Murder! is a who-done-it set in the lesser ranks of the British theater. It begins with the murder of an actress. Early on in the story The Law settles the mystery to its own satisfaction with the arrest, trial and conviction of a second actress, young Diana Baring (played by Nora Baring), apparently the only person to be with the murder victim at the scene and time of the crime.

          On the jury that convicts young Diana is well-respected "light of the theatrical world" Sir John Menier (played --or, may I say, a tad overplayed-- by Herbert Marshall). Hounded by guilt, uncertainty and the knowledge that the convicted girl is certainly an attractive young thing, Sir John launches a post-conviction investigation of his own. Using his clout in the theater world, Sir John enlists the help of a married couple who were working in the same theater troupe as Diana and the murdered actress.

          Sir John's investigation leads eventually to a cross-dressing half-cast on the flying trapeze (no fooling) and everything is wrapped up quite nicely.

Special moments include:

• Inside the jury room and Hitchcock's version of 12 Angry Men played out with twelve somewhat daffy English-folk.

• The married couple, who eventually join forces with Sir John, at home between gigs, bored out of their minds, waiting for something,anything, to materialize in the way of further employment while their young daughter pounds away relentlessly at her piano practice.

• Herbert Marshall attempting to convey the grace and bearing of BRITIAN'S LEADING ACTOR with some of the most painful overacting this side of a Jerry Lewis retrospective.