Babes in Tinseltown: A Mystery of Hollywood's Golden Age

Cardboard leads and a paper-thin plot are the primary features of this subpar whodunit from South. The year 1936 finds 19-year-old Frankie Foster traveling to Hollywood from Georgia to pursue her dreams of stardom. Her train trip takes an unexpected turn when she is enlisted to help Mitch Gannon, an attractive man who boarded without a ticket. He returns the favor almost immediately, rescuing her from a pimp who attempts to convince her that he's a star-maker when she arrives in California. Foster is painfully na%C3%AFve and struggles to navigate an unfamiliar world. Gannon ends up doing her another turn, this time professionally. After his training as an engineer lands him a job as best boy for Monumental Pictures, he persuades producer Artie Cohen to give Foster a spot as a film extra. Soon after, Cohen drops dead, and Foster takes it upon herself to investigate what she is convinced is his murder. Her awkward amateur sleuthing, coupled with predictable romantic developments, don't add up to a satisfying read.