Behind Green Lights (1946) User Reviews

Good plot and earnest performances carry solid B mystery

[csteidler · 7/10 · 2 April 2012]

William Gargan is police lieutenant Sam Carson. He admits he would like to be chief but he's not about to compromise his principles. He makes that fact pretty clear to tabloid magnate Max Calvert (Roy Roberts), who is looking to stir up the approaching election by pushing a murder story possibly involving a politician's daughter.

Carole Landis is dignified and tight-lipped as Janet Bradley, that daughter. Yes, she visited the victim, a sleazy private detective, earlier that evening. No, she does not care to explain her business with him.

Besides these main characters, a shady police doctor (Don Beddoe) sneaks information to reporters and generally delights in scandal. Mabel Paige has a key role as a flower lady who just wants her six bits. John Ireland is quite convincing in a too small role as a police detective. A roomful of news reporters crack wise and rush to their phones, a la The Front Page.

A couple of nice plot twists, especially one involving an escapee from his jail cell, keep the viewing interesting. Gargan and Landis are strong as the leads—a couple of realists holding out for a breakthrough that may or may not come.

Well done—a very entertaining if modest production.

A night at the police station

[gregormandella · 7/10 · 2 February 2011]

William Gargan and Carole Landis star in Behind Green Lights, a police drama set in one night in the police station. Gargan is Lt. Sam Carson, the head officer of the night shift and Landis is Janet Bradley, the prime suspect in the murder of a shady Private Eye who is blackmailing her. Both of their performances are excellent.

Several of the supporting cast put in a good performance as well, such as Roy Roberts as Max Calvert, the owner of a newspaper who tries to influence Lt. Carson into railroading Janet Bradley into a murder conviction, whether she's actually guilty or not. Newspaper politics and corruption is well depicted here.

The only part of this movie that lacks is when they spend too much time with the newspaper reporters who work out of an office at the police station. Too often they delve into a little too much slap stick and corny behavior. That and the character of Flossie, the "nutty woman who sells flowers" who becomes a somewhat too frequent presence in the later part of the movie, although she does help the Lt. figure out who the killer is. That and they over did her use of the phrase "A dollar six bits", which got to be a little annoying. All of this happens in the last half of the film. If you keep in mind when the film was made it's easier to simply look past these few distractions.

Never the less, this is a fun, albeit short (64 minutes) movie. It was entertaining to watch Gargan and Landis, who normally got supporting roles in a lot of the movies they're in, get to be the leads. Oh, and you'll never figure out who actually killed the Private Eye until the end! Good overall, worth 7 stars for the excellent and entertaining story.

Loaded with political implications

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 19 June 2014]

This noir B thriller from 20th Century Fox shows the temptations that the police are under. William Gargan stars and plays a doggedly honest cop who has a homicide literally dropped on his doorstep at the precinct headquarters. It's almost like someone was taunting the cops to solve this one.

The victim in Behind Green Lights was a seedy private detective who had a nice sideline in blackmail and no one really is going to mourn his passing. But the case is loaded with political implications because Carole Landis, daughter of the reform candidate for mayor was seen leaving the victim's apartment.

The largest newspaper in town is supporting the current administration and Roy Roberts says that the easiest thing in the world for Gargan to do to advance his career is pick up Landis and book her. At least until the election is over which will be in a few days. Something about Roberts sticks in Gargan's craw. He could easily justify holding Landis and helping his career, but he won't do it.

There's a nice array of suspects and by definition performances. There are two keys here, a very sleazy medical examiner played by Don Beddoe and a bag lady played by Mabel Paige. Between the two of them the real story comes out.

Behind Green Lights bears no small resemblance to Detective Story in structure. Most of the action takes place in the police station. This film is nicely paced with a few good comic touches. I can't mention them because they are within the plot structure and not just added on. This noir film is a good one to check out.

A solid little mystery

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 15 September 2011]

A dead body is dumped outside a police station one night. This leads to a mystery involving a femme fatale and corruption.

This was an entertaining mystery in my book. While it was set almost totally in two locations - the police station and the flat where the murder took place - it has a fairly polished feel and holds the interest throughout. The mystery is involving enough and there are some moments of noirish atmosphere and style towards the end. There were some elements of humour introduced which, while not being strictly necessary, weren't too distracting either. Behind Green Lights isn't a poverty row effort, it was made by one of the big studios so that may account for it's relatively impressive overall presentation. It's hardly a film that breaks the mould but it's a fairly effective little mystery that is worth watching if you like these kinds of flicks.

