Time Out For Murder (1938)

Jean Rogers is The Time Girl, who gives out the time every fifteen seconds. Robert Kellard is her boyfriend. He is a delivery boy who delivers some papers to Ruth Hussey. He has to break into her desk to get out the papers for her. The telephone operator hears Hussey shot over the line. Old stand-by Cliff Clark is the investigating officer. Michael Whalen and his photographer, Chick Chandler, show up to get a story. Goofy Chandler is continually exploding flash bulbs. He is continually calling for the time because he is in love with Rogers' voice. Whelan plays a very bad trombone. To pay his rent, Chandler is Whalen's valet on alternating weeks. They are behind on all their bills. Gloria Stuart is a bill collector who shows up to get the money.

Kellard is arrested for the murder. Chandler hears Rogers breaking up over the phone, and they smell a story. Stuart sticks with them. Rogers is gone, but Jane Darwell, her supervisor, gives them the details. They set out to unravel the story - with Stuart's help. Certain things do not ring true about Kellard's guilt. Whalen runs into club owner Douglas Fowley (who came out of Hussey's apartment just before Kellard arrived). They are friends from the past. Stuart interviews Rogers and sympathizes with her. She decides to see who was paying Hussey's bills, and it is Fowley. They figure out that a record must have been used to falsify the time that a phone call was made to the apartment operator requesting the time. In Hussey's apartment they find wads of gum, which points to Fowley. (Chandler gets the gum stuck to his fingers.) Stuart gets a job in Fowleys' club in order to get more evidence, but she is recognized. Fowley's hoods show up to take care of Chandler and Whalen, but Fowley won't let them because he owes Whelan a favor.

Fowley finally admits that he was in Hussey's apartment, but denies he killed her. He claims Lester Matthews was the man, and sets up a plan to prove it. Stuart stows away in the car of Fowley's hoods, who are planning an armored truck job contrary to Fowley's orders. They crash a road block and the chase is on. The hoods make Stuart throw a bomb into the road, but it misses the police. Finally they crash. Fowley, Whelan and Chandler are sweating Matthews to get him to confess. He admits he was there, but denies that he killed Hussey. Fowley's hood (Eddie Marr) shows up with Stuart. Matthews identifies him as the killer. Marr shoots Fowley as the police arrive, but he nails Marr as he is trying to climb over the yard fence. Marr had been Hussey's jailbird husband.

As the movie ends, Stuart shows up to repossess practically everything the boys own.




Chandler


Rogers


Stuart