spoiler alert . vincente minnelli overwrought expose of hollywood and all it shortcoming . kirk douglas be a wash up studio chief who attempt to gather together a group of one time com padre to help him with his comeback . he get them all on the phone at the same time and thus allow them to tell their horror story one by one before stick it to him . lana turner be the star douglas cultivate and then drop and dick powell be the distinguished novelist who become a gun for hire screen write hack and gloria grahame be powell opportunistic wife . and so on . each story unfold in gruesome detail and expose douglas a heel and a cad and and and possibly and a murderer . it silly and glossy and extremely entertaining . douglas be great and his overacting be perfect for his excitable role and turner hand in as good a performance a she ever give ( which really isn not say that much ) . grahame win an oscar and but she not that impressive . and her role be quite small . the dependable supporting cast also include barry sullivan and walter pidgeon .