Brisk and workmanlike police procedural notable chiefly for noirish edge

[bmacv · 6/10 · 20 December 2002]

A police-procedural mystery that's about halfway to film noir but comes up short, Behind Green Lights takes place entirely during a single night in a midwestern city (stockyards are mentioned; Kansas City? Chicago?). A car rolls up to the green globes of a police station, holding the murdered body of a private investigator who dabbled in blackmail. Asked in for questioning is Carole Landis, daughter of a mayoral candidate, who had been in the extortionist's apartment earlier that evening. Though other suspects emerge, the ink-stained wretches on the police beat smell a scoop: If Landis is convicted in the press, it will swing the election that's just a few days off.

Its view of the press as partisan, corrupt and unprincipled is the most unusual aspect of Behind Green Lights. It assumes (in this case rightly) that the newspapers have mercenary minions stowed throughout the city government. The medical officer (Don Beddoe) clearly takes his orders not from night-shift boss William Gargan but from a sleazy tabloid's editor-in-chief (Roy Roberts). On his instructions, he substitutes victim's body for a John Doe's after he discovers that the murder weapon was poisoned Bourbon, not the gunshot that would implicate Landis. (This switching around of corpses introduces an antic element of slapstick from which the movie never quite recovers.)

But the pervasive corruption of big-town politics remains oddly matter-of-fact, never developed into an indictment or accepted as a grim given of mid-twentieth-century American life; it's just a plot point. (The movie also has to work around the central presence of the charisma-free Gargan, while John Ireland is wasted as his assistant.) It wraps up neatly, leaving little atmosphere behind (Mabel Paige as a flower vendor stays the most memorable character). Still, it has a brisk pace and professional look - both indoor and outdoor scenes have a dark, noirish shine, thanks to director of photography Joe MacDonald, who would go on to light many worthy noirs - and leaves one wishing that it had been just a little bit longer and a little bit better.

noir starring William Gargan and Carole Landis

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 9 August 2016]

Other than guessing the murderer the minute I saw him, I thought "Behind Green Lights" from 1946 was pretty good.

The first thing we see is a young woman (Carole Landis) entering an apartment and telling the man inside that she hasn't raised enough money. Then she pulls a gun on him.

Later, a body is dumped in front of a police precinct. It turns out to be that of a detective turned blackmailer, and we learn that none other than a mayoral candidate's daughter had visited him before he died. She is brought in for questioning.

The editor of a newspaper doesn't want that candidate to win and pressures Lt. Carson (Gargan) to formally arrest the mayor's daughter, at least until after the election. Not happening.

At first it appears that the blackmailer was shot to death; he was shot, but the cause of death was poisoning. The coroner is actually taking orders from the editor, and he's told to get the body out of the police station before anyone realizes that the man was poisoned.

Some nice bits concerning the body, an escaped prisoner, and a closet.

Okay film, with nice performances by Gargan, Richard Crane, John Ireland, Mary Anderson, and Charles Russell. This is down a few notches for the beautiful Landis, whose career sadly declined after Darryl Zanuck dumped her. She committed suicide two years later at the age of 29. A very sad life.

I think it's worth seeing even if it is an uneven mix of noir and comedy - I liked some of the characters.

Awkwardly Straddles Two Eras

[dougdoepke · 23 September 2015]

Plot—a shady character turns up dead in front of a police station. Looks like the cops have their man, oops, woman, but then the corpse disappears and fingers begin to point in different directions.

Okay time-passer from TCF. The format suggests a transition period between the comedic who-dun-its of the 1930's and the noirish police procedures of the late 40's. The two blend awkwardly here with an obstreperous group of crime reporters and antic characters providing the humor, and a no-nonsense police Lt. (Gargan) the procedure. Unfortunately, the moods contrast rather than complement, a tricky combo, at best. As other reviewers point out, the movie's standout aspect is influence peddling among city officials and police that suggests deals can be made without much regard for guilt or innocence. Perhaps the humorous side was intended to soften this harder message.

