Mord in Hollywood (1951)

Mord in Hollywood: Directed by William Castle. With Richard Conte, Julie Adams, Richard Egan, Henry Hull. During the 1950s Hollywood, an independent producer unwisely opens a can of worms when he decides to make a movie about the 1929 unsolved murder of a famous silent-film director.

“Supposedly based on a real unsolved Hollywood murder, Hollywood Story tells the story of film director Larry Ou0026#39;Brien (Richard Conte), whou0026#39;s leases on old, abandoned studio for his next movie. The studio was the scene of an unsolved murder and Ou0026#39;Brien decides the story would make a good film. As he starts poking around and asking questions about the murder, it becomes apparent that someone doesnu0026#39;t want the film made. After a couple of attempts on his life, Ou0026#39;Brien realizes that heu0026#39;s on the right track to actually unmasking a killer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall, I found Hollywood Story to be an entertaining film with an interesting plot, good acting, and nice production values. More of a mystery than a true film noir, there are plenty of plot twists to keep things interesting throughout the 77 minute runtime. The u0026quot;oldu0026quot; Hollywood locations are a nice touch and add to the filmu0026#39;s authentic feel. As expected, Richard Conte is rock solid in the lead. It was great seeing him play the good guy for a change. It was also nice seeing Julie Adams in a film where sheu0026#39;s not being stalked underwater. As much as I love her in Creature from the Black Lagoon, itu0026#39;s odd I canu0026#39;t remember seeing Adams in much else. The supporting cast (Jim Backus, Richard Egan, Fred Clark) add a lot to the experience. And special mention to the cast, particularly cinematographer Carl Guthrie. Iu0026#39;m starting to sound like a broken record, but these Universal films from the 1940s look so good. Absolutely beautiful.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFinally, I need to mention director William Castle. Until just recently, I only knew Castle from his 1960s era horror output. I really enjoy many of these movies like House on Haunted Hill, Homicidal, and I Saw What You Did. But, as Iu0026#39;m learning after watching Hollywood Story and Undertow, thereu0026#39;s so much more to Castle than I imagined. He made a load of films prior to the 60s just waiting for me to discover. How fun is that!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e7/10.”