After Midnight with Boston Blackie (1943)

i must have seen a different film!!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Inane Boston Blackie caper with Chester Morris in the title role.An old guy is released from prison after spending years there for a jewelry heist. Met by his daughter, he knows he has to leave town before the mob gets to him. Of course, he catches a fatal bullet and you never see the daughter again in the film.Blackie along with his wily assistant get involved in all this and each time the latter is supposed to be married, something invariably comes up which delays the ceremony.The whole story is contrived with everyone riding around in cars in chase of each other.The one redeeming feature of the film is at the end when the often-to-be bride is surprised by the police and it is revealed what she really is.

There's a nice mix of comedy and intrigue in this thriller about stolen diamonds that brings Chester Morris's Blackie up against future "Detour" star Ann Savage. Actually, she's a heroine here, kidnapped by the bad guys so they can get Blackie to bring them the diamonds. Once again, George E. Stone and Lloyd Corrigan are the comic relief, joined by Dick Elliott in a hostage situation. It's a debate as to which fat man is the cheeriest: the eternally smiling Corrigan or the constantly laughing Elliott. Stone gets a great gag moment as well, as his character ("the runt") cuddles with the gigantic Jan Buckingham to get his hands on a diamond broach caught on her waste. It became apparent to me with this entry in the series that it hit its height with the first two films, but evened out to 5-6 rating four films, forward, into the series. At the end of each film, police lieutenant Richard Lane and his dumb stump of a sidekick, Walter Sande, kept insisting that the case they completed might not have been solved without Blackie's help, but by the beginning of the next film, they were at odds again. This maintains enough action and intrigue, mixed with the right amount of comedy, to maintain its dignity and a proper pace, making this an acceptable, decent, entry in the series, although far from the near excellence of the first two.

After Midnight with Boston Blackie (1943) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Fifth film in Columbia's series is still going pretty well with Chester Morris returning as Boston Blackie. In this film, Boston tries to help out a friend but when that friend is murdered and his diamonds stolen, Blackie is the lead suspect by the always dimwitted Captain Flannigan (Richard Lane). This is no great masterpiece but if you enjoy the series then you should get enough kicks out of this entry even though there isn't anything new here. As usual, Morris is highly entertaining in the title role and he acts wonderfully well with Lane. The two of them add a lot of comedy to the mix, which is good since the actual case isn't all too strong. Ann Savage adds nice support as the friend's daughter. Lew Landers (The Raven) directs once again.

This one was played slightly more serious, but still packed with some sparkling repartee especially between Blackie and Farraday. The plot actually intrudes on the comedy! However a running gag is supplied by the Runt in the process of getting married to a six foot stripper but being continually thwarted, until the very end ...I can even forgive some of the more Keystone moments: such as Blackie being escorted between Farraday and Matthews, simply backing off and making a run for it, Arthur immediately taking his place, and fooling the two dumb cops all the way to the station. A delicious moment was where F&M realise their police car has been stolen by Blackie and a baddie and everyone but them knew it.Good effort, nice production values, and better script make this a welcome entry.