Murder in the Music Hall (1946)

Vera Hruba Ralston, William Marshall Most of this Republic B-plus mystery yarn is set in a penthouse, next door to a music hall where a strange song-and-dance extravaganza is being staged. This production incorporates several ice-skating sequences–a good excuse as any for the presence of leading lady Vera Hruba Ralston, Republic’s answer to Sonja Henie. Ralston and orchestra leader William Marshall come across the body of producer Edward Norris. Almost everyone in the cast is placed under suspicion, since Norris was a cad and blackmailer. The surprise killer is (as usual) not that much of a surprise, though the scenarists keep us going with some last-minute red herrings. 1946, 84 minutes, B&W