Crime by Night (1944)

Crappy film

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Sounds like a serious film noir, judging from the title. Wet,dark alleys, trench coats, world-weary private eye, etc. But it's not - "Crime By Night" is a breezy, light-hearted crime story that could have been a series. No telling where Warner Bros. was going with this entertaining B picture, but it could have been better than the main feature it played with.Jerome Cowan is the star as the genial, unflappable private eye and Jane Wyman is his 'girl Friday', even though she has top billing. Can't remember Jerome Cowan as the leading man before. He spent most of his career as a supporting actor, but goes all out here as he solves a murder mystery - and it's a genuine whodunit, which is the yardstick by which all mysteries are measured. If you haven't seen it and you're a mystery movie fan, give it a shot. It's only 75 minutes of your time.

A divorced man is nearly killed after he discovers the body of his ex- father-in-law. So, he seeks help from a know-it-all detective, Sam Campbell (Jerome Cowan) and he naturally discovers that there is a heck of a lot more to the story than meets the eye."Crime By Night" is an enjoyable B-movie, but it's also one that most film buffs could predict. After all, when the detective has a girl sidekick (Jane Wyman), you KNOW she'll be snappy-talking and a bit daffy. When it's set during the WWII era, the solution to the crime will involve Nazis. And, the private detective will be a heck of a lot smarter than the cops. It's all formula...and offers no surprises but is pleasant viewing if you don't mind this.

Crime by Night (1944) ** (out of 4) "B" picture from Warner has private detective Sam Campbell (Jerome Cowan) being hired by a man whose ex father-in-law has been brutally murdered and he's the main suspect. The man claims he's innocent so the detective and his girlfriend/helper (Jane Wyman) convinces him to turn himself in so that they can search for the real killer. As far as detective movies go, this one here is pretty routine from start to finish and unlike some I was able to pick up on the big twist that happens at the end. I'm going to guess that if you don't see the twist coming then you might stay more caught up in everything that's going on but if you do catch hold then everything that follows is pretty much by-the-numbers. There are a few good moments scattered throughout but certainly not enough to recommend the film. It is great getting to see character actor Cowan playing the lead and I think he does a very good job in the part. He's got a certain laid-back coolness about him that really helps the character. Wyman is also pretty good in her supporting role but she's pretty much wasted. Both Eleanor Parker and Charles Lang are good in their supporting roles but it's character actor Cy Kendall who steals the film as the local Sheriff. The story itself really isn't all that entertaining as there are just way too many clichés and all of them are pretty bland. The only exception might be the first sight of the murdered man and the amount of blood that he has on him. Usually when you see dead bodies from this era it's no different than seeing a live one but I was surprised to see that they covered the victim with blood. CRIME BY NIGHT doesn't have much going for it besides the performances so this one here is certainly just for those who must see every mystery film made.

Private Eye Sam Campbell is hired by the estranged husband of a woman whose father he's accused of killing. With a few good plot twists, he uncovers the real murderer and the reason behind that and two other subsequent killings.Don't pass up an opportunity to see character actor Jerome Cowan for once in the lead. His most noted role in film was also a detective as Sam Spade's luckless partner Miles Archer in the Maltese Falcon. In that film he was a lady's man whose hormones got him killed. Here he's quite the ladies man as well, but his mind as it turns out is on business first.Cowan's main squeeze in this film is Jane Wyman. She played a lot of molls before she got real roles of substance later in the decade, culminating with that Oscar for Johnny Belinda. It's interesting to see her in these roles sometimes though.Of the supporting cast the biggest kudos go to Cy Kendall who was the hapless sheriff. It's a running truism in Hollywood that in these detective stories, the police always get shown up by the private eye. Sometimes the cops are smart, but the private eye is smarter and sometimes they're downright dumb. It's the latter here.This film is an enjoyable product from Warner's B film unit.