Aggiungi una trama nella tua linguaThe police find the body of hostess Helen Howard (Wanda McKay), disposed of by petty racketeer Nick Mantee (Kane Richmond) after she was shot in his Bluejay night club by Benny Nordick (John... Leggi tuttoThe police find the body of hostess Helen Howard (Wanda McKay), disposed of by petty racketeer Nick Mantee (Kane Richmond) after she was shot in his Bluejay night club by Benny Nordick (John Gallaudet) because she knew too much about Mantee's rackets. Police Lieutenant Williams (... Leggi tuttoThe police find the body of hostess Helen Howard (Wanda McKay), disposed of by petty racketeer Nick Mantee (Kane Richmond) after she was shot in his Bluejay night club by Benny Nordick (John Gallaudet) because she knew too much about Mantee's rackets. Police Lieutenant Williams (Conrad Nagel) and police Sergeant Tom Ramey (Ralph Byrd) inform the dead girl's parents an... Leggi tutto
- Regia
- Sceneggiatura
- Star
- Ruth Ames
- (as Jacqueline Thomas)
- Police Clerk
- (non citato nei titoli originali)
- Gloria - the Secretary
- (non citato nei titoli originali)
- Nightclub Patron
- (non citato nei titoli originali)
- Policeman
- (non citato nei titoli originali)
Recensioni in evidenza
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."
A hostess in a night club is found murdered and the cops seem baffled and unable to solve the crime. So, the dead woman's sister, on her own, decides to get a job with the agency that places these hostesses in various clubs in the hope she'll be able to dig up incriminating evidence. Unfortunately, she isn't particularly bright and she nearly gets herself killed playing amateur cop.
The acting in this one is purely adequate...and the story really lets you down near the end because the lady investigating seems a bit dim. She makes a lot of silly blunders and instead of being the smart, confident woman the film wants you to believe, she instead seems a bit dippy. A time-passer and nothing more.
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.
The investigation is too slow. The movie spends too much time with the family. Everything about the cops move at about half a step too slow. Even their walking is a slow mosey. The family is bland. Maybe they could streamline it to just Nancy. The movie slows to a crawl when the cops take over the narrative. Nick is the only truly interesting character. The criminals have some fun. It's the saving grace in an otherwise bland crime drama. The cops need to be more compelling.
Lo sapevi?
- QuizFinal film of veteran director William Nigh.
- BlooperAt the end of the opening credits, the closing of the curtains is done by showing the opening of said curtains in reverse. Note how the bottom of the curtains precedes the top.
I più visti
Dettagli
- Data di uscita
- Paese di origine
- Lingua
- Celebre anche come
- Ilusión mortal
- Luoghi delle riprese
- Azienda produttrice
- Vedi altri crediti dell’azienda su IMDbPro
- Tempo di esecuzione1 ora 11 minuti
- Colore
- Proporzioni
- 1.37 : 1