Somewhere in the Night (1946)

Memorable, crazy movie

Best movie of this year hands down!

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The 2nd film directed by the one who made the "All About Eve" masterpiece and the biggest financial catastrophe of all time, "Cleopatra". Joseph L. Mankiewicz is not a bad director at all, but this film has the foundation on a script written by him and four more craftsmen on their behalf: W. Somerset Maugham, Marvin Borowsky, Lee Strasberg, Howard Dimsdale. The outcome? Some sort of cabbage without meat, meaning almost total confusion. The actors are all very good and they try their best to be convincing but, the story is incredible. My personal feeling is that they tried to recreate the movie "Casablanca" unsuccessfully (different scenario but atmosphere and similar scenes). There are also stupid scenes, the truck that tries to crush Hodiak-Taylor or the ease with which Richard Conte beats the two Anzelmo men. There are other ridiculous scenes, I will leave you the "pleasure" to discover them. Not to be seen again, unless you have nothing to do and you absolutely want to have fun at the film imperfections. The biggest flaw of the film is revealed at the end, when we find out that Hodiak-Taylor is Larry Cravat, the one who wrote the note that starts the action of the whole film. That is Larry Cravat wrote to himself, to Larry Cravat, which is a non-sense.

Before Joe Mankiewicz's career went into high gear with back to back Oscars for A Letter To Three Wives and All About Eve, he did this crackerjack noir film about a war veteran with amnesia and a past he might not really want to remember. Borrowing heavily from The Maltese Falcon, Somewhere In The Night instead of a legendary bird has a very real and tangible two million dollars of smuggled Nazi loot that a Los Angeles private eye was handling and got lost.In the meantime on the strength of a letter written to him while in the service an amnesiac war veteran comes searching for his past in Los Angeles and finds himself in a lot of trouble he can't decipher. John Hodiak plays the troubled veteran and the only friend he has is nightclub singer Nancy Guild who sings in Richard Conte's nightclub.Hodiak sad to say is a pretty forgotten actor today. He came along during the war years and when folks like Gable and Taylor returned from the service he was kind of an MGM spare tire. I'm sure Darryl Zanuck got him on the cheap for this film at 20th Century Fox. Still Hodiak had an everyman appeal that resonated well with audiences. A shame he died so young of a heart attack, I believe it was a heart murmur that kept him out of the Armed Services in World War II.I wish we had seen a little more of Lloyd Nolan playing a laconic police detective. There's a man who never gave a bad performance even in mediocre films.Although I had it right partially in terms of a solution, Somewhere In The Night will still yield a few surprises to some in the viewing audience. And that's the mark of a good film.

The film begins with John Hodiak in a military hospital. It seems he's had a horrific injury while serving in WWII. The wound is so bad that he has no recollection who he is--which is strange, as he hasn't got a single scar throughout the film! This seemed sloppy--a couple nice big scars on his head would have been appropriate and made the film seem less contrived. This is exactly the sort of injury that happens in movies--not in real life. Armed only with a few tiny bits and pieces on him, he tracks down who he might be once he's discharged.It's obvious early on that who Hodiak is and who is old 'friends' were is pretty bad--as the trail leads him to thugs and creeps galore. And, on top of that, people start making attempts on his life and beat the crap out of him! Now you'd think that in a situation like this, he'd either give up his search OR he'd get the police involved. After all, with no memory, he's just blindly walking into one dangerous situation after another! Herein lies the problem--with him running about like a proverbial bull in a china chop, he should have been killed early on in the film. But because he ultimately is able to unravel the mystery, it all seems very contrived and totally unbelievable.Despite a good cast and Joseph L. Mankiewicz co-writing and directing, it's only a so-so film. There were a few decent story elements (such as the film noir look and some of the acting). However, you might expect more, as in the late 40s and early 50s, Mankiewicz was perhaps THE preeminent film maker--with such wonderful credits as "A Letter to Three Wives" and "All About Eve" to his credits. This film simply doesn't show the Mankiewicz brilliance--plus this sort of idea has been done better (such as with Edmond O'Brien in "Man in the Dark").It's odd. After looking at the reviews, I noticed that what people thought was all over the place--many hated it, many thought is was brilliant. I thought it was neither.By the way, was it just me or was Richard Conte's move to disarm the lady with the gun near the end of the film a bit hard to believe?!

***SPOILER ALERT*** Recovering for a Jap grenade that ended up rearranging his face during the battle of Okinawa US Marine Sgt. George Taylor, John Hodiak, completely lost his memory. With Taylor, if that's his name, not really knowing who he is trying to keep that fact a secret from the hospital staff he tries to fake his way through life, as George Taylor, until his memory, if ever, comes back to him.The few clues that Taylor has about himself is a letter, unsigned and without a forwarding address, that he found in his wallet by a former girlfriend telling him what a low down and dirty rat he is! The other clue he found in his navy duffel bag was a note telling him that he has a $5,000,00 account in a L.A bank courtesy of his good and life-long friend Larry Carvat! What puzzles Taylor most of all in the confusion he's going through, in him not being able to remember anything, is who the hell is Larry Cravat! Taylor a man determined to find out who he is ends up getting involved with a slew of unsavory characters who's only mission in life seems to be the finding the whereabouts of Larry Cravat! Since Cravat left the amnesic Taylor $5,000.00 it's assumed by those looking for him that he may well know were Cravat is and lead them straight to him! That's if Taylor's memory ever comes back!Among those looking for Carvat is the Bela Lugosi sounding fortune teller Anzelmo known professionally as Dr. Oracle, Fritz Kortner. As it turned out Anzelmo had something going with Cravat back some four years ago involving a two million dollar, smuggled out of Nazi Ggermany, transaction he was to make with him. This lead to Cravat's disappearances with the money as well as the murder of the middle man in the transaction, someone named Steel, on a deserted L.A dock! Among the other persons looking for Cravat is nightclub owner Mel Phillips, Richard Conte, considered by those who work for him as being the nicest guy in the whole wide world.***SPOILERS***All Mel wants, from what I can figure out, from Cravat is just a friendly chat and nothing more. Maybe Mel is looking to give Cravat a job at his nightclub replacing the bartender John , Whit Bissell, who was found murdered the other night! Meanwhile Taylor begins to put all the pieces together, regarding Larry Cravat, and comes to realize just who this mystery man really is! Something he'll soon wish that he would have never found out!The movie also has in it the great Llyod Noland as police Det. Donald Kendell as well as pretty and classy Nancy Guild as the confused, not about Nancy but everything else in the movie, Taylor's love interest nightclub singer and dancer Christy Smith. In the end Taylor does finally, with Christy's help, find out who he is but that little bit of information almost ends up costing him his life! As you would have expected it was the great Llyod Noland, as Det. Kendell, who with gun blazing came to both Taylor and Christy's rescue. It was also during the films climatic shootout that Det. Kendell finally figured out why detectives,in the movies as well as in real life, never take off their hats even when dining in a Chinese restaurant! Something that had been bugging the lawman for as long as he could remember!