You won't be disappointed!

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Tony Woolrich is an oddity for '40s mysteries—a newspaper man who decidedly does not think of himself as a detective. In fact, this film opens with a murder at the theater, and all theater critic Woolrich wants to do is get back to his paper and review the play. He is encouraged to pursue the mystery by his editor, who is understandably upset that the paper has missed a big scoop, and also by his sidekick, Romeo the cab driver. Eventually throwing himself into the job, Tony turns out to be surprisingly good at detective work (for a drama critic, anyway!) and his connections in the theater world help him quickly surpass the little progress achieved by rather dim police detective Walsh (Jack Mulhall).Dave O'Brien as Tony is earnest and appealing; Frank Jenks as Romeo is appropriately helpful and smart-alecky. (Tony: "I know it's a boorish thing to do but I'd like to follow her." Romeo: "All detectives are boorish, don't let that worry you.") Kay Aldridge is good but unmemorable as leading lady Claudia Moore in a role that doesn't offer much in the way of surprises.Alan Mowbray is fun as the famous actor at the center of the mysterious events, and even gets to declaim a few lines from Julius Caesar in a climactic scene.Disguises, old grudges, secret marriages…oh, those actors' lives are so full of intrigue!

My score of 4 might just be a bit generous to this ultra-low budget film from PRC--one of the worst of the so-called 'Poverty Row studios'--so named because of their very, very low production values. Much of the acting is very, very rough as is some of the dialog. A bit more polish and some better supporting actors would have helped this one a lot--especially since the actors often flubbed the delivery of their lines. As a result, it often seemed pretty amateurish. This is sad because the basic story idea is pretty nifty for a B-mystery and Dave O'Brien (a total unknown) did great in the lead. As a result of appearing in films like this, you can see why he never became a household name.The story finds O'Brien a theater critic for the local newspaper. Oddly, following a particularly dreary show, one of the theater company members is found dead--murdered! While O'Brien is NOT a crime reporter, his short-tempered boss insists that he investigate further. In typical 1940s fashion, the hero reporter suddenly becomes a private detective--something I assume happened all the time back then!! And, after some clever digging and a few wild guesses, he has an angle on the killer--too bad the stupid police (big surprise) have already arrested the wrong man! Overall, despite some bad acting and writing, the basic story works and the film is an enjoyable little B-movie. While it won't change your life, it is worth a look if you love Bs. Otherwise, you can skip this one and not be missing out on much.

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.

I've just seen The Phantom Of 42nd Street for the first time and found it fairly enjoyable, but a little talkie at times.A critic and police investigate a series of murders that have taken place on the set of a play. Three people have been killed in all and in order to catch the killer, a performance of Julius Caesar is held. Will the killer be caught? This is an interesting little movie and atmospheric but I found it a little slow moving in parts.The cast includes Dave O'Brien (The Devil Bat), Kay Aldridge and Alan Mowbray (Terror By Night).Though not brilliant, The Phantom Of 42nd Street is worth watching. A good time filler for an hour or so.Rating: 2 and a half stars out of 5.