The Shadow Strikes

After finding a lost key for a cashier's office in a large department store, a small-time criminal recruits four hoodlums to aid him in robbing the store's cash vault.

In the middle of an eye-surgery operation in a large hospital, the lights in the operating room go out and the chief surgeon is murdered. It is the job of Police-Detective Spencer to figure out who in the room had something to gain from his death.

An Eastern potentate, the Rajah of Bandor (Charles Lung), and his American bride (Sue Casey), are robbed of a fortune in jewels on the Riviera, by a quartet of thieves led by Otto Von Herzen (Stephen Bekassy). The gang flees to Hong Kong, followed by Charles Reeves (Robin Hughes), British insurance investigator, and his sister, Susan ('Lois Hall' )qv)). Bill Whitfield (Warren Douglas), a none-too-bright American entrepreneur, gets involved with Stella Strutzenbacher (June Vincent), a flashy and stylish member of Herr Von Herzen's gang. The gang, already riddled with dissension, are easy pickings for Whitfield, Charles and Susan to capture and recover the Rajah's jewels.

The trial of Albert Pomeroy on the charge of murdering Edward Webster,arouses interest because Webster's widow, Muriel insists Pomeroy is innocent. Meanwhile, back to radio station NYEB, owned by the Evening Bulletin, Steve Lonegan waits for a flash from Smiley Dugan so he can broadcast the verdict---But Dugan leaves and asks reporter Maggie Dugan to tip him off it something happens...and something happens when the jury comes in unexpectedly,and this jury comes in with a "Not Guilty" verdict. But fun-loving Maggie, as a gag, phones Smiley and tells him Pomeroy was found guilty, and unreliable Smiley relays this false information to Lonegan who tells a waiting world that Pomeroy was found guilty, signs off the air, locks up the station and goes home...and leaves the station wide open for a million-dollar libel suit. Lonegan and Colonel White decide that the only out from paying Pomeroy a million bucks in a libel-suit is to dig up something on Pomeroy that will force him to drop the suit, and the Colonel dispatches Lonegan out to get this done. Lonegan discovers that a former Pomeroy secretary, Stella Trent , had committed suicide three years earlier, and that a Dr. Bailer was involved. Lonegan and Maggie go to Bailer's office, and discover Bailer has been murdered.Lawyer Justin Walsh drops by the Evening Bulletin and informs Steve and Colonel White that he has just learned that Pomeroy did indeed kill Webster, and he has withdrawn as Pomeroy's attorney. He cites Widow Webster as his source of this information,although, when least heard from, Widow Webster was proclaiming that Pomeroy was innocent.

An American businessman travels to Hong Kong to find out why his tea plantation isn't making money. When he gets there he discovers that his business partner has been growing something on the plantation, but it isn't tea. Complications ensue.

Eleven Gilbert & Sullivan numbers are melded within the murder-mystery plot of "Girl on the Spot", with a result that either G&S and/or the plot are always seemingly on stage-wait or in the wings awaiting a cue. Lois Collier is the girl-on-the-spot of the title because she was on the scene of a murder. The police conclude she didn't do it and they use her to set a trap for the real killer, a G&S addict, by financing a Broadway production starring Collier. The police department evidently found the money for financing a Broadway show under "Misc.Expenses" in the city budget.