In a screenplay that seems like it was written by a soundstage technician, this boring mystery drags even in a short running time. The victim is a movie actor, and of course, everybody on the set and at the studio becomes a suspect. They include his leading lady/ex-wife (Adrienne Ames) and the studio chief (Bela Lugosi!). David Manners, the handsome hero of several 30's horror classics and women's films, seems miscast as the script writer who becomes involved in the investigation. While the clues he discovers are described in great detail, some of the terms used can only be understood by those "inside the know-how" of how movies made in 1933, with the possible exception of "action!" and "cut!".
Adrienne Ames, a Joan Crawford look-alike, has nothing to do but look attractive and slightly suspicious (but mostly just acts stunned), and while Lugosi is authoritative, his legend defines him too much. Not aiding in his performance is his heavy accent which type-casts him, if not as a boogie man, then as a heavy. Either way, he is wasted in this part. Slow pacing makes the convoluted story even more tedious, even if the behind the scenes filming of the film within the film is pretty impressive.
Adrienne Ames, a Joan Crawford look-alike, has nothing to do but look attractive and slightly suspicious (but mostly just acts stunned), and while Lugosi is authoritative, his legend defines him too much. Not aiding in his performance is his heavy accent which type-casts him, if not as a boogie man, then as a heavy. Either way, he is wasted in this part. Slow pacing makes the convoluted story even more tedious, even if the behind the scenes filming of the film within the film is pretty impressive.