Rather disturbing to see promising actress Landis just two years before her tragic suicide, one of Hollywood's more lamentable. Too bad her sparkling personality remains subdued in a rather dour role. Still, she remains a distinctive presence and not just for us guys. Unfortunately, tough guy Ireland is wasted in a supporting role. But with his distinctive looks, he's clearly on his way up.

Anyway, the mystery's surprise solution is told in multiple flashbacks, so be prepared for the cut-aways. All in all, the movie's a journeyman piece of work, perhaps reflecting a coming change in post-war mood.

(In passing—Like reviewer arfdawg, I was puzzled by the clumsily edited opening scene of Janet {Landis} holding a gun on Bard, which doesn't appear to fit with what follows. However, the scene is picked up later in flashback. My guess is the idea was meant to be a teaser. Unfortunately, it looks like dull scissors were used to cut it.)

okay "whodunnit"...with some hollywood medium shots

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 22 February 2018]

The version i watched on "Moonlight Movies" channel was a TERRIBLE editing job... all chopped to hell. Directed by Otto Brower, who only directed one more after this, and that one was uncredited! A private eye is murdered, and dumped on the steps of the police station. and of course, the mayor's daughter (or something) is involved. Carole Landis is "Janet", who admits to being at the scene, but says she didn't kill him. William Gargan is the police lieutenant, as usual. All kinds of shenanigans, and corruption, since there is an upcoming election. Both sides are trying to influence the election results by altering the facts, and they keep saying it's bad news for "the administration"... without naming anyone specific. It's very okay. a 64 minute short from 20th Century Fox. John Ireland is in here as "Oppenheimer"... this was almost the first role he had in hollywood. he went on to be a real bigshot. Mabel Paige (Flossie the Flowergirl) has a part.. she was in silents from 1912 -- 1918, disappeared for twenty years, then came back and acted in talkies for another 15 years ! That story would be more interesting than this film. (and what are the green lights in the title ?? this is a black and white film)

Murder On Delivery

[boblipton · 6/10 · 27 August 2019]

It's the graveyard shift, with night commander William Gargan holding down the fort. A car rolls up right in front of the station. Someone opens the car and a corpse falls out. It's Bernard Nedell with a bullet hole in him. He was a P.I. and blackmailer by trade, and one of the suspects is Carole Landis, whose father is up for election, so there's pressure to put her behind bars. Soon the case becomes ever more tangled....

It's an okay little flick, directed for speed by Otto Brower. Brower bounced between directing B pictures -- his westerns are lively affairs -- and being an assistant director on some pretty classy As, one of the highly competent craftsmen who never got the breaks, but was obviously known in the industry for his good work. Writer Scott Darling ekes out the short running time with eccentric characters: the guy who breaks out of jail so he can wrestle at an Elks smoker, the reporter who wears his grandfather's buffalo-skin coat, a kid whose head is trapped in a goldfish bowl (his mother wants it removed without breaking it), Mabel Paige as the flower seller who wants her $1.75 from the corpse, and iold-timer Tom Moore and J. Farrell MacDonald.

It's more a procedural that film noir, barring some eccentrically lit shots on an apartment stairs, and there are no early clues; everything breaks at once, with the motive revealed after the audience can figure out whodunnit. However, it's an example of the lively B movie that Fox could still turn out on a short budget, given the superfluity of talent available.

Old time mystery crime drama.

[andliff · 6/10 · 4 December 2015]

