Ilusión mortal

Structured much like an exploitation film, but minus any sleaze

or cynicism, this 1948 crime drama exposes the sordid world of "modeling agencies" set up to entrap and exploit lonely runaway young women from small towns who find themselves in the big city, waiting for some kind of "break" toward a career in modeling or acting. With a first-class supporting cast (Conrad Nagel, Evelyn Brent, Wanda McKay, Ralph "Dick Tracy" Byrd), the film pits Audrey Long--the sister of the young woman whose murder opens the film-- against the seedy yet suave Kane Richmond. Richmond, in one of his last roles before retiring from the screen and re-entering the business world, is best-known as leading man in many 1930s/1940s action films and serials, yet here he is the heavy, and he uses his personal charm to comfort then exploit the young women who are all to eager for a "break." Director William Nigh--whose last film this was and whose credits as director-writer-actor-producer date back to the mid-1910s--keeps the action moving at a brisk pace, but clearly worked with each actor to capture the right tone of performance, so that as "predictable" as the elements of the film may be to the genre-film fan, each character seems real. I first saw this film six or eight years ago and just watched it again, and it's just as solid and riveting as I remember it. Kane Richmond is especially memorable in a rare villain role, and the devoted fan of B-crime films of the 40s (this was a Monogram release) should search for a copy.

"Stage Struck" is an excellent B crime story, with good script and great cast. It even attempts to provide a moral, especially to naïve young women. But it's in the very last words and I won't give it away here.

On 25 January 2023, TCM took a break from being "woke" and PC -- meaning preachy and racist -- and presented several movies about night clubs and singers and gangsters. All were generally unknown and might not actually be considered "classics," but all were much better than might have been expected.

This one has not only a good story, with many characters, all of whom have at least a moment to shine, but it has a cast of great talent if not a lot of fame.

Kane Richmond is usually considered a hero of thrillers and serials so perhaps that's why his performance here is, to me, extraordinary. It shows, again, just how little justice there ever was in Hollywood, when actors with far less talent got more acclaim and money.

I do recommend "Stage Struck."

Pitiful acting, a crashing bore. Skip this one. Kane Richmond wasn't what you could call first rate in the acting department, but he was handsome--in this one as in all his films. Poor Audrey Long never had a chance in Hollywood--she was just a nice girl, hardly Hollywood material. In fact Richmond was also a "nice guy"--very boring by Hollywood standards of the time. Anyway this picture is a flop--Richmond left movies after this and so did the director, and probably with relief.

Hostess Wanda McKay's corpse is found, and police Lt. Conrad Nagel is assigned the case, but Miss McKay's small-town sister, Audrey Long, grows impatient with nothing happening. She decides to go undercover herself at the suspects' talent agency, where Kane Richmond and John Gallaudet charge ridiculous fees to girls for dramatic training, feed them to their operations as b-girls at their club, and eventually into the white slavery trade.

William Nigh's last movie is filled with competent talent in a 1930s B movie plot. If you wish to play spot the performer, you'll have a good time seeing Ralph Byrd, Pamela Blake, Nana Bryant, Evelyn Brent, and Franklyn Farnum, and the dialogue is pretty good, but the story is tired.

Nigh had entered movies in 1913 as an actor at Keystone. By the next year he was directing, and by the 1920s he was directing for MGM. Like many directors, his career went downhill fast during the sound era, and by 1931 he was on Poverty Row. He was in charge of 121 movies in total. He died in 1955, shortly after his 74th birthday.

Nightclub and model agency owner John Gallaudet (Benny) defends himself when an enraged Wanda McKay (Helen Howard) pulls a gun on him in his office. In the ensuing struggle, she is shot dead. The incident is witnessed by nasty employee Kane Richmond (Nick) who uses blackmail to promote his status and become co-owner of both businesses. Gallaudet agrees to the arrangement in return for Kane's silence. The police team of Conrad Nagel (Williams) and Ralph Byrd (Ramey) try to uncover the murderer but when they don't seem to be treating things as urgently as they should be, the murdered girl's sister Audrey Long (Nancy) takes matters into her own hands.

The film is ok. Nagel entertained me the most with his moments of unconvincing acting in the style of Whit Bissell. This is evident when he delivers all the preachy stuff about 100s of girls going missing every day and the classic ending where he pretty much tells all young women to stay at home with their mums. Hilarious. I also learned how not to deliver bad news to people.

Interesting to take note of the scam in this film whereby young girls are fooled into thinking they are signing up for a course that will turn them into movie stars. In reality, they are being groomed to act as hostesses in a gentleman's club. It's your basic escort work. Pretty clever idea for whoever thought of it first. Anyway, this film presumes the murdered McKay was an innocent girl who was obviously wrongly killed. We never know the truth surrounding this and I have to admit to feeling sorry for Gallaudet during this film. He seems alright and he's no fool. Unlike Richmond.