DANGER ON THE AIR (1938) Nan Grey, Donald Woods & Jed Prouty | Adventure, Crime, Drama | B&W

Danger on the Air is a 1938 American mystery film directed by Otis Garrett. The film was based on the novel Death Catches Up with Mr. Kluck by author Xanthippe.

SYNOPSIS
Christina "Steenie" MacCorkle, a radio advertising executive, is suspected of murdering her client as Caesar Kluck, a soda magnate. Loathed by all who met him, or forced to work, with his underhanded business machinations, the victims, and suspects, start piling up. Including gangster Joe Carney and Tony Lisotti, who is trying to protect his daughter, Maria Lisotti, from being another notch on Kluck's belt, and Harry Lake, who is desperate to get on the air, seemingly at any cost.

Caesar Kluck, soft-drink magnate, is found dead in the office of a big radio-broadcasting company. Benjamin Franklin Butts, a sound engineer, discovers that Kluck met his death from cyanogen gas, administered in some mysterious fashion. Harry Jones, head of the company, fires Butts for making the murder public. Kluck has made many enemies and there are numerous suspects, including Christina "Steenie" MacCorkle, who is in love with Butts; her brother Alexander; radio announcer Dave Chapman; Tony Lisotti, the janitor who had discovered that Kluck was making love to his daughter Maria; Kluck's physician, Doctor Leonard Sylvester; and Joe Carney, a racketeer who had been doing Kluck's dirty work. Butts pursues his investigation and his only clue is a deflated toy-advertising balloon he has found next to Kluck's body. Later, Butts discovers Tony's body in a broom closet and, nearby, finds another deflated balloon, a straw and a pin. He then calls all the suspects together...and solves the mystery.

CAST & CREW
Nan Grey as Christina "Steenie" MacCorkle
Donald Woods as Benjamin Franklin Butts
Jed Prouty as Harry Jones, Radio Company Boss
Berton Churchill as Caesar Kluck
William Lundigan as Dave Chapman, Radio Announcer
Richard "Skeets" Gallagher as Finney Fish, Ad Company Man
Edward Van Sloan as Dr. Leonard Sylvester, Charlatan
George Meeker as Tuttle, Undercover FCC Man
Frank Milan as Alexander MacCorkle
Lee J. Cobb as Tony Lisotti
Johnny Arthur as Aiken
Peter Lind Hayes as Harry Lake, Call Boy and Aspiring Performer
Louise Stanley as Maria Lisotti
Eloise Rawitzer as Miss Mildred Bello
Joe Downing as Gangster Joe Carney

Directed by Otis Garrett
Screenplay by Betty Laidlaw, Robert Lively
Based on Death Catches Up with Mr. Kluck by Xantippe
Produced by Irving Starr
Cinematography Stanley Cortez
Edited by Maurice Wright
Production companies Crime Club Productions, Inc.
Distributed by Universal Pictures Co.
Release date July 1, 1938
Country United States

NOTES
Danger on the Air was based on The Crime Club novel Death Catches Up with Mr. Kluck by Xantippe. Production on the film began in mid May 1938.

Release
Danger on the Air was released on July 1, 1938 by Universal Studios.

Reception
From retrospective reviews, the authors of Universal Horrors declared the film to be "One of the better Crime Club entries" noting that "Nan Grey contributes a particularly ingratiating performance."