The Inner Circle
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Phil Ford
Adele Mara
Warren Douglas
William Frawley
Ricardo Cortez
Virginia Christine
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
On the day that private detective Johnny Strange places an ad for a secretary, Geraldine Smith appears and tells him to hire her. Pleased with Gerry's good looks and efficiency, Johnny agrees, and Gerry sends him to meet a new, mysterious client. That evening, Johnny's curiosity is aroused by the veiled, accented client, but he refuses to help her when she asks him to hide a dead body, which she claims is her husband, who was killed by someone else. The woman then knocks Johnny unconscious and stages the scene to look as if he killed the dead man in self-defense. As the woman removes her disguise and reveals herself to be Gerry, her transformation is witnessed by Henry Boggs, the gardener, who hides as the police arrive. Johnny revives and is holding the murder weapon in his hand as police detective Webb and his men enter. Johnny is trying to explain when Gerry comes in and states that she saw the altercation through the window, and that Johnny acted in self-defense against the deceased, radio gossip reporter Anthony Fitch. Johnny is bewildered by Gerry's assertion that he committed the killing, but the coroner's jury clears him based on her claim of self-defense. Gerry assures Johnny that the case will bring in much new business, but he decides to learn more about Fitch, who was a blackmailer. Meanwhile, Boggs has recovered Gerry's discarded costume and attempts to blackmail her with it. Gerry gives him some money and then helps Johnny, who has found a record in Fitch's house. The recording is of nightclub singer Rhoda Roberts, who admits to Johnny that she supplied Fitch with gossip items. Johnny is then abducted by Rhoda's boyfriend, Duke York, a nightclub owner and gangster. When Johnny accuses Duke of killing Fitch, Duke replies that he is innocent and has a witness who can prove it. Duke refuses to name his witness, however, and the timely arrival of Webb and his men prevent Duke's thugs from killing Johnny. Johnny then learns that Fitch's next broadcast was to reveal the name of a society woman who was with bank robber Joe Parker when Parker was killed in an automobile accident two years previously. Johnny confronts Gerry, whose real surname is Travis, and she admits that her sister, Anne Lowe, was the unwilling passenger in Parker's fatal crash. Afraid that Anne murdered Fitch to prevent her name from being revealed and thereby ruining her congressman husband's career, Gerry reveals that she decided to set Johnny up. Webb, who has bugged Gerry's apartment, hears the entire confession but releases Anne, who is innocent of the murder. Realizing that he must find out who Duke's witness is, Johnny arranges for an elaborate re-enactment of the past few days to be broadcast from Fitch's home. Boggs, housekeeper Mrs. Wilson, Rhoda, Duke and Gerry take part with Johnny, who finally reveals that Rhoda killed Fitch when he refused to pay her for information she provided. Johnny then finishes the broadcast by soundly kissing Gerry.
Director
Phil Ford
Cast
Adele Mara
Warren Douglas
William Frawley
Ricardo Cortez
Virginia Christine
Ken Niles
Will Wright
Dorothy Adams
Martha Montgomery
Fred Graham
Eddie Parker
Edward Gargan
Bob Wilke
Crew
Thomas A. Carman
William E. Clark
Mort Glickman
Virgil Hart
Herbert Kirkpatrick
Reggie Lanning
Howard C. Lydecker
Theodore J. Lydecker
Bob Mark
Tony Martinelli
John Mccarthy Jr.
Dorrell Mcgowan
Stuart E. Mcgowan
George Milo
Wm. J. O'sullivan
Adele Palmer
Lewis Physioc
Fred A. Ritter
Gordon Schaefer
John Stransky Jr.
Roy Wade
Howard Wilson
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was The Twisted Circle. The Daily Variety review lists the film's running time as 65 minutes.
