Richard Hardell (Fredric March) wants to be an actor. He recently won a newspaper contest to star in one of Rupert Borka’s (Warner Oland) films. Borka doesn’t like Richard. He thinks he’s just a rich playboy with no talent that wants to hang around stars. Borka also doesn’t like Richard because he believes that the playboy is having an affair with his wife. Richard tries to assure him that it isn’t true but Borka is not buying it.
Richard's wife Blanche (Florence Eldridge) is well aware that her husband has been unfaithful in the past. She shows up at the studio looking to catch her husband with his latest conquest and threatens him. Richard really is having an affair. Now that Borka’s wife is out of town he has been seeing Helen Macdonald (Doris Hill). Helen is the daughter of one of the studio’s watchman (Guy Oliver). Helen’s brother, Ted (Gardner James), is a taxi driver and is well aware of Richard’s reputation and of his relationship with Helen. He hates Richard.
Helen is starry eyed and in love with Richard. He has been telling her that he and Blanche were getting a divorce. When Blanche tells her that it’s not true and shows her evidence of his previous affairs Helen is furious and starts looking for a way to get back at Richard.
Tony White (Neil Hamilton) is a writer for the movie studio. He is in love with Helen and will do anything for her except tell her he loves her. When Richard is found stabbed the next day Captain Coffin (Donald MacKenzie) and Detective Dirk (Eugene Pallette) sift through the evidence and talk to anyone who knew Richard. They come up with five suspects, Borka, Blanche, Helen, Ted and Helen’s father Mr. MacDonald. When the police begin to circle around Helen, Tony vows to find out who the real killer is.
“The Studio Murder Mystery” was released in 1929 and was directed by Frank Tuttle. It is an American Murder Mystery and an early “talkie”.
The movie has been referred to as being slow and talkie. I found it standard for the late 20’s style of filming. The plot was OK but not all that difficult to solve. Hamilton is the hero and the comic relief. As the hero he is adorable but as the comic relief he is a little tedious. I thought that, for the most part, the movie moved along at a decent pace and most of the performances were good. Plus you get an interesting look at the behind the scenes action of a movie studio in the early years of sound.
Neil Hamilton is probably best known for playing Commissioner Gordon on the television series “Batman” with Adam West. Warner Oland was a Swedish-American actor who played Charlie Chan in sixteen films. Fredric March is well known for playing “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” 1931. Florence Eldridge and Fredric March were married to each other. They were married from May 30, 1927 until his death on April 24, 1975.