''A Night for Crime'' is a 1943 American

Mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

starring

Glenda Farrell Glenda Farrell (June 30, 1904 – May 1, 1971) was an American actress. Farrell personified the smart and sassy, wisecracking blonde of the Classical Hollywood films. Farrell's career spanned more than 50 years, appearing in numerous Broadwa ...

and

Lyle Talbot Lyle Florenz Talbot (born Lisle Henderson, also credited Lysle Talbot; February 8, 1902 – March 2, 1996) was an American stage, screen and television actor. His career in films spanned three decades, from 1931 to 1960, and he performed on ...

. The film is directed by Alexis Thurn-Taxis and was released by

Producers Releasing Corporation Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoest ...

on February 18, 1943. Murders in a Hollywood film studio baffle a

reporter A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and a PR man.

Plot

Joe Powell a publicity director for a film studio visits his girlfriend Susan Cooper. When they hear a woman scream, they find out that Ellen Smith who lives across the hall has been strangled to death in her apartment. Later, an actress named Mona Harrison who recently disappeared makes newspaper headlines. Police chief Williams interviews all the people who were at her home for a dinner party the night before, where after Mona's servants quit she offered to take everyone out for dinner, but never showed up at the restaurant. Susan decides to search Mona's bedroom and finds a safe. She hides in the closet when a man enters the room. She is nearly strangled to death until detective Hoffman enters the room and the assailant escapes. Joe and Susan later learn that Mona has been found dead, and the coroner determines that although Ellen was murdered by a man, Mona was killed by a woman. Joe is later nearly killed by an unseen assailant as he checks his office files for Mona's twin sister Marie. Susan decides to leave for

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

. Concerned about Susan's safety, Joe, Hamilton Hart, and Carol Lynn head for Reno. Meanwhile, Susan is nearly driven off the road by Arthur Evans. When Susan goes to the hotel she meets Joe, Carol, Hart, and also Mona's sister Marie. Susan reveals that Arthur was married to Marie and they were blackmailing Mona. When Mona refused to pay more money, Marie killed her and Arthur killed Ellen who was a witness to Mona's murder. Marie becomes violent and in her fury, she accidentally falls to her death from the hotel window.

Cast

as Susan Cooper *

as Joe Powell *

Ralph Sanford Ralph Dayton Sanford (May 21, 1899 – June 20, 1963) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films and in at least 200 episodes on television between 1930 and 1960, mostly bit parts or supporting roles. Sanford frequently ...

as Det. Hoffman *

Lina Basquette Lina Basquette (born Lena Copeland Baskette; April 19, 1907 – September 30, 1994) was an American actress. She is noted for her 75-year career in entertainment, which began during the silent film era. Talented as a dancer, she was paid as a gi ...

as Mona Harrison *Lynn Starr as Carol Lynn *

Donald Kirke Donald Kirke (1901–1971) was an American stage, film and television actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern ...

as Hamilton Hart *

Forrest Taylor Edwin Forrest Taylor (December 29, 1883 – February 19, 1965) was an American character actor whose artistic career spanned six different decades, from silents through talkies to the advent of color films. Early years Taylor was born in Bl ...

as Chief of Police Williams *

Rick Vallin Rick Vallin (born Eric Efron; September 24, 1919 – August 31, 1977) was an actor who appeared in more than 150 films between 1938 and 1966. Early years Born in Feodosia, in the Crimea, Russia, Vallin came to the United States at age there ...

as Arthur Evans

Home media

''A Night for Crime'' was released on DVD in September 13, 2016.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Night for Crime 1943 films American crime drama films American mystery drama films American black-and-white films Producers Releasing Corporation films 1940s mystery drama films 1943 crime drama films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films Films with screenplays by Sherman Lowe