While the City Sleeps

Bedridden Amos Kyne is owner and manager of media conglomerate Kyne Enterprises. Upon Amos' death, his son, the ineffective Walter Kyne, takes control of the business. Not wanting to do any of the work but retain the glory, Walter creates a new position - Executive Director - that person who effectively will become head of the organization. The heads of the three primary arms of the business - John Day Griffith (newspaper), Mark Loving (wire service) and Harry Kritzer (photographic service) - are those in line for the job, each who will do whatever he needs to for the appointment. Walter has decided that whoever of the three solves and reports the Lipstick Killings first will get the position. The Lipstick Killings are the murders of young women, the murderer who scrawls a note in lipstick at the murder scene after the fact. Pulitzer Prize winning author and reporter Edward Mobley is seen by most to be the real brains of the organization, although he has no desire for the top job. Although he initially will not get into the internal fight for the job, Ed, who has connections to the police department and has his own thoughts as to the psychological profile of the killer, decides to assist his old friend, John Griffith, in solving the case. In their quest, those involved do not hesitate to use the women in their lives - namely Nancy Liggett (Ed's fiancée and Mark's secretary), Dorothy Kyne (Walter's wife), and Women's Affairs columnist Mildred Donner - in whatever manner they can. (official distributor synopsis)