Behind Green Lights was released in February of 1946, and because of that I felt I would be bored or even frustrated by the acting and the story line. But that just wasn't the case. I really enjoyed the feeling the film gave me as I watched it, it just had the "old classic" feel about it. Most of the film takes place in the police station with the classic "everyone is smoking and wearing a suit". The film is black and white, and given what the film is about, it is very fitting and adds to the film. The opening scene starts with a small dialogue between two very important people of the film, Walter Bard and Janet Bradley. Janet just happens to be the daughter of a candidate running for mayor with the elections the following Tuesday. Not much is revealed in this opening scene but there's enough to wonder why the movie starts out with it. After some conversations at the police station, introducing some of press characters and other cops, the main event takes place; a dead body is found in a car right outside of the station. It's Walter Bard, dead, in his car by himself, with a gun wound. At this point you really start to get hooked by the many plot twists and endless possibilities of what could have happened, it keeps you guessing and just when you think you know what's going in it changes again. The lieutenant, Sam Carson, is really put into a tough situation as it is his job to find out what happened and who the murderer is. There are multiple suspects of who it could have been and multiple small sub stories of others' points of view helps you understand where these people are coming from and their motives, and truly demonstrating that the film hits the mark of the drama genre. As Lt. Carson starts to investigate and conduct more interviews with the possible "murderer", you really start to narrow it down. You start predicting that it is Janet or Nora, the victim's wife who is trying to get a divorce. I really liked the personal struggle of Lt. Sam Carson in doing what is right, even though he was enticed by one of the main newspaper owners to book one of the suspects in order to potentially corrupt an important mayoral election coming up for personal gain, recognition, and to avoid embarrassment for the police staff, but being a man of the truth and knowing what is right he made sure to do what it took to find the truth. He was fair with everyone and tried to get everyone's point of view. The film does a really good job of telling the stories and background stories for the characters without taking away from the main storyline. It does so to add to the story instead of take away or even distract from it. You realize that each person has their struggles and you start to see that each person is trying to do what's best for themselves or the ones they care about. One part that really demonstrated this was from the new lover of Nora, Arthur. Without giving away too much, he sees that Nora could be in real trouble and he does what he has to do to make sure that she'll be alright even if it meant he would be the one in big trouble. This makes it easy to relate to. I don't say that meaning everyone will be involved in a murder crime one day, but there will be times when our integrity will be questioned, when we have to make a decision to do what's right, when we may have to sacrifice for the ones we love, or even when a close friend gets in trouble. This film does a good job of telling an honest story of the characters' struggles. It goes beyond just your typical mystery. The director did a fantastic job of combining those genres into one great film, by connecting to the actors and the multiple plots twists which makes it easy to connect to.

Cute Little Noir

[iquine · 5/10 · 5 July 2018]

(Flash Review)

This is a cute and short hour long detective-based Noir. It is sprinkled with dashes of humor, quality dialog and a dead body that literally rolls up at a police headquarters' front steps. Mix in a dashingly classic lady with political connections, some amusing side characters and you have an enjoyable hour on your hands.

A nice little hidden gem...

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 25 February 2010]

This is a wonderful mystery film with a film noir-like edge. Oddly, the film has mostly been forgotten today and it's slipped into the public domain--which often means that a film is terrible--which this film certainly is NOT! The film begins with a wild setup--a car with a dead body in it rolls to a stop right in front of the police station! Inside the car is a shady detective--but who killed him and why? The film did a great job of keeping you guessing--as it's NOT readily apparent who did it. Into the mix are some nice plot elements--such as the introduction of an inexperienced news reporter into the tale as well as the prime suspect being the daughter of a man who is running for election in only days! As for the acting, that and the script are what I really liked. Despite being mostly unknown and supporting actors, the film was dandy entertainment. In particular, I liked William Gargan as the investigating lieutenant--he was very believable and far from flashy--but this made his role so wonderful. A big-name star might have tried too hard to dominate the scenes or take too commanding a presence--instead, he just seemed like a smart and decent "everyman". Also, while his role was very small, I was happy to see a young John Ireland--before he rose to fame in the world of Noir.

Overall, for mystery and film noir fans, this is a great little film. It's intelligently written and doesn't assume the audience is stupid! Great job.

Short noirish mystery with political implications, press intrigue + a dash of comedy and romance

[declancooley · 6/10 · 22 May 2022]

Very decent flick set mostly in a police station focussed on the work of Lt. Sam Carson (William Gargan) who has to figure out which of two dames might have killed a local private detective - Gargan does a great job playing the copper with a conscience who has to resist political and media pressure. The plot gets a bit twisty, but also kinda goofy on a couple of occasions. As a bonus, Carole Landis is the perfect statuesque blonde in the spotlight, adding some panache, class and even a spot of romance into proceedings. With its flashbacks and voiceovers, some shadowy shots and its morally conflicted central character, it does enough to earn its noir credentials - worth your time.

B Murder Mystery.

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 23 March 2011]

This is about what you'd expect from a hastily written and produced murder mystery from 1946. The director must have had the producer looking over his shoulder, taking notes on time and expenses. But even at that, Otto Brower's direction displays a staggering lack of imagination. I'll give one example and let it go.

