Producer Richard Conte comes to Hollywood to make his next picture. While he's figuring out a subject, he rents an old studio. The guard tells him about a director murdered at the dawn of sound, still unsolved. Conte decides that will make a terrific picture. High school friend and now Hollywood agent Jim Backus hates the idea, as does Conte's partner Fred Clark. Julia Adams, the daughter of a movie star with whom the dead man was linked, asks him to drop it. Even police detective Richard Egan comes by to quiz Conte and tell him it's a terrible idea. conte persists, even hiring the dead director's washed-up screenwriter, Henry Hull. Then there is another murder...

It's a canny, nostalgic movie directed by William Castle, who knows how to evoke old Hollywood without getting trapped in antiques. The studio that Conte rents is Chaplin's studio, and there cameos for a Betty Blythe, a Francis X. Bushman, and William Farnum. The mystery, although far from the William Desmond Taylor murder that inspired it, is nicely constructed, with some decent red herrings. It's a fine example of the unassuming picture that does everything you so right that that it becomes a minor masterpiece.

Just because certain actors are forgotten doesn't mean that they weren't one stars or deserving of rediscovery. and just because someone is a character actor best known for a certain type of role doesn't mean that they always played that role. Don't expect Mr. Magoo or Mr. Howell in agent Jim Backus who narrates the film from the very beginning, bringing writer Richard Conte to Hollywood to utilize him for ideas. While roaming around the boulevards of broken dreams, Conti learns about a murder of a Hollywood director that took place as the silent films were transitioning to sound. With the murder unsolved, he thinks it is a perfect way to break into film, unaware that the killer is still at large and that the police have not closed the case.

At first, Backus doesn't think that this is a good idea for a subject for a film, and police detective Richard Egan agrees. But Conte interviews many of the people who knew the deceased director, as well as the daughter (Julie Adams) of one of his big stars. she objects to the picture because she believes it might bring out secrets from her parents past but Contei reassures her that it will be dignified. There's also Henry Hull as a legendary screenwriter who disappeared into obscurity, Fred Clark who was a young producer at the time, and a variety of silent actors playing themselves, among them Francis X. Bushman.

This is a well-crafted and neatly plotted murder mystery, not a big studio film, but ripped with talent, great vintage Hollywood locations and fun character performances doing their best with an awesome screenplay. Conte is one of the great unsung leading men of Hollywood's golden age, great weather playing gangsters or heroes. Julie Adams, one of the great unsung beauties of the 1950's, was also a very good actress as well, and her character is surrounded by mystery as well. While there are no ghosts in the story, the film is haunted by spirits from the silent era, and it is a great nostalgic view with a murder mystery twist to make it intriguing and a lot of fun.

"Hollywood Story" from 1951 stars Richard Conte, Julia Adams, Richard Egan, Henry Hull, Jim Backus, Paul Cavanagh, with appearances by Francis X. Bushman, Betty Blythe, William Farnum, and Helen Gibson from the silent film era, as well as Joel McCrea.

Directed by William Castle, Conte plays Larry O'Brien, an independent producer who comes to Hollywood and becomes interested in the mysterious death of a silent film director, Franklin Ferrara, a murder victim. The case has never been solved. This is based on the real-life William Desmond Taylor murder.

O'Brien rents an old studio building and spends time in Ferrara's bungalow, where he was murdered. He starts talking to people, and it becomes apparent that someone doesn't want him to make the film. At one point, he is in the bungalow and someone takes a shot at him. O'Brien ducks the bullet, then goes outside and starts wandering around. Just what I would have done with someone trying to shoot me.

This was an okay mystery with wonderful location shots of LA and great atmosphere.

There was one huge mistake (to my mind, though it doesn't seem like anyone else noticed). Here goes:

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When the Conte character is shot at, he goes to the phone and immediately calls a police inspector, Bud Lenox (Egan),whom he met earlier. Egan isn't there, so he leaves a message with his phone number - GR 1466.

Later, an old-timer named Romero contacts O'Brien and says he knows the identity of the Ferrara murderer. He will not come to O'Brien's office, so O'Brien has to go to his place. When he gets there, Romero is dead, a piece of paper beside him. On it is the phone number GR 1466. This makes sense, since he contacted O'Brien, who was at that number.

However, O'Brien gives the piece of paper to Lenox and wants the identity of the caller. Turns out it was an old number Romero had that had been reassigned to someone not involved in the case. Lenox discovers that in 1929, the phone number belonged to O'Brien's money man, Sam Clark, who knew Ferrara.

Well, hello, it's the identical phone number to O'Brien's. It looks as if O'Brien set up an office in Ferrara's old bungalow. If he did, that's one thing. It's quite another if he's just hanging out in the bungalow because why is there even a phone there, the place hasn't been used since 1929. Not to mention, why does the phone have that number since it didn't belong to Ferrara in 1929, but to Clark.

Sloppy writing.