AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

mark.waltz Yes, some B movies can be complex and work on every level, and for this supposedly light hearted comic mystery/thriller, enough is more than plenty. Amusing character actor Jerome Cowan gets his chance for a lead, playing a detective handling more cases than Sam Spade could hope to handle. With rising star Jane Wyman as his amusing girl Friday, he's got a lot to handle, even though Miss Wyman gets top billing. What he's lacking is structure, and the problem there lies in the convoluted script and plot that would darken a film noir to a blackout.If Wyman isn't lovely enough in the female lead, there are also Faye Emerson and Eleanor Parker in supporting roles, both leads in B's for several years up to this point, and wasted in femme fatale roles. The plot moves all over the place in a 72 minute span, and if you nap for one second, you could find yourself missing an important detail. Just a year away from her star making role in "The Lost Weekend", Wyman was very busy at Warners in 1944, comically becoming Gracie Allen in "The Doughgirls", singing and dancing with Jack Carson in "Hollywood Canteen" and sparring comically with him in "Make Your Own Bed" (as well as "The Doughgirls"). Between that and being married to Ronald Reagan and volunteering for war services, she had quite a busy year, which I pray wasn't as convoluted as this plot that has plenty of funny lines and even a few suspenseful moments, but often goes off on secret missions of its own that don't have an easy way back to the general story.

Alex da Silva Sam (Jerome Cowan) and Robbie (Jane Wyman) are called upon to solve a murder. We meet a cast of characters................and Sam solves it.It's a bland detective murder mystery with some guy that looks like William Powell in the lead role. It's complicated and although Cowan and Wyman are likable, there is never any tension or drama in the story. The best part of the film comes when Jane Wyman and Faye Emerson (who plays Ann) come face to face. This happens at the end of the film and it's the only memorably entertaining part of the film. Cowan calls Wyman "Candy Lamb" throughout the film, and whilst this is funny at the beginning, it becomes irritating as he endlessly repeats it. This is a story that is immediately forgettable like many others and it's only worth it for Jane Wyman's performance.....and she's hardly in it!

Neil Doyle CRIME BY NIGHT is a neat little programmer that gives JEROME COWAN one of his few leading roles in films. He was usually the man who supported the big Warner stars in films ranging from MR. SKEFFINGTON to THE MALTESE FALCON, always a reliable character actor.For an up-and-coming contract star, JANE WYMAN was given little to do in this caper, making me wonder how she ever reached full fledged stardom at the studio that insisted on wasting her talent in fluffy, very inconsequential roles in films like this and FLIGHT ANGELS, always the brassy wise-cracking dame before she tackled more serious roles. Another actress with a future at the studio is also on hand in a small part, ELEANOR PARKER, but it's FAYE EMERSON who has the most interesting role and she makes the most of it.The story is a dull contrivance about a vacationing detective (Cowan) who helps clear an innocent man of murder. He and Wyman join forces to solve the crime which turns out to be embedded in some sort of spy plot that is never hinted at until the final scene.Summing up: A weak programmer that wastes the Warner contract players.

Sycotron Jane Wyman is given top billing on screen but she sits out most of the movie off screen. It's left up to her co-star Jerome Cowan to carry the load. He has a certain oily/sleazy charm but I wouldn't like to have my life or freedom depend on his detective abilities. It was amusing to observe the way he did anything he felt appropriate to help his client. No matter the legality of it. Hiding witnesses, disturbing evidence at a crime scene, and even downright stealing evidence right from the Sheriff's office.This movie must be noted for having one of the bloodiest crime scenes in a pre-1960's film. It's a wonder the censors passed it.