After Midnight with Boston Blackie (1943)

Sadly Over-hyped

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.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Immerse into the world of 1943 and feel the sense of everyone pulling for Victory, that's a true plus to this film. Blackie is his usual helpful, anything for a friend self, as he aids the daughter of an ex-con find her father. It's not his fault that this mission takes precedence over Runt's upcoming marriage to Jan Buckingham the bubble dancer, who hilariously intimates her bubble routine in front of a mesmerized Arthur Manleder, given the right musical cues. This was one of the funniest bits and I couldn't help LOL when Blackie hides the Maguffin, a trio of diamonds, in a carafe of water and later drinks two glasses under the watching bad guy holding a gun on Blackie, to deposit the gems into a hankie. We do not learn if he saved the diamonds for sweet Ann Savage's legacy from her dad or if he kept them; if someone else noticed their fate, I hope he/she reviews on IMDB and sets the record straight, because I couldn't tell.The blackface bit is funny enough and passes swiftly, for Blackie needs it for necessary subterfuge; it was also fun to see him enter a black lady performer's dressing room to use her sink to get rid of the makeup. The blackout was well-used to set the scene for hiding, concealing and disguising Blackie as he makes his usual escape from custody.I enjoyed these entries in the series; the action of fist fighting or car chases never disappoint and neither does the rapport between Blackie, Farraday, Runt, and Manleder. One sticking point was in viewing Cy Kendall during two other Blackie movies watched within days of each other, and recognizing him as Jumbo the fence/pawnbroker/informer for Blackie, while in After Midnight he's a different, though still shady, character. I thought he was the same character.

Columbia Pictures had an unbeatable formula in the 40's - get stars who had passed out of the limelight but still had great talent and charisma and make them the leads in short B crime mystery films with lively scripts. They did this with Warner Baxter and the Crime Doctor series, with Warren William and the Lone Wolf series, and with Chester Morris and the Boston Blackie series. They also had a habit of naming the films in almost a random way. For example this film has nothing to do with the hour of midnight or what came before or after.The basis of the story is an old friend of Boston Blackie -"Diamond Ed" - is getting out of jail and has some diamonds hidden away for his grown daughter that are apparently from the heist for which he was doing time. His old gang has been waiting for him to get out and wants the loot. Blackie is drawn into the whole situation by Ed's daughter, who wants Blackie to help Ed decide to go straight. Of course, things never go right for Blackie or else we wouldn't have a story and soon Blackie finds himself falsely accused of killing Diamond Ed to get to his loot. The incompetent and always mistrusting detective Farraday and his sidekick Matthews get their usual exercise jumping to conclusions and running in circles.There are a few items of note in this particular Boston Blackie film. First, we finally get to hear Blackie's real name. Second, apparently Blackie's friend "The Runt" (George E. Stone) has it in him to court and marry a very tall and buxom amazon of a woman who's a burlesque dancer at a local club...or does he??? Finally, I may have missed something but it is not entirely apparent at the end that Blackie turns over Ed's diamonds to the police. You walk away at the end not knowing if Blackie gave the diamonds to the daughter and told her to keep them or not. For a production code era crime film this would be quite an event.Action packed from beginning to end, and even using a WWII west coast blackout as a plot device, I highly recommend this fast little film.

"After Midnight with Boston Blackie" is another fun entry into the Boston Blackie series, starring Chester Morris and George E. Stone. An old man, Diamond Ed Barnaby (Walter Baldwin) is freed from prison and intends to give some stolen diamonds to his daughter (Betty Barnaby). However, his old gang wants them. His troubled daughter appeals to involved with the police and proves himself smarter. Meanwhile, The Runt's marriage to one Dixie Rose Blossom (Jan Buckingham) keeps being delayed, and friend Arthur Manleder (Lloyd Corrigan) has to keep the intended entertained, since the wedding is taking place at his apartment.These Blackie films follow the same formula over and over - the dumb Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) and the clever Blackie interfering with a police case - which is a good thing because without Blackie, the case would never be solved.Nevertheless, these films always manage to be entertaining, thanks in large art to Chester Morris and George E. Stone. Morris has a lot of charm and a lighthearted attitude as Blackie. He manages to keep some of these tired plots going. Hard to believe that the woman who played the sweet daughter Betty is the same woman who played the hard-boiled femme fatale in Detour.

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.