Phantom Of 42nd Street, The

2250. THE PHANTOM OF 42ND STREET(1945-usa). With dave o-brien, Kay ALDRIDGE, ALAN MOWBRAY, FRANK JENKS. Murder mars the Broadway debut of Claudia Moore (played with sprightly sophistication by Kay Aldridge), the youngest member of an acting dynasty headed by her father Cecil Moore. The victim is her millionaire Uncle Jonathan. The killer is dressed as a pirate who leaves an eerie note pinned to the corpse, which he signs “Captain Kidd.” Witnessing the crime is Tony Woolrich, dapper dramatic critic for “The Record” whose editor yells loud and long when other papers scoop theirs because Tony failed to report the story. To save face, Tony and his taxi driving pal Romeo (Frank lends at his comical wisecracking best) set out to investiÂgate the killing. This engaging whodunit features a siring of murders and an interesting line-up of suspects. Could the killer be Claudia’s actor-fiancŽe? How about the suspicious Mrs. Buchanan who keeps a dark secret regarding Cecil and Claudia? The police are focusing the investigation on Cecil who they believe to be either the murderer or the next victim. Almost topping the crime-solving excitement is the added treat of seeing Alan Mowbray play Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” 58 minutes. Crime-Mystery-Suspense