Murder in the Big House 1942

On a storm-swept night at the state prison, the news game kicks into high gear when death-row inmate Dapper Dan Malloy Tod Andrews sends a message that catches the eye of the Morning News and its star reporter, Scoop Conner George Meeker. Conner learns that Malloy, facing the electric chair the next day, plans to name a circle of corrupt officials who aligned with him and who were responsible for the murder of the district attorney whose case put them all in the spotlight. Beside Malloy stands Mile-Away Gordon Roland Drew, Malloy’s criminal ally, who may also be dragged into the exposure if the charges go public. The revelation sets a dangerous domino effect in motion, one that draws in a web of power, money, and fear.

Malloy’s own attorney, Bill Burgen Douglas Wood, is shown as a calculating player in the grand scheme meant to protect the crooked status quo. He tries to play the court of public opinion by suggesting a hush-hush pardon angle, a last-minute olive branch whispered through the corridors of influence, even as the governor’s radio speech is meant to serve as cover for a different fate. The manipulation is meant to keep the truth buried, but the smoke of corruption refuses to clear.

Meanwhile, two eager young reporters push their way into the story: Bert Bell Van Johnson, who dreams of stepping into big assignments, and Gladys Wayne Faye Emerson, who offers sharp support and steady nerves to help him beat the odds. Their paths cross with veteran editor Jim “Pop” Ainslee Joseph Crehan, whose experience anchors the newsroom as they chase the night’s sensational lead. The trio—Bert, Gladys, and Ainslee—begin to piece together how Malloy’s death might have been engineered to silence him before he could spill the truth.

The night’s events unfold against a backdrop of thunder and electric danger. Warden Bevins William Gould addresses the gathered reporters with a startling claim: Malloy died not by natural means, but by a bolt of what he characterizes as a higher power through the prison’s charged atmosphere. The moment casts doubt on official explanations and pushes the investigation into new, perilous territory. The medical verdict confirms Malloy’s death by electricity, but Bert secretly photographs Malloy’s burns, setting the stage for a deeper inquiry back at the newsroom.

As Ainslee, Bert, and Gladys dig deeper, they discover that Malloy’s murder, though carried out in the chair, was part of a broader conspiracy that reached beyond the prison walls. Burgen’s machinations come under scrutiny, and Gordon’s predicament—his wife Irene Gordon Ruth Ford watching from the edges—reads like a warning beacon about how far corruption will go to preserve itself. Irene’s presence adds a personal stake to the political calculus, hinting at the human cost behind the power plays.

The plot thickens when Burgen’s limousine is driven by Mike William Phillips, a man whose loyalties—and his bullets—are not easily deciphered. A tense pursuit unfolds as Bert and Gladys learn that Malloy’s listening devices—headphones that may have been electrified—could have fed selective information to the governor’s radio address, complicating the timeline and the motive. The investigation extends to Gordon’s residence, where Irene Gordon becomes a key source of truth and a foil to the cover-up, offering a critical piece to the puzzle.

In a climactic confrontation at the penal institution, Gordon is scheduled for execution, and the warden’s scheme to attach headphones to the electric chair is revealed. Bert seizes the moment to expose the method behind Malloy’s death, challenging Warden Bevins to face a reckoning and force a confession that implicates the very people Malloy had named. A tense struggle ensues, bullets fly, and the moral weight shifts as Bevins’s power begins to erode. The confession finally lands, naming the corruptors, with Burgen among the most prominent figures named.

The fallout reshapes the fates of those involved. The governor chooses mercy for Gordon, signaling that justice, while not flawless, has a chance to prevail. In the final exchange, Bert and Gladys reflect on the consequences of their pursuit and the delicate balance between truth and personal happiness, ending the night with a touch of warmth and a glimmer of hope for their own future together.