Murder in the Music Hall

When a blackmailer is found murdered in an apartment next to the music hall, Lila, beautiful star of the ice show, becomes a suspect. She had visited the former ice show producer Carl Lang earlier at his New York City penthouse apartment and refuses his offer to star in his new Music Hall Ice Show. He says he can ruin her by pinning the blame of a man's accidental death on her ...

Back at the Music Hall, Lila discovers she has left her purse at Lang's apartment and returns there, followed by orchestra leader Don Jordan; they discover that Carl has been stabbed to death. Lila's understudy Gracie (Ann Rutherford) has also followed them there and helps them remove traces of Lila's visit. They also find a pair of kid gloves -the laundry mark on them leads Don to wealthy socialite Rita Morgan, wife of George Morgan; Rita turns out to be a former ice-skating star for Carl Lang's Music Hall shows.

Rita admits to being in Lang's apartment but says he was in excellent health when she left, and says she passed no one except a blind man.

Determined to prove her innocence, Don is on the hunt for the blind man ...

Vera Ralston gets the chance to show off her splendid ice skating skills amidst the murder mystery, and there's plenty of other fine skating - the standout being the sword fighting one - interspersed between the lively display of detecting and barging into red herrings. It's a fun mystery, maybe a little confusing at times, but fun nevertheless. There's some witty dialogue and a cute Ann Rutherford adding some comic moments. Vera Ralston does well in her role.

And nothing in the film indicates otherwise. But it is overrun with ice-skaters and hacked-off former ice-skaters. Dang, you'd think there was only one Music Hall in the world.

This one has Lila Leighton (Vera Hruba Ralston), the lovely ice ballerina, meeting Carl Lang (Edward Norris), former ice-show producer, at his New York City penthouse apartment, from which one might have been able to see Radio City Music Hall if the film had been shot on location in New York rather then Republic Studios in the San Fernando Valley, but it wasn't. Lia refuses Lang's offer to star in his new Music Hall Ice Show---no this isn't the Ice Capades, either---and takes her leave.

Back at "this" Music Hall, Lila discovers she has left her purse at Lang's apartment and returns there, and is followed by orchestra-leader Don Jordan (William Marshall.) There, they discover that Carl has been stabbed to death, probably by somebody using a knife. Gracie (Ann Rutherford), Lila's pert-and-pretty understudy, has also followed them there (don't read too much in that), and helps them remove traces of Lila's visit, an indication that she may have left more than her purse.

They also find a pair of kid-gloves (made from a goat kid and not belonging to a human kid), and the laundry mark leads Don to Rita Morgan (Nancy Kelly), wealthy socialite, wife of George Morgan (not the singer for those who jump to assumptions), and Rita turns out to be a former ice-skating star for Carl Lang's Music Hall shows. Rita 'fesses right up about being in Lang's apartment but says he was in excellent health when she left, and says she passed no one except a blind man.

By some means or another Don and Lila discover that the 'blind man' was really Rita's husband, George Morgan (Jerome Cowan), who claims he used the disguise in order to trail and protect his wife. He may or may not be guilty but in most films Jerome Cowan shows up in, he either did it or he will solve it, other than in "The Maltese Falcon," in which he did neither. By this time, the NYC police are on the case, and with the help of Don and Lila, succeed in solving the murder.

Director John English didn't pay any attention to the urging of Associate Producer Herman Millakowsky and co-screenplay writer Laszlo Gorog to give this one a "European Touch," and, consequently, came away with 84 minutes (unless one has the TV-edited short version) of a good straight-ahead mystery meller.

Murder In The Music Hall (AKA Midnight Melody) comes out of that bastion of the B movie special, Republic Pictures. It's directed by John English (many Gene Autry Oaters) and the screenplay is adapted from an original story written by Arnold Phillips & Maria Matray. It's stars Vera Hrubá Ralston (Hoodlum Empire/The Fighting Kentuckian), William Marshall (Belle of the Yukon/Adventures of Captain Fabian), Helen Walker (Nightmare Alley/Brewster's Millions) and Nancy Kelly (Jesse James/Stanley and Livingstone).

A smashing little murder mystery musical picture that positively oozes old fashioned values. Tho made in the mid 1940s, this very much feels like a 1930s production, which in all honesty is no bad thing at all. With the dramatic moments involving crime and clues accompanied by loud bursts of music (Walter Scharf), and dialogue such as "what the blue blazes is going on," it has all the necessary ingredients to cater for the classic movie fan. The story is a solid one too. A dastardly stab in the back murder of an ice show producer sees the Rockette type ice dancers of a popular Music Hall show become suspects. As the police start to sniff around, Lila & Don (Ralston & Marshall respectively) do their own amateur sleuthing. With only a glove clue to go on, the need to find a blind man seen in the vicinity of the crime becomes critical.

It's here where the film then ups its drama. With one darkened room meeting between our intrepid sleuths and a blind man being memorably noirish. Up till then it had blended snazzy musical ice dance routines with bubbling under the surface intrigue. At first it's an odd mix, one where after the first blast of jauntiness one wonders if it will be possible to accept the upcoming dramatics, but it does work, in a sort of lulling us into a false sense of security type manoeuvre. Besides which, the numbers and choreography are pleasing on the eye, particularly when involving Ralston, a real life figure skater for her home country of Czechoslovakia. And to cap it all off we got some decent red herrings and the final reveal is not at all insulting. The cast are safe and without histrionic ham, with the beautiful Kelly the standout performer. While English knits it all together in a professional manner.

An enjoyable multi genre splicer breaking free from its budget restrictions with much success. 7/10

Edward Norris gets out of prison after five years and meets up with his old girl friend, Vera Hruba Ralston. She a lead ice dancer at the Radio City Music Hall, and the man he went to prison for killing was her skating partner and lover. Norris says he took the plea because he loves her, and now he wants his pay-off: come with him to Europe. She's moved on, to libretttist William Marshall and turns him down. Later that evening, Norris is murdered, and Miss Ralston looks like a prime suspect, so she and Marshall go looking for the murderer.

When she's not doing routines on ice, of course. There seem to be four or five numbers in which she stars, and she seems all right. Republic Pictures boss Herbert Yates was smitten with the ice skater, and said he would make her a star. Although they eventually married, and he kept putting her in leads, she never turned into much of an actress.

Fortunately, she didn't need to be much of one here. A couple of the ice dancing routines are good, the mystery script is nicely tangled, with a blind man the principal witness, and there are plenty of other talented actors around, including Jerome Cowan, Helen Walker, Nancy Kelly and Julie Bishop. While the editing could have been tighter, it's a pretty good movie.

Please be aware that this film has nothing to do with the Radio City Music Hall! As an archivist re: the Music Hall..I know what is and what is not associated with the New York venue. The film's Theodore is just the "Music Hall." No Rockettes are in the film. Only wonderful ice skaters plus superb actors and fun. Just thought you would like to know. Truly a wonderful film. You will never guess who the 'murderer' is while watching this film....till the very end. What a superb plot and beautiful ice skating. One never sees that kind of performances any more. The Roxy Theater and the Center Theatres, in New York city, had ice skating performances on stage!