Pluskylang Great Film overall

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Michael_Elliott Midnight Shadow (1939) ** (out of 4) Margaret Wilson (Frances Redd) has a couple men wanting her affections but after her father shows off an oil well to them, he's murdered. Now the two men are suspects so the daughter hires a private detective to figure out who the killer is.MIDNIGHT SHADOW stands out because of its all black cast but sadly outside of this there's really nothing too special here. This film follows the "old dark house" theme that ran thought hundreds of films from this period but the majority of the horror elements are watered down in favor of the detective story, which is obviously watered down even more by the attempt at laughter. As with many films, this one goes for laughs as the detective and his assistant share insults and comic falls but this doesn't really work.I was surprised to see how good the majority of the lead performances were. This includes Redd who was quite believable in the role of the daughter. There are some weak performances to be found in smaller parts but nothing too damaging to the film. I also thought the actual mystery was well-done and at least keeps you guessing a little. MIDNIGHT SHADOW is a fair thriller that will mainly appeal to those wanting to see an example of an all black cast.

Chase_Witherspoon Comedy mystery with an all-black cast (not pertaining to rugby), with the daughter of a wealthy landowner (Redd) being wooed by the charismatic but suspicious circus mentalist and apparent sub-continent royal heir (Criner), before her father is murdered and deeds to an oil-rich plot of land stolen during the night. Two bumbling detectives join forces with the police to catch the killer whom they believe will attempt to cash-in the stolen land deed, employing their unique brand of detective skills to solve the mystery and claim the kudos.Swiftly told tale suffers for its amateurish acting (many times do the cast appear to lose character and look off-stage for direction), but also a curiously erratic narrative that never settles whether it's comedy or mystery. Perhaps it's both, and if so, it's a period piece in which the only recognisable face (to me) was Ruby Daindridge in a minor supporting role playing the mother of a bookish novice detective (Bates) who looks and behaves like the Chris Rock of his era.Classified as a "race" film, it might be worth seeking if you're a film historian, but there's little else to recommend it to mainstream audiences, with a poorly conceived plot, some truly abominable acting and at times, painfully laboured dialogue.

wes-connors "Margaret Wilson (Frances Redd) is the daughter of a well-respected small town family, who is courted by local man Buster Barnett (Edward Brandon) and a traveling carnival mentalist, Prince Alihabad (Laurence Criner). When Margaret's father turns up dead after showing his oil well deed to his daughter's suitors, she decides to track down her father's killer herself (by hiring) a private investigator and his bumbling assistant," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis. "Midnight Shadow" is an embarrassingly poor, segregated production.* Midnight Shadow (1939) George Randol ~ Frances Redd, Laurence Criner, Edward Brandon

Arthur Hausner Whoever wrote this mystery must have shrunk from embarrassment. You will notice there is no screenwriter in the credits, not even an uncredited one. After a reasonable start, including the suspense of having an intruder enter the bedroom of an elderly sleeping couple, the movie goes downhill rapidly. And it has one of the most anticlimactic endings for a mystery I have ever seen. I would like to say you may enjoy the comedy, but I can't. There is a limit of ineptness beyond which a character comes off just stupid rather than funny. Richard Bates plays this kind of a character. He dresses in a Sherlock Holmes hat and pipe and looks for fingerprints with his magnifying glass. Except he looks everywhere except at the crime scene. That's the level of comedy in this movie. His partner, Buck Woods, isn't quite as stupid, but comes close. Their comedy relief was really bad. About the only thing I liked was seeing Ruby Dandridge (the mother of Dorothy Dandridge) in her first film. There was no musical entertainment in the film, quite unusual for a "race" film made for black audiences, since that was often a staple of such films.