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.
