The Phantom of 42nd Street

The Phantom of 42nd Street is another poverty row mystery from the 40's Tony is a play critic for a local newspaper. This puts him in the right place at the right time for murders that revolve around the theater. Most reporters would kill to be in his shoes and have his contacts, but Tony has no aspirations to be that kind of reporter.

After much convincing he finally, reluctantly starts looking into the deaths. As the involvement with the theater thickens Tony finds himself drawn into it giving him the determination to see it through even when the bullets start flying.

Someone is killing people involved with the theater even though some of those people have moved on to other things years ago. The killer is leaving notes that contain lines from plays and is seen in the area wearing costumes. Somehow this all has meaning, tied to past events with a theatrical company. Can Tony catch the killer before more people die?

This isn't a Sherlock Holmes level mystery, but it's not bad. It plays out in whodunit fashion and keeps a good pace with clues and drama throughout the investigation. Tony works well as a guy who doesn't really want to be a gumshoe but finds his knowledge of the theater ideal for this investigation.

The acting is fair. My only real complaint is that people seem awfully upbeat when they ought not to be. Actors in these old movies seem to like to put on a smiling face when they ought to be more distraught.

MORALITY:

Typical of these old black and white movies there is no sex, nudity, or strong language.

The plot revolves around murder, but there is very little violence on screen. Most of it is implied or talked about after the fact.

SPIRITUALITY:

Nothing here reaches into the realm of the spiritual.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

If you like these old mystery flicks you could do worse than The Phantom of 42nd Street. If you like mystery in general you might want to check it out as long as you can handle the dated quality.

#ThePhantomof42ndStreet