Murder in Times Square (1943)

Actor-playwright Cory Williams (Edmund Lowe) is sitting in a nightclub when Longacre Lil (Esther Dale), a Broadway vagrant, comes in and asks him for some money. He not only refuses her but calls her a fake,and she threatens him. Later he takes Milinda Matthews(Marguuerite Chapman), his press agent, to her hotel and, as they are entering, a drunk lurches against Cory who pushes him away. As the man falls, Lil sets up a loud cry and a policeman appears. He examines the man and sees that is is dead. He arrests Cory for murder. However, Supai George (Bruce Bennett) arrives on the scene and points out that the man had died from a snake bite and not from the fall. Police Detective Tabor (William Wright) feels sure that Cory is connected to the crime, but lets him go free. Cory turns detective to prove his innocence. His task is not easy as three more people he is connected to also die from snake venom. Bob Slocumb (Leslie Denison) comes to Cory's and informs him that Fiona Maclair (Veda Ann Borg), Cory's leading lady and fiancee, is still married to him and advises Cory to stay away from her. He also implies that Fiona is just fooling around with Cory anyway, because she is madly in love with Odell Gissing (Gerald Mohr). Cory goes into another room to look for Fiona and straighten the matter out. When he returns, Slocumb is dead - killed by snake poison. Gissing and Fiona are both found murdered the same way and Tabor becomes more convinced than ever that Cory is committing the fiendish crimes by using snake venom in a hypodermic needle. Supai George and Melinda help Cory to escape from the police and the trio goes to Melinda's apartment. While they are there , Lil comes in and offer to clear Cory and name the actual killer for ten thousand dollars.