AllMovie

Although Hollywood Story is far from its obvious inspiration (Hollywood Boulevard), it's a surprisingly entertaining little neo-noir thriller. Credit director William Castle for a lot of its success. His work here is smooth, professional and clean, intent on telling this story with little fuss but with an eye on keeping things hopping so that the viewer is always engaged. With that in mind, when Castle comes to a hole in the screenplay -- of which there are several -- he jumps hops right over it, acting as if it isn't there and that even it were, it wouldn't really matter. The basic story of Story is a good one, even if the writers don't execute it with the greatest skill. Richard Conte is quite good as the director-turned-detective who finds himself knee-deep in tension, and Julie Adams is lovely to look at as the woman he falls for. Henry Hull and Fred Clark are dependable, and the cameo appearances of genuine silent screen personalities adds some "oomph" to the proceedings. The ending to Story is atmospherically at odds with all that proceeds, but was probably deemed necessary by the studio brass.