The Inner Circle (1946)

In the bustling office of Johnny Strange, a job vacancy is abruptly filled when an impeccable candidate materializes before the ad is even placed. Without uttering a word of acceptance, Johnny finds himself with a new secretary, who swiftly answers a call from an enigmatic new client, a woman veiled in mystery and a thick Spanish accent. Cloaked in somber black and hidden behind a heavy veil, she leads Johnny to a chilling scene – a cold, lifeless body in a desolate house. Her cryptic request? To 'take care' of the corpse. Before Johnny can reach the police, he is plunged into darkness by a swift blow from a bookend. Consciousness returns with the gruff voice of Det. Lt. Webb, revealing the corpse to be a notorious radio gossip columnist, known as much for his enemies as his fans. Johnny now finds himself in a twisted web of suspects, entangling a nightclub manager, a sultry singer, a diligent housekeeper, a hard-of-hearing groundskeeper and two tantalizing blondes. Each bears a motive, but who among them holds the bloody bookend?

The Inner Circle is a crime movie featuring Adele Mara and directed by Philip Ford.

The Inner Circle is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on DistroTV and Tubi TV and it's also available on FilmBox+ and The Film Detective.

It is also possible to buy The Inner Circle on Amazon Video.