Destination Murder (1950)

Director:

Edward L. Cahn

Writer:

Don Martin (original screenplay)

Release Date:

9 June 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Romance

Plot:

Laura Mansfield's father is killed, apparently by a telegraphic messenger. She spots Jackie Wales in a police lineup...

Plot Keywords:

Killer | Nightclub | Gang Leader | Henchman | Gangster

Cast

Joyce Mackenzie	...	Laura Mansfield (as Joyce MacKenzie)
Stanley Clements	...	Jackie Wales
Hurd Hatfield	...	Stretch Norton
Albert Dekker	...	Armitage
Myrna Dell	...	Alice Wentworth
James Flavin	...	Police Lt. Brewster
John Dehner	...	Frank Niles
Richard Emory	...	Police Sgt. Mulcahy
Norma Vance	...	Fran, Inebriated Lady
Suzette Harbin	...	Harriett, Nightclub Maid
Buddy Swan	...	Arthur - Blue Streak Messenger
Bert Wenland	...	Dave, Blue Streak Messenger
Franklyn Farnum	...	Arthur Mansfield, Laura's Father
Steve Gibson	...	Leader of Redcap Singing Group
Steve Gibson's Redcaps	...	Singing Group

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (PCA #14387)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Edward L. Cahn Productions

Trivia:

In this 1950 movie, a behind-the-times movie theater is showing Flight Lieutenant (1942) and Corregidor (1943). Posters seen outside the theater include Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and Germania anno zero (1948) (Germany: Year Zero).

Goofs:

Plot holes: When Alice at Stretch's apartment she hears a player piano, goes in to the next room looking for it and is murdered by Armitage. However when Stretch is turning over the club to Armitage, Armitage suggests bringing the player piano from the club to Stretch's apartment.

Movie Connections:

Features Corregidor (1943)

Soundtrack:

Let's Go To A Party

Amateur Detective

**SPOILERS** Using the intermission between two movies at a local theater as cover Blue Streak Messenger Jackie Wales, Stanley Chements, goes out to big-time businessman Authur Mansfield's, Franklyn Farnum, home with his gangster boss Armitage(Albert Dekker) behind the wheel to murder him and get back,to the movie house, just in time for the second feature.

Mansfield was a torn in the side to Armitage's nightclub rackets and by getting ride of him and then framing his murder on his business rival Frank Niles, John Dehner, was a stroke of genius on Armitage's part; knocking out two threats to his criminal operations with one stone.

One thing that Armitage didn't count on was that Mansfield's young daughter Laura, Joyce Mackenzie, was at his home visiting from out of town and the greed and brazenness of the person who did his killing messenger Wales.

After recognizing Jackie Wales in a police lineup Laura, who got a glimpse of the fleeing gunman, starts to work on Jackie by getting overly friendly with him. This lead her to the nightclub that his boss Armitage runs. Getting a job as the cigarette girl there from the real boss Stretch Norton,Hurd Hatfield, who feel in love with her. Laura was now in a position to get the goods on both gangsters, Armitage & Norton, and at the same time solve her dad's murder.

After Jackie gets the hell beat out of him by Armitag, who likes to do his beatings to the sound of music, for asking for more money for the "hit" he did for him he later writes out an "insurange policy" by confessing in writing to Mansfield's murder. Jackies policy implicates his boss Armitage in case he, Jackie, ended up dead and then stupidly goes back to blackmailing him. Jackie gets this idea from Armitage's mob-doll Alice, Myrna Dell, who didn't realize that he was only a stooge to Norton, not visa versa, and together with Jackie, ends up getting murdered by him. While all this is going on the police are using Laura, without her knowledge, and Frank Niles, with his cooperation, to trap both Armitage & Norton in order to get "The goods" on them in Mansfield's murder.

Laura who fell in love with Norton who unknowing to her had her father murdered didn't find this out until the end of the movie when Niles, with the police and Laura listening in and recording the conversation, got Norton to spill the beans on him and his operation. This was to make him, Niles, a partner after he earlier murdered his former partner Armitage, who was getting a bit drunk and a lot out off line, and made it look like self-defense.

Decent film-noir with both Joyce Mackenzie and Hurd Hatfield doing as good as they could as two star-struck lovers who up until the end of the movie didn't really known that much about each other even though they were planing to get married.