The Payoff (1942)

A public prosecutor is murdered and a wise-cracking tabloid journalist (Lee Tracy) with contacts (legit and not) sets out to track down the perpetrator. As we progress through this unremarkably procedural crime thriller, we discover that the murderer is much closer to home than he'd like. The cast do their jobs well enough - Tina Thayer and Tom Brown; but essentially this is just an opportunity for Tracy to be, well, himself.