Near the beginning, a cub reporter is being shown around the police station where most of the action is to take place. His fellow newspaperman walks him past the usual people who show up in police stations with complaints or being questioned for having performed some suspicious act, perhaps First Degree Lurking.

The guide walks the new reporter down the hallway and they pass three sets of cops interviewing people who have business with the police. Each time they reach a new pair, the reporters stop and stand silently while the cop and the complainant exchange a few humorous words, then move on to the next pair, where the routine is repeated, as in a vaudeville skit. Whines one African-American, "She done run off with my car." Detective: "Nothing you can do, that car is community property." Complainant: "But she done took it OUT of da community!" What's irksome isn't the racial humor. That was common enough at the time and often was pretty funny. And it's not even that the lines themselves are no more than slightly amusing. And it's not that this routine -- the camera panning a police station in which civilians are being quizzed one after another -- is so thoroughly familiar. It's that the pair of reporters STOPS, and so does the camera, until each skit is completed, before moving on. All Herr Brower needed to do before the take was give a simple direction to the reporters, like, "You can slow down but keep walking." That would have strained no one's patience and made little demands on anyone's talent.

The performances are good enough. William Gargan is bland as the nice lieutenant who is tempted to knowingly follow a false lead because of a hypothetical imperative. J. Farrel MacDonald -- a great bartender in the same year's "My Darling Clementine" -- is lost in a minor role. A villainous newspaper editor and a sleazy blackmailer look suitably slimy. An old Irish lady who sells flowers on the street isn't nearly as funny or charming as the writers had hoped. John Ireland dominates each scene he's in. The musical score is pedesterian. There is some nice photography by Joe MacDonald, including an outdoor shot (one of only two in the entire movie), in which a big car glides along a wet cobblestone street. A little touch of expressionism in the night.

It's hardly worth describing the plot. An important newspaper wants an innocent young woman arrested for murder for political reasons; her father is running on the reform ticket or something. I may be getting it mixed up with the newspaper in "Boomerang." The Press Room is straight out of "The Front Page," including the oddball who wears a queer coat and is fussy about it. The resolution of the mystery appears suddenly out of a puff of smoke. The writers weren't breaking their backs on this one. A recently dead body gets mixed up with that of "a floater we found a couple of weeks ago", and the wrong bodies gets wheeled around under their sheets. At one point, a live but balmy escapee slips under the sheets too.

You know what? Without too much trouble, the lines could have been rewritten as DELIBERATE gags, see. And you put Bob Hope and Mantan Moreland into the leads. And instead of Carole Landis, you use Dorothy Lamour. And you make the movie at Paramount. And -- voila! -- it's a successful comedy!

A nice mystery

[BenTramerLives78 · 6/10 · 17 September 2020]

This was a nice little mystery of a man being found dead in front of a police station right before an election. The man was a private investigator and the police station and newspaper men are desperate to solve the case. Politics and an estranged wife are thrown into the mix.

"In my kind of job, your reasons have got to make sense."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 15 January 2022]

Better keep a scorecard handy for this one, as multiple characters are introduced in a short span of time, and even the two female leads bear a close resemblance to each other. I thought this was a nice little murder mystery, and for a title I never heard of before, it did a good job of keeping one's interest. Red herrings abound, and there's even a colorful character calling himself the Philadelphia Phantom (Fred Sherman) that plays a significant hand in the proceedings, though his actions are beyond questionable. And of course, the flower lady Flossie (Mabel Paige), who's determined to get her dollar six bits for a carnation the murder victim snagged without paying for. There's one glaring plot point however that defies any sort of logic and sensibility, and that's when Arthur Templeton (Charles Russell) confesses to Lieutenant Sam Carson (William Gargan) that he shot Walter Bard (Bernard Nedell) AFTER Bard was already dead from poisoning. And Carson was OK with it??? When would that ever happen? Incredibly, all this takes place in just a few minutes over an hour of screen time, and leaves the viewer with an interesting twist in the revelation of the murderer.

Note one minor continuity error: when Nora Bard (Mary Anderson) hangs up on her call to Ed Ames of 'The Express' at 42:33, her fiance Arthur Templeton calls her 'Rhonda'. Very shortly after at 43:08, he uses her correct name, Nora.

