dialogue to keep you guessing the murderer's identity. I found that I only needed to suspend my disbelief when movie producer Conte started acting more like a police detective than police detective Lennox himself.

Acting is of a high order, even if I found Conte's constant smiling a tad disconcerting and even annoying. Pretty Julia Adams does well in a short role that does not stretch her at all. Egan is effective as detective Lennox, but the real acting gems come from Henry Hull and Fred Clark.

Excellent cinematography from Carl Guthrie and editing from Virgil Vogel. 8/10.

"Hollywood Story" is a murder mystery directed by William Castle. Unlike his later films which were mostly deliberately schlocky horror films, this one is much more serious in tone. The story obviously was inspired by the real life murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor...a crime which has never been officially solved.

Larry (Richard Conte) is a producer whose next film is going to be about a murder that occurred in Hollywood during the silent era. Now, decades later, he's trying to figure out what happened as best he can so that the film might actually be able to shed light on this dead case. Unfortunately, someone doesn't want this story to be rehashed...and an attempt is made on Larry's life. What's next for this crusading producer and the film?

This film's greatest strength is its very intelligent script. Despite having few big name actors (though the folk in the film are quite talented), it keeps your interest because the story is so gritty and absorbing. Very well made and a film that is somehow seldom seen nor talked about despite being a pretty sensational tale.

A Hollywood director is murdered in the crisis of silent movies being outflanked by talkies, the murder is never resolved, the murderer vanishes into the dark, and not even the bullet is ever found. It remains a perfectly unresolved mystery, until a producer (Richard Conte) decides to make a film about it twenty years later. For some mysterious reason someone wants to kill him for the effort, and the daughter of the director's film star tries desperately to persuade him not to go through with the project. All these forces trying to stop him naturally only makes him the more motivated, and the plot constantly thickens as more and more people, and not just old timers, get involved in it. It's an ingenious plot, the script is impressively clever, and above all, you will have a wonderful time exploring all those Hollywood studios, which had been making fantastic films for 35 years and would go on doing so for 15 more. It's a splendid film allowing Richard Conte to use all his potential for intelligence and action, for once he is an honest guy, and some of the old silent heroes are in it as well, like the old cowboy Francis X. Bushman. This film is a must and a magnificent treat for any Hollywood lover.

This is a very superior B picture indeed. It is atmospherically directed by William Castle. But I suspect the extreme authenticity of this film owes a lot to co-scripter writer Fred Kohner, who was a serious intellectual of extremely wide experience, as witness his fascinating novel KIKI OF MONTPARNASSE (1967) which describes in detail his youth in Paris and his involvement with the famous Kiki. Kohner was also the brother of Paul Kohner, the famous Hollywood agent, who knew everything about everybody in Hollywood and represented half of them. Fred Kohner is chiefly remembered today as the author of all the Gidget films, about a girl surfer, which originated as an amusing diversion but took off and made him rich. But that is not the best way to remember Fred Kohner, who was far deeper than that. Various old-timers appear in the film, such as an appearance by Francis X. Bushman as 'himself'. Bushman appeared in at least 231 films during his career, which commenced in the year 1911. Joel McCrea also appears in the film as 'himself'. In addition to all this authenticity there are many great shots of L. A. and Hollywood as they were in 1950. So this film is definitely exceptional. The lead role is played by Richard Conte, a tight-lipped and serious guy who is just right for this part. The story is most intriguing and handled well. Conte, who has been making films in New York, comes to Hollywood to make a film and for the purpose acquires an abandoned film studio where a notorious murder of a film tycoon had taken place twenty years earlier. The murdered man's bungalow is untouched and still has its original furnishings and signed pictures by old stars on the walls. Conte adopts this as his office. He becomes obsessed with the unsolved cold case murder of the earlier man, drops his other film idea, and decides to make a film about the murder. He personally does intensive research into the case. He goes to the newspaper archives and reads all the old press reports, contacts the police about their old file, and tracks down everyone he can find who knew the murdered man. Many creepy crawlies come out from under the rocks, and soon someone tries to shoot him to stop his reopening of the investigation. Then he gets a shock when he discovers that his own bullying business partner, played by the loud Fred Clark, casually admits that he had been the business advisor to the murdered man, which he had 'accidentally' forgotten to mention earlier. The plot thickens and thickens and thickens. Henry Hull plays a down and out screenwriter who had known the murdered man and is hired by Conte to write the script, for authenticity's sake. And plenty of authenticity starts 'coming out', that's for sure, and people start getting killed. There is great acting support from Jim Backus, and Julie Adams graces the screen with her lovely presence and falls for Conte, though her background is a bit suspicious. In fact, nearly everybody is suspicious. Who really committed the original murder and who is committing the new ones?