The Death Kiss
Year: 1932
Plot: While filming the climactic murder scene of a movie also titled The Death Kiss, the leading man, Myles Brent, is shot and killed for real on the sound stage. The studio's management, including the mysterious Joseph Steiner (Bela Lugosi), wants to cover it up as an accident to save money and bad publicity. However, the studio's crusading screenwriter, Franklyn Drew (David Manners)—who is also the lover of the main suspect, the victim's ex-wife and co-star Marcia Lane—begins his own investigation to clear her name. Drew, with the help of the bumbling studio security chief, must navigate a cast and crew full of suspects who all had a reason to hate the deceased actor, uncovering sabotage, concealed evidence, and a string of other murders to find the real killer.
