Grief Street (1931)

In the pulsating heart of Broadway, the charming yet infamous Alvin Merle, a matinée idol known for his philandering ways, meets a grim end in the confines of his dressing room, strangled and with the door locked from within, leaving no trace of an alternate entry. Merle's illicit affair with his co-star unfolds alongside his wife Ethel Wynn's secret liaison with Frank Murray, the stage manager of Merle's play. Ethel, herself an actress, is concurrently performing in a neighboring theater, further thickening the plot. In the midst of this tangled web enters Jim Ryan, a tenacious newspaper reporter determined to unravel the mystery. His investigation leads him to Jean Royce, a young actress whose career with the play was abruptly cut short during rehearsals. As Ryan delves deeper, he discovers potential motives lurking in every corner of the theater, from the overlooked old actor, Michael, now demoted to a mere stage-doorman, to the most shining stars on the stage. Ironically, the resolution to this intriguing murder mystery lies not in the back alleys of Broadway, but within the scripted lines of the very play that Merle starred in. As the curtain falls, the audience is left to ponder the sinister undertones that ripple beneath the surface of the glittering world of theater.

Grief Street is a crime movie featuring John Holland.

It is possible to buy Grief Street on Amazon Video.