Curapedi
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
InformationRap
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
Tymon Sutton
The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.
Leofwine_draca
CITY OF MISSING GIRLS is set in the titular location and sees a group of district attorneys, reporters, and cops trying to piece together pieces of a jigsaw puzzle involving numerous disappearances of beautiful young women, all of whom were students at a local fine arts college.The story that transpires is heavy on plot but less so on involvement, as the events portrayed tend to play out in a rather routine fashion. At least there's plenty of incident to keep you occupied, as well as a rather large tableau of characters. What's most interesting about CITY OF MISSING GIRLS is the subject matter dealing with prostitution, blackmailing and vice, most of which is only hinted at in these old days.
a_baron
What a load of rubbish. Girls are not missing from this non-thriller, but everything else is. No real action until two thirds and more of the way through, and then only if you use a liberal definition of action. Leading lady Astrid Allwyn is no ingénue but you kind of wish she was, even women reporters were never meant to be this brazen. There is no real plot to this either, there is no scenery, it could have been made in one building, and probably was. Did people really shell out good money to watch celluloid trash like this even in the 1940s? Another reviewer has suggested it has hidden depths, that the missing girls were involved in a white slavery racket or some such. It does give that impression towards the end, but if ever subtlety was not needed, it was not needed here.
MartinHafer
"City of Missing Girls" is a B movie that strongly implies but never really says what it's talking about--enabling it to sneak into theaters despite the Production Code. That's because the film is about prostitution--but it's not explicitly stated and might be interpreted differently.The film begins with the discovery of a dead girl. It seems that the trail leads to an acting academy...which is a front for prostitution. When the police dig, they also discover that several missing girls also attended this school and so their suspicions are justly piqued.At the same time, an inquisitive reporter infiltrates the school to learn the truth. Oddly, however, she doesn't realize that her own father is deeply involved in the conspiracy--leading to a really DUMB finale. That's because after she is caught by the ringleader, her father learns about this. Now what do you think you should NOT do if you are him? I'm sure that announcing to the big evil boss "I'm gonna call the police and tell them all about the operation" is perhaps the biggest NOT TO DO thing--and that's EXACTLY what he does. Take a wild guess what happens next!! Yep, you've no doubt guessed! Overall, despite a suck-tastic ending, not a bad film and it's interesting to see because of its adult plot and decent acting. An interesting low-budget curio to say the least.
wes-connors
"A string of mysterious deaths and disappearances of young women have all been traced to a drama school, where all the girls were students. The district attorney suspects the school may be a front for a prostitution ring and sets out to investigate it. After the D.A. is blackmailed into dropping the investigation, a female reporter decides to go undercover to learn the truth," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.Writer/director Elmer Clifton manages to squeeze a few drops of blood from this stone. A scene between villain Philip Van Zandt (as King Peterson) asking "Do you mind if I smoke?" and hero John Archer (as Jimmy Horton) replying "I don't care if you burn" piques interest. Mr. Clifton and H.B. Warner (as "Mac" McVeigh) were bigger names during the silent film era (look for Walter Long, also).Mr. Archer was a fine actor, who did not get the parts he deserved; and it shows, in this film. Teenage Gale Storm (as Mary Phillips), who unexpectedly became a 1950s TV and rock 'n' roll era recording star, is irresistibly cute; she, and brief pair of vivacious dancing girls, give the film some much-needed oomph. In spite of some strengths, "City of Missing Girls" remains oblique and recumbent.**** City of Missing Girls (3/27/41) Elmer Clifton ~ John Archer, H.B. Warner, Gale Storm
