CITY OF MISSING GIRLS is set in the titular location and sees a group of district attorneys, reporters, and cops trying to piece together pieces of a jigsaw puzzle involving numerous disappearances of beautiful young women, all of whom were students at a local fine arts college.The story that transpires is heavy on plot but less so on involvement, as the events portrayed tend to play out in a rather routine fashion. At least there's plenty of incident to keep you occupied, as well as a rather large tableau of characters. What's most interesting about CITY OF MISSING GIRLS is the subject matter dealing with prostitution, blackmailing and vice, most of which is only hinted at in these old days.

Leading young actress wannabees on the road to ruin is the name of the game in this expose of white slavery in the sex trade, going on around the world even back in the 1940's (and way before that), and police captain H.B. Warner is determined to prevent the vice trade from expanding anymore and prevent any more innocent young girls from having their lives ruined. Philip Van Zandt is the head of this racket, given the obvious criminal name of King Peterson, head of a nightclub who treats the accusations made against him like a total joke, laughing at the law, knowing that they just don't have the evidence on him for being the scum of the earth that he is. He's secret partners with wealthy Boyd Irwin and slimy Herb Vigran (a veteran of many T.V. episodes and especially remembered for commercials), and he threatens them with the fact that if he goes down, he's taking them as well.Astrid Allwyn is Irwin's daughter, an ace reporter who is unaware of her father's protectives and is determined to expose the racket for what it is, even if it means sneaking in as one of the possible girls they utilize for their nefarious intentions. John Archer plays a young assistant D.A. whom Allwyn harasses to get information, and he steps right into the middle of the investigation by answering the phone call from one of Van Zandt's molls who promises to give him the information that he's been searching for. Of course, it's a trap, and all that happens in his attempts to question her is the discovery of a dead body and evidence which will ultimately bring the bad guys down. This of course results in a cowardly act of one of the villains to save their own neck, but the only thing that ends up being saved is the noose to go around it. The end for this nefariously evil character will obviously be in the electric chair! Somewhat shady and exploitive in its pursuit of one of the most low-life of big city rackets, this is cheaply made and sometimes pretty tacky in the way it laughs at the law through the villains. Warner's character, in particular, is so decent and moralistic that this comes off more as a warning for the young girls who have yet to have left their homes and head to big entertainment metropolises like New York or Los Angeles. Patricia Knox, playing the moll, seems to be an unknown variation of similar actresses playing characters which Marian Martin, Veda Ann Borg, Barbara Pepper and Adele Jergens were experts in. This has some enjoyable moments that are pretty heated, but overall, the film just seems to be major exploitation with a few familiar names involved in, amongst them a very young Gale Storm.

"City of Missing Girls" is a B movie that strongly implies but never really says what it's talking about--enabling it to sneak into theaters despite the Production Code. That's because the film is about prostitution--but it's not explicitly stated and might be interpreted differently.The film begins with the discovery of a dead girl. It seems that the trail leads to an acting academy...which is a front for prostitution. When the police dig, they also discover that several missing girls also attended this school and so their suspicions are justly piqued.At the same time, an inquisitive reporter infiltrates the school to learn the truth. Oddly, however, she doesn't realize that her own father is deeply involved in the conspiracy--leading to a really DUMB finale. That's because after she is caught by the ringleader, her father learns about this. Now what do you think you should NOT do if you are him? I'm sure that announcing to the big evil boss "I'm gonna call the police and tell them all about the operation" is perhaps the biggest NOT TO DO thing--and that's EXACTLY what he does. Take a wild guess what happens next!! Yep, you've no doubt guessed! Overall, despite a suck-tastic ending, not a bad film and it's interesting to see because of its adult plot and decent acting. An interesting low-budget curio to say the least.

This is the story of a crime boss who has a front for either white slavery or prostitution. The words are never spoken. This would have been pretty hot stuff for the time. It involves an assistant district attorney, a female reporter, and a cop who just can't retire. All in all, the chemistry is pretty good. The reporter isn't as tiresome as they usually are. She seems to have some soul and some merit. The bad guy is also pretty well conceived and presents a formidable presence. It is pretty formulaic but keeps our attention throughout. The blackmail thing is believable for the most part and the elements of the crime story are nicely balanced. The one thing that troubles me is the aftermath, dealing with the reporter's father. I won't give anything away, so see what you think of the ending scene.