A Fairly Enjoyable Film-Noir

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 23 March 2020]

This film begins with an attractive blonde woman going to a man's residence and after a conversation suddenly pulling a gun on him before the screen fades to black. In the next subsequent scene a car rolls in front of the local police station and upon looking inside the police find the dead body of a man who had just been shot. As it turns out the dead man was a notorious blackmailer named "Walter Bard" (Bernard Nedell) and because of evidence found at the scene the main suspect is a woman named "Carole Landis" (Janet Bradley) who just happens to be the daughter of a popular politician in that city. However, after she is brought to the police station the detective in charge of the investigation "Lt. Sam Carson" (William Gargan) has a gut feeling that she is innocent even though more evidence indicates otherwise. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a pretty good Mystery-Drama which manages to incorporate several nice twists and turns along the way. I especially liked the performance of the two actors just mentioned who seemed quite comfortable in their respective roles. That said, while this certainly wasn't a great film by any means, it passed the time fairly well and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Not unentertaining in its own modest way

[bensonmum2 · 6/10 · 19 September 2017]

The body of a private investigator, who also dabbled in a bit of blackmail, is literally dumped on the police department's doorstep. The case becomes politically charged when the prime suspect is determined to be one of the mayoral candidate's daughter. And to complicate things further, one of the city's newspapers may also be involved. Lt Sam Carson (William Gargan) has to get to the bottom of things. Problem is, he's fallen for his #1 suspect.

I really enjoyed this little movie much more than I could have imagined. Behind Green Lights will never be confused with a noir heavyweight like Double Indemnity, but it's not unentertaining in its own modest way. The story is compelling enough and director Otto Brower keeps things moving throughout the film's (too) brief 64 minute runtime. Budgetary restrictions can be seen in the limited number of sets (there are really only two or three that matter), yet the film never feels confined or stagey as I've seen before with similar films. Again, a tribute to Director Brower. The film has the benefit of a nice cast. Gargan might not be the most engaging lead, but he's solid and gives a real workmanlike performance. His character falling for the main female character, Janet Bradley (Carole Landis), is certainly believable. Speaking of Landis, she also gives a nice performance. I'm not overly familiar with Ms Landis, but what a tragic figure. Supporting players, including Richard Crane of Rocky Jones "fame", Mary Anderson, and a very young John Ireland, are all strong. My only real complaint is with the doctor character. I'm not sure how this man, who could so easily be tempted to basically break the law, kept his job as a police medical examiner. It's just doesn't make sense.

So, to summarize my thoughts, Behind Green Lights is an engaging little film that's aided tremendously by a nice cast.

Behind Green Lights

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 12 November 2023]

An unscrupulous private investigator with a penchant for blackmail is found dead in a car and the leading suspect is Janet Bradley, the daughter of a mayoral candidate. With the election just weeks away, shady and ruthless individuals muscle the medical officer into switching the corpse with another body. Lieutenant Sam Carson, one of the few good apples in the bunch must find a way to get to the bottom of it all.

Behind the Green lights is briskly-paced police procedural that stars Carole Landis and William Gargan, who plays a police lieutenant who sifts through a byzantine web of conflicting clues as well as resisting an obvious bribe from a politically motivated newspaper editor to book Landis' character as the murderer of the private eye. Gargan, who is excellent as the sympathetic policeman, keeps Landis in a back room at the police precinct in order to shield her from the sensation-hungry news reporters. It's quite a gripping yarn with not much glamour or humour - it seems more of a sincere film about corruption and politics creeping into police station.

Stop saying John Doe!

[AAdaSC · 4/10 · 11 May 2010]

Sam Carson (William Gargan) has a murder to solve when a dead body turns up outside his police station. We are introduced to various characters throughout the course of the night before the crime is solved.

Unfortunately, there is no passion in this film. Whilst the story isn't bad, the film has a rushed feel to it which encourages a lack of emotional involvement in what is happening. There is also the terrible mistake of introducing a comedy character in Flossie (Mabel Paige) and having a slapstick sequence that involves the switching and hiding of the body of the victim. The film doesn't recover from these low points. You won't guess the murderer but you will get annoyed with the name of John Doe.

Excellent all-in-one-night noir with social commentary wrapped in an engaging murder mystery.

