Grand Central Murder (1942)

Directed by S Sylvan Simon; produced by B F Zeidman

A number of people have reason to want Broadway star Mida King (Patricia Dane) dead, and when she is found that way in her private railway carriage, Inspector Gunther (Sam Levene) has his hands full. They start to overflow, however, when high-class - and successful - private investigator ‘Rocky’ Custer (Van Heflin) shows up with his assistant ‘Butch’ (Virginia Grey), who is also his wife. Implicated in what appears to be a murder, Custer has to find the real culprit or possibly end up in jail.

Perhaps another attempt to start a series in the vein of The Thin Man movies, Grand Central Murder benefits from the performances of Heflin and Levene, but not much else.

Van Heflin was a highly capable actor, as good in lead roles - though these were usually restricted to B movies – as in supporting parts in bigger pictures. He has a natural air about him and uses it to good effect in Grand Central Murder, in which he has occasion to be witty, funny, angry and annoyed by turns. He has a good rapport with Levene.

Levene also had a varied career in movies, but had a more successful time on the stage. Here, he is the stereotypical harried detective, irritated by suspects, especially the know-it-all private investigator. He does what he can with what he is given.

Interestingly, the cast includes a number of actors who would become prominent in smaller lead or bigger character roles, including Tom Conway, who stepped into his brother’s former rôle in the Falcon film series immediately after Grand Central Murder; Millard Mitchell; Roman Bohnen, and Stephen McNally, billed as ‘Horace’ McNally.

The script is adequate but unrealistic. Gunther keeps all his suspects together - despite Custer pointing out the logic of questioning them separately - and moves them en masse from one location to another. There is, of course, no logical forensic reason for this, but is meant to keep the story, which comprises mainly the interrogation of the various characters, from becoming static. Attempts at humour are only moderately amusing, though Gunther’s never-ending thirst for cherry cola leads to a few good moments.

The actual mystery is not very clever, and in the path to its solution, the script does not play fair with the audience, declining to give them all the clues Custer finds. As well, the revelation of the method of death doesn’t come as an exciting moment; it’s almost as if that element of the story has become insignificant amid the squabbling and chatter of all the characters.

Grand Central Murder never really had much of a chance with the poor script, bland story-line and pedestrian direction. It would have paid an audience dividends to see Heflin and Levene together in a quality light-hearted crime flick - but this isn’t it.