Somewhere in the Night ***½ (1946, John Hodiak, Nancy Guild, Lloyd Nolan, Richard Conte) – Classic Movie Review 3320

Director Joseph L Mankiewicz’s 1946 crime thriller has a familiar set-up and fairly predictable plot development, though it is often an involving, gripping movie. And Mankiewicz manages to pull it out of the rut and turn it into a classy detective mystery.

John Hodiak stars as amnesiac ex-serviceman George Taylor, a wounded marine who wakes up in a hospital not knowing who he is after losing his memory through fighting in World War Two. But he has two clues in the form of letters, one from a woman telling him what exactly she thinks of him and another from a friend.

So, basically with the help of just a postal address in Los Angeles, George desperately tries to uncover his identity and retrace his past. But George gets in deep water as his quest finds him stumbling across a three-year old murder case, a hunt for $2million and a brace of dames.

Perhaps the screenplay suffers from too much talk and too little action, but director-co-writer Mankiewicz has the intelligence and energy – plus a very good cast – to make it work in style.

Female lead Nancy Guild is the slightly weak link as Christy Smith, but not too much, so no matter.

It also stars Lloyd Nolan as Police Lieutenant Donald Kendall, at the head of a long list of actor providing exactly the right noir feel.

Richard Conte co-stars as Mel Phillips, with Josephine Hutchinson as Elizabeth Conroy, Fritz Kortner as Anzelmo aka Dr Oracle, Sheldon Leonard as Sam, Margo Woode as Phyllis, Lou Nova as Hubert and John Russell.

Also in the cast are Houseley Stevenson, Charles Arndt, Al Sparlis, Richard Benedict, John Kellogg, Philip Van Zandt, Whit Bissell, Forbes Murray, Jeff Corey, Paula Reid, Mary Currier, Sam Flint, Harry Morgan, Charles Marsh, Clancy Cooper, Harry Tyler and Milton Kibbee.

The screenplay is by Mankiewicz, Howard Dimsdale and Lee Strasberg, based on the book The Lonely Journey by Marvin Borowsky.

The plot bears similarities to The Crooked Way (1949).

When Hodiak signs the guest register at the Martin Hotel, the name above George Taylor is Oscar-winning screen-writer Howard Koch (Casablanca, Sgt York). Hodiak reprised his film role in an hour-long wireless adaptation of the movie on March 3 1947 in Lux Radio Theater.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3320

Link to Derek Winnert’s home page for more reviews: http://derekwinnert.com/