City of Missing Girls (1941)

Climaxing a long series of mysterious disappearances of young girls, dancer Thalia Arnold is found murdered. Police-detective Captain McVeigh believes that King Peterson, a nightclub ... See full summary »

Director:

Elmer Clifton

Writers:

Oliver Drake (original screenplay), George Rosener (original screenplay)

Stars:

H.B. Warner, Astrid Allwyn, John Archer

Cast

Complete credited cast:
H.B. Warner	...	Captain McVeigh
Astrid Allwyn	...	Nora Page
John Archer	...	James Horton
Sarah Padden	...	Mrs. Randolph
Philip Van Zandt	...	King Peterson
George Rosener	...	Officer Dugan
Kathryn Crawford	...	Helen Whitney (as Katherine Crawford)
Patricia Knox	...	Kate Nelson
Walter Long	...	Officer Larkin
Gale Storm	...	Mary Phillips (as Gail Storm)
Boyd Irwin	...	Joseph Thompson
Danny Webb	...	William Short

Storyline

Climaxing a long series of mysterious disappearances of young girls, dancer Thalia Arnold is found murdered. Police-detective Captain McVeigh believes that King Peterson, a nightclub operator and owner of the Crescent School of Fine Arts, knows something about the missing girls. Peterson's silent partner is Joseph Thompson, a theatrical agent, whose daughter, Nora, a reporter, is waging a newspaper crusade against the district attorney's office for failing to trace the girls, much to the discomfiture of James Horton, a young assistant district attorney. Pauline Randolph is the next to disappear but Nora had seen her leaving her grandmother's home in a car driven by a blonde woman. Nora interviews the grandmother who tells her that Pauline had theatrical employment, along with one of her friends, Mary Phillips. When the police begin investigating the Crescent talent-school, Thompson, who knew the Arnold girl intimately, quarrels with Peterson over the school, which, Thompson claims, ...

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Plot Keywords:

district attorney | attorney | apartment | racket | nightclub | 

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Taglines:

TALENT SCHOOLS EXPOSED! (original poster-all caps)

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

La città delle donne rapite

Company Credits

Production Co:

Merrick-Alexander Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Kate Nelson: Make yourself comfortable. I've got a lot of things on my chest I think you might be interested in.
Assistant D.A. James J. Horton: That remains to be seen.

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Connections

Referenced in The Mechanic (1972)

User Reviews

OK Forties Crime Drama

This is the story of a crime boss who has a front for either white slavery or prostitution. The words are never spoken. This would have been pretty hot stuff for the time. It involves an assistant district attorney, a female reporter, and a cop who just can't retire. All in all, the chemistry is pretty good. The reporter isn't as tiresome as they usually are. She seems to have some soul and some merit. The bad guy is also pretty well conceived and presents a formidable presence. It is pretty formulaic but keeps our attention throughout. The blackmail thing is believable for the most part and the elements of the crime story are nicely balanced. The one thing that troubles me is the aftermath, dealing with the reporter's father. I won't give anything away, so see what you think of the ending scene.