IMDb > Grand Central Murder (1942)

Grand Central Murder (1942) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   229 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 49% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
S. Sylvan Simon
Writers:
Sue MacVeigh (novel)
Peter Ruric (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Grand Central Murder on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
May 1942 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery more
Plot:
A convict being escorted in for retrial escapes at Grand Central and threatens his old girlfriend on the phone... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
B movie mystery with a good cast more (13 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Van Heflin ... 'Rocky' Custer
Patricia Dane ... Mida King, Stage Name of Beulah Toohey
Cecilia Parker ... Constance 'Connie' Furness
Virginia Grey ... Sue 'Butch' Custer
Samuel S. Hinds ... Roger Furness
Sam Levene ... Inspector Gunther
Connie Gilchrist ... Pearl Delroy
Mark Daniels ... David V. Henderson
Stephen McNally ... 'Turk' (as Horace McNally)
Tom Conway ... Frankie Ciro
Betty Wells ... 'Baby' Delroy
George Lynn ... Paul Rinehart
Roman Bohnen ... Ramon
Millard Mitchell ... Detective Arthur Doolin
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
73 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #8273) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)
Company:
Loew's more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Donna Reed, Reginald Owen, Gertrude Short, 'Dick Rich' and Gayne Whitman were originally cast, but none of these actors appeared in the film. more
Quotes:
Mida King, Stage Name of Beulah Toohey: Where were you raised? Didn't anyone ever tell you its bad luck to whistle in a dressing room?
Whistling Messenger: I'm sorry miss, I... I was raised in a cattle boat, where folks whistle when they feel like it, including the cows!
more
Soundtrack:
Broadway's Still Broadway more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
B movie mystery with a good cast, 23 December 2006
6/10
Author: blanche-2 from United States

Van Heflin brings flair to "Grand Central Murder," a 1942 B movie from MGM about a golddigging musical comedy star (Patricia Dane) who winds up dead in the private car of a train. The suspects include a escaped prisoner named Turk, (Stephen McNally, here billed as Horace McNally), an on and off boyfriend played by Tom Conway, etc. Heflin plays Rocky, a detective who was hired to get evidence so that Turk can get a new trial. At the time of the murder, Rocky and his wife Butch (a young Virginia Grey) were around the murder scene. Rocky and the police lieutenant assigned to the case (Sam Levene) attempt to solve the murder while at loggerheads with one another. Each character tells his or her story in flashback.

This film moves fairly quickly but is ultimately let down by a preposterous denouement. The acting, however, when it isn't great is at least interesting. Heflin is superb - sharp, smart, and funny as Rocky. Sam Levene gets a bad rap for his performance - yes, the director needed to tone him down. Levene was an accomplished Broadway actor and was giving basically a stage performance. Patricia Dane, once married to orchestra leader Tommy Dorsey, is pretty and talks like Jean Harlow, particularly when Harlow would try to sound upper class. Dane didn't get much chance at developing her potential once she told off an MGM executive. In this role, she comes off as cheap and annoying, which is right for the part.

Fairly enjoyable especially for Heflin.

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