Grand Central Murder

This little B-movie mystery is a real charmer. It's gives us a clever twist on the traditional who- done-it by telling the story in flashbacks after the murder has taken place. Witty script, great casting and interesting look at train-travel of yore. It provides a preview of the type of roles that several future famed character-actors will fill. Namely: the always entertaining Sam Levene, the near-comic cop of Millard Mitchell, the handsome and dark heavy of Stephen McNally and the usually, and unfortunately under-used Virgina Grey. The main reason for the 10 is because of the aforementioned cigar-smoking maid of Gilchrist's and her brief appearance as a dancing and (yes) singing showgirl. Go Connie! A definite must-see.

Rather tedious whodunit filled with stock characters and way too many sub-plots. It's like MGM had too many supporting types under contract and was working them all into a muddled screenplay. How else to explain such a crowded field of suspects. Then too, the mystery angle never really develops. Instead, we get performers drifting in and out of the dark, substituting non-stop dialog for anything like suspense. I guess the resolutely bad grammar and occasionally clever lines are supposed to keep us entertained. I don't know if the studio hoped to start a series with this entry, but there's no real concept defining Rocky (Heflin) and Butch (Grey), who appear at most a street-wise version of Nick and Nora Charles, but without the charm. In my book, this is the sort of material the cheaper studios could do more efficiently and effectively.

Grand Central Murder (1942) ** (out of 4) B murder/mystery about a Broadway star (Patricia Dane) found dead with nearly half a dozen suspects on hand. The police captain begins an investigation, which points to several key members but a private detective (Van Heflin) seems to know more than he's telling. This film actually got quite a few good reviews from various places but I found it rather dull without any real interests. This is the typical "B" film of its day with a dumb police guy trying to lead an investigation while the smart aleck detective puts everything together. Dane is very good in her role of the hard working money grabber.

Private detective Van Heflin and police inspector Sam Levene butt heads in this lighthearted murder mystery set in and around the train station. Heflin is assisted by his wife; the interaction between Heflin's "Rocky" and Virginia Grey's "Butch" sparkles but, alas, only in little bits at a time—this screenplay moves along much too swiftly to allow a lot of character development. But that's okay; what dialog is here is snappy, concise and often delivered at a rapid-fire pace. No tears are shed for stage star Mida King (played by Patricia Dane mainly in flashbacks). Mida has been murdered—and everyone had a motive. But how was it done? And by whom? It takes Heflin just over an hour to sort it out. This is a quickie, all right, but script, acting, direction are all smoothly proficient. No one will confuse this MGM product with something from a poor sister studio like, say, Monogram.

Excellent 1940's era comedy/who-done-it played out as a series of flashbacks in response to the detective's questions. Good dialog is complemented by unusual use of lights and interesting shots of characters in and amongst trains. Everyone had a motive, most everyone the opportunity, but only the private detective knows how murder was committed. The killer is trapped into revealing him/herself. Unusual casting. Van Heflin and Virginia Grey appear to be playing Nick and Nora Charles – she only gets one good set of lines and he is nowhere as dapper as William Powell. Connie Gilchrist is excellent as the maid. Tom Conway is miscast but casting of police is excellent. No wasted time in this tight mystery. Highly recommended.

In the same year that Van Heflin won the supporting Oscar for "Johnny Eager," he gave another wonderful performance as a comedic investigator involved up to his head in a murder mystery. Mida King has it all. She is a Broadway star who is about to marry a millionaire before dumping him and cashing in on all that money. Involved with a mob figure, (Steve McNally) in an unusually restrained performance, King, played by Patricia Dane, meets an untimely end as the film is the usual who did it with comic overtones. Besides Heflin, Connie Gilchrist shines as the maid. Her Brooklyn accent suits her well here and she is forever endearing in the part. Sam Levene, as the police detective, caught up in this mayhem does a fine job here. This film is definitely well worth watching. Look for wonderful comic timing by Heflin.

Although this movie stars Van Heflin, you'd almost swear that it's a series detective film. If the names were only changed, I could imagine that this could have been a decent plot for Boston Blackie, the Lone Wolf or the Saint. That's because although the story is told through a series of flashbacks, in most other ways it is identical to a series film. It features the usual daffy lead police detective, his dumber than a tomato assistant, great snappy dialog, accusations that the private eye himself committed the murder, a sidekick for this guy and more twists and turns than any crime film deserves to have! For lovers of the genre, this film is a must-see---especially since Heflin's performance is so good and apparently effortless. While the movie occasionally bogs down a tad here and there (it is a bit too "talky"), it is generally quite interesting and the film's conclusion is truly horrific yet exciting to watch. Good stuff well worth your time.