MURDER, INC. is based on the book Murder, Inc.: The Story of the Syndicate, penned by policeman Burton Turkus. The film follows the lives of fictional nightclub performers Eadie (May Britt) and Joey Collins (Stuart Whitman), who must deal with mob intimidation amid the backdrop of a criminal underworld that has overrun civil society. The 1930s national crime syndicate, dubbed Murder Incorporated, is headed by Louie Lepke and Albert Anastia. Lepke, played by David Stewart, hires hit man Abe Reles (Peter Falk), the leader of the notorious Brownsville gang, to handle contract killings exclusively for Lepke and his mob. When nightclub singer Joey can't pay back a $300 loan to Reles, he must do the mobster's bidding or be killed. Joey fingers Walter Sage (Morey Amsterdam), a Catskill nightclub owner and comedian who has tried to move in on illegal gambling in competition with the mob. This is Reles' first victim. Joey and Eadie, the scared couple, cannot rid Reles and the mob from their life no matter how hard they try. Reles moves them into an apartment, where the mob stashes stolen merchandise and Lepke hides out from the law. While in the apartment, Lepke orders his henchman, Mendy Weiss (Joseph Bernard), to kill a key witness in his ongoing criminal trial, Joe Rosen (Eli Mintz). Joey overhears Mendy tells Lepke about the killing ordered by Lepke, and Joey's testimony later becomes instrumental in giving Lepke a death sentence. The film comes to a head when tough Brownsville police Lt. Tobin (Simon Oakland) and the new Special District Attorney, Burton Turkus (Harry Morgan), defeat the Brownsville gang and get Reles to be a witness against the mob in exchange for immunity. MURDER INC. is a classic mob story with many notable performances, especially Peter Falk's portrayal of the vicious Reles. The film was a major boost for his career and garnered him a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination.