Sucedió en Hollywood

My position is exactly the same as that of bsnmsn. I saw this on "The Late Show" (for me, a locally-operated movie slot following the post-prime time news), where I saw numerous great, old films. Then, years later I learned about the William Desmond Taylor murder and recognized the parallels to this movie. Just couldn't be coincidence. I think I've seen "Hollywood Story" once since then, either on local TV in the late 70s to early 80s, or on a cable channel (TBS, WGN, WOR) in the early 80s. I keep scouring the listings of Turner Classic Movies for it, but so far no luck. BTW, I gave it a 7 out of 10, dropping a little because I remember it as looking somewhat low-budget; it IS an early William Castle effort.

This film truly is a Hollywood story, employing real actors from the silent period and filmed on real locations throughout Hollywood and Los Angeles. There are views of buildings up and down Hollywood Blvd., including Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Roosevelt Hotel, Charlie Chaplin Studios on La Brea Ave., the Sunset Strip, Universal Studios, and the Hollywood Christmas Parade. It appears that more silent film stars shot cameos than actually made it into the film, but it still salutes and highlights the early days of Hollywood. Art direction is top notch, the acting is fine, and the story is really entertaining. The mystery is well thought out and keeps you guessing until the end. This is much more serious and top notch than the typical William Castle film.

This movie is a double tribute to the old silent Hollywood era. First because the topic is a mystery oriented scheme and looks very like many late twenties and early thirties movies. There were many mystery tales during this period, the early talkies. The second element that makes me say this film is a tribute to the old Hollywood is the topic itself, concerning a crime commited in 1929 when the movie takes place in the fifties. You see the old shooting lots, old stars such as William Farnum and a couple of other silent era stars as cameo appearances. This kind of movie in the early fifties is rare,but in the seventies, there were some TV movies also evoking old stars in the SUNSET BOULEVARD scheme, and unsolved murder mysteries. A good unusual and brilliant topic for an Universal Studios production, with for once Richard Conte in a non gangster nor hard tough cop role.

On arriving in Hollywood a movie producer sniffs out an old showbiz murder for his first project, but not everyone wants the story told.

Satisfying murder mystery that clips along at a good pace. The establishing scenes are efficient, the dialogue doesn't waste time, and the performances are all strong. This director really knew what he was doing, and in one scene there's an unspoken question why the old-timer watchman didn't hear a gunshot, which is simply answered by him raising a hand to his ear when spoken to.

The story is on an Agatha Christie level of complexity, with all the elements of Marlowe thrown in, but none of the lines live up to Chandler. The solution is a bit pat, and the drama of the love-interest's mother and of the mysterious beautiful nun turn out red herrings, when they should have been the real leads to the truth, drawing us into complex emotions. And so we end up with a short run time.

Music is unremarkable. A lot of interest in the shots of contemporary Holywood.

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.