[Videoverdose · 8/10 · 5 January 2022]

A solid, unsung noir murder mystery that unfolds over the course of one long night. After the bullet-ridden body of a detective rolls up to the steps of a police precinct in a car, the cops inside scramble to unravel the mystery of their stiff colleague. It's not long before local newsboys get a whiff of the action and buzz on down to the station frothing at the mouth for an exclusive on the story. A dead detective, a politician's daughter, and a savage media frenzy are the foundation of this quick-paced, engaging whodunnit.

Noir lovers won't be disappointed; it's got murder, betrayal, dames with questionable motives, and moody b&w photography that evokes late night atmosphere. There's no shortage of fast-talking characters, smoky rooms, shadowy night scenes, scheming reporters, and a few halfhearted attempts at humor.

Overall it's an entertaining little mystery, with lots of moving parts, that takes a critical look at the shady relationships between the law, politics, and the media. For being confined to a 64 minute run time, a few locations, and one night, it's a testament to the skill of the writers and director that the film gets its thematic points across so effectively. Writers Scott Darling and Charles Booth cleverly conceal the killer's identify until the dramatic reveal, and toss in some comedic plot points like a corpse stashed in a storage closet and a kooky old lady with a tray of baked goods who holds the key to the mystery. This lean, low budget slice of Golden Era noir clocks in at just over an hour and is efficiently directed by Otto Brower. This would be the director's final film; he died January 15, 1946, twenty days before this film's release.

Blah

[arfdawg-1 · 4/10 · 28 March 2014]

Police lieutenant Sam Carson investigates a political murder after the victim is dumped at the door of police headquarters.

I watched this movie on Cafe Noir and right in the beginning there was a splice and a piece of film missing. Didn't bode well since it seemed to be a critical scene that was chopped.

In fact, the running time on Cafe Noir is 60 minutes even. This means 4 minutes were chopped off the movie! I wonder if that's the only print available. The quality was good. Bu it was missing 4 minutes!

Anyway, I didn't especially like the movie. Thought it was slow and talkie.

All over the place

[johnbmoore-17 · 5/10 · 9 January 2022]

The premise is a typical murder mystery with a political angle and some blackmail. Roy Roberts plays a great unethical crumb, John Ireland is cool in limited screen time, and the rest are petty routine. But the movie unintentionally jumps between mystery, dark comedy, police procedural, and farce, and in the end doesn't have much identity. And the main twist is just cheap. For me, it isn't worth a second viewing.

Great murder mystery with great confusion of dead bodies

[clanciai · 9/10 · 4 January 2022]

It all happens at a police station, when a dead body of a tycoon is dumped at its doorstep. There is a drama then building up with many people involved, including a bunch of ambitious journalists who will put anything on print that is just sensational enough. Two ladies are involved, who both visited the dead man the evening he was murdered, one pointing a gun at him, getting implicated as that's the gun he was shot with carrying her fingerprints, but the confusion increases as that was not what he died of: he was poisoned. Eventually the mess is sorted out by the intrepid investigating lieutenant William Gargan, who faces every kind of contributing complications, including an old bag lady selling flowers. It's a great script, it all holds together, and there is a nice steady flow of action all the way through making this a very intensive thriller with many positive surprises. It's brief but all the more valuable for its density.

Behind Green Lights

[CinemaSerf · 5/10 · 30 October 2022]

When a recently slain body is dumped at the entrance to the police station, it falls to "Lt. Carson" (William Gargan) to get to the bottom of things. Snag is, he thinks he has his culprit then the body disappears, the clues seem to conflict and he seems to be back at square one. Might the sassy "Janet Bradley" (Carol Landis) be behind it all? Well, sadly, Otto Brower doesn't really provide us with very much to get our grey matter stimulated. Gargan always was exceptionally mediocre and even with the presence of the usually lively Miss Landis, and some attempts at humour now and again, this still lurches along as a sort of breadcrumb following cop-noir with a few red herrings and not much else as we spend twenty-four hours looking for the perpetrators - dead and/or alive! It only lasts an hour, and is reasonably well stitched together to pass a wet Saturday afternoon - and it does make a sly dig at the integrity (or lack of) of police, media and their respective priorities and paymasters, too. You won't remember it afterwards, but it just about holds the attention while it is on.