review for Hollywood Stadium Mystery on AllMovie

There was definitely something about the way Republic Pictures handled action sequences. The proof is in the many serials and westerns the studio produced in the 1930s and 1940s, where such legendary stunt men as Yakima Canutt, Tom Steele and Dale Van Sickle more or less perfected the choreography that is still used in fight sequences today. The San Fernando movie plant was much less sure when it came to screenwriting and plot-driven whodunits like The Hollywood Stadium Mystery, which suffers noticeably in that important area, even in comparison with poverty row competitors such as Monogram and PRC. Red herrings are introduced willy-nilly and the real culprit is easy enough to spot by any amateur armchair sleuth. The only people seemingly left in the dark are the two rather dense on-screen detectives, Neil Hamilton and Evelyn Venable. The latter, especially, remains a trying acquaintance.