- A Broadway star unintentionally kills her impresario but keeps mum about it after the police investigator targets a rival actress.
- While trying to break up with her producer/lover Gordon Dunning, Broadway star Valerie Stanton unintentionally kills him. In flashback, she recalls meeting new flame Michael Morrell, and Dunning's machinations leading to the fatal argument. The next day, it appears that Valerie's former rival Marian Webster is the prime suspect. Or is suave police Captain Danbury just playing cat-and-mouse with her? Nicely catty dialogue.—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
- Broadway impresario Gordon Dunning discovered Valerie Stanton and made her a star in his drawing-room comedies; in the process they have been carrying on a very public romance which has so far lasted 10 years. However, Val now only has contempt for Gordon; he considers her his personal property and believes that she cannot and/or should not be able to do without him, which is especially problematic for he because she wants to prove herself as a dramatic actress; rival producer Peter Gunther has offered her the lead in "Hedda Gabler" for the upcoming season. Val has also fallen in love with British architect Michael Morrell--largely because he never treated her like a star--and she wants to marry him. After the show on the closing night of their latest play with the theater nearly empty, Val confronts Gordon in his office, and he threatens to ruin her and make Michael hate her if she ever leaves him. In the ensuing argument, Val accidentally kills Gordon. His dead body is eventually discovered by Marian Webster, another of his stock players. Marian was once "Val" in every sense in Gordon's life until Val came into the picture, and she still loves him. Beyond the issue of Gordon himself, Val and Marian have never liked each other, but earlier that evening Val had asked Marian to convince Gordon that the two of them were meant for each other, which would have allowed Val the freedom to leave Gordon with no issue. Marian refused to do so solely because of the way Val has treated him. In the process of questioning by lead investigator Captain Danbury of all that would have had access to backstage that evening, it becomes clear to Val that who everyone believes killed Gordon is Marian. While Val does come to Marian's defense, she does not confess or implicate herself. As Val continues in her chosen path with Michael and with the role as Hedda, the questions become if anything will change to implicate her or to make her develop a conscience for what she did. Captain Danbury being a theater buff could factor into what happens.—Huggo
- When renowned Broadway actress Valerie Stanton (Rosalind Russell) decides to leave her ex-lover producer Gordon Dunning (Leon Ames) to do serious drama with a new producer Dunning threatens her with slanderous actions. Dunning has been the producer of all the big plays Valerie has appeared in for the past 10 years and threatens to poison her relationship with her current beau, successful architect Michael Morrell (Leo Genn). In a fit of rage Valerie fatally strikes Dunning with a bronze statuette, and just by chance fellow actress and competitor Marian Webster (Claire Trevor) is discovered with the body and is held for the murder. Valerie is in shock over her own actions, and when police Capt. Danbury (Sydney Greenstreet) investigates the tension begins to mount as the actresss conscience begins to erode her nerves and a game of cat and mouse with the police ensues.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content