SLEEPERS WEST (1941, Fox, dir. Eugene Forde)
Enjoyable but a bit languid crime tale, sort of an early NARROW MARGIN with screwball and romantic subplots thrown in. Lloyd Nolan is dynamic as usual, with good support from Lynn Bari, Mary Beth Hughes, plus later noir familiars Louis Jean Heydt and Don Douglas. Nice photography from J. Peverell Marley.
NOTE: if you click on the "Watch on YouTube" link in the screen, you'll be taken directly to the video and it will start right up...
ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT (1944, Columbia, dir. Budd Boetticher)
A solid entry in the Boston Blackie series, a little less slapstick than usual, with the usual regulars (Chet Morris, Richard Lane). A cute turn from Janis Carter as a seemingly omniscient reporter; also notable for a brief but impressive appearance from 20-year old Dorothy Malone. Script here could have been made a great deal more "noir" with just a few adjustments--give that some thought should you give this one a watch...
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