Thu 8 Oct 2009
CRIME BY NIGHT. Warner Brothers, 1944. Jane Wyman, Jerome Cowan, Faye Emerson, Charles Lang, Eleanor Parker, Stuart Crawford, Cy Kendall, Charles Wilson. Based on the novel Forty Whacks by Geoffrey Homes (Daniel Mainwaring). Director: William Clemens.
All of the fire power in this 1940s private eye movie is on the female side: Jane Wyman, who receives top billing: four Oscar nominations, one win (Johnny Belinda, 1948); Faye Emerson: two Emmy nominations; three Oscar nominations, one Emmy nomination, one Golden Globe nomination.
Jerome Cowan, who plays PI Sam Campbell (named Humphrey Campbell in the book), gets my nomination in a Top Five William Powell look-alike contest, but he has little else going for him but more than enough charm to get by. I regret to say that I haven’t read the book itself, unless I read it long ago when it was reprinted in paperback by Bantam as Stiffs Don’t Vote way back in 1947, so I can’t tell you one way or another about the similarities (or the lack thereof), but one thing I can tell you is that there’s plenty of plot.
And not all that much comedy relief, I am relieved to be able to tell you, but Cy Kendall as the semi-corrupt local Sheriff Max Ambers, overweight and alternately a jovially unctuous sycophant then a resentful small town cop, nearly steals the show. Sam Campbell is supposed to be the kind of guy who girls can’t keep their eyes off of, including the girl at the hotel switchboard who can’t keep her eyes on the job, but I’ve decided to simply chalk that up as just another Hollywood fiction.
Dead is the father of Campbell’s client’s ex-wife, with whom he’d had a vicious argument some time ago (and losing a hand by means of an axe in that particular incident).
This is motive enough, one supposes, and according to the local law, it is, but (a) clients are supposed to be innocent, and (b) there is another matter of some secret chemical formulas that are missing as well.
There is a pretty good attempt on the killer’s part to leave both a false trail and a delightful assortment of false clues. As I say, there’s plenty of plot, and plenty to enjoy in this movie, another highlight of which is …
I forgot to tell you. Jane Wyman plays Robbie Vance, Sam Campbell’s very charming and very possessive assistant in this movie, and you should see the claws come out when she thinks Faye Emerson’s character is poaching on her territory. Rowrrrr …
[UPDATE] Later the same day. As soon as I can get to it, I’ll post Bill Pronzini’s review of Forty Whacks from 1001 Midnights. As I suspected, there’s only a brushing acquaintance between the book and movie, or as my family used to say when I was growing up, they’re only shirttail cousins.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:46 am
Isn’t there another one of these with Cowan, and Emmett Kelly as one of the suspects.
I enjoyed this one as a snappy little flick that mostly works. Love the trap Cowan sets for the killer at the end.
Wyman also did at least one Torchy Blaine entry at Warners — in fact she had a fairly long career as a B actress before she was recognized for her talent.
October 8th, 2009 at 12:57 am
Emmett Kelly and Jerome Cowan were both in THE FAT MAN. That must be the one you’re thinking of, but of course Cowan didn’t have the leading role, or anything close to it. In fact I think CRIME BY NIGHT was one of the few movies he was in in which he had one of the primary parts.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:33 am
I didn’t know there was a film based on Forty Whacks. That has to be one of my favorite crime novel titles.
October 8th, 2009 at 2:34 am
Steve
The Emmett Kelly film is The Fat Man, but the one I was thinking of with Cowan is 1943’s Find the Blackmailer which was his first teaming as a pi with Faye Emerson — though not as Sam (Humphrey) Campbell. I think he is D.L. Trees in this one based on a story by G.T. Fleming Roberts.
I think Blackmailer did well enough they decided to team him as a private eye with Emerson again, and make a showcase for Wyman — not to mention a pre star appearance of Eleanor Parker (she had been in about ten films by then). I’ve seen Crime By Night listed as a follow up if not sequel to Find the Blackmailer.
It’s only fitting Cowan play an eye, after all he’s Miles Archer in The Maltese Falcon. Capable actor, it’s a shame one of his best performances as the sadistic homosexual sidekick to Cedric Hardwicke’s smooth crook in the 1944 film of Joseph Conrad’s Victory is so hard to find.
Curt
You probably know, but for anyone who doesn’t Forty Whacks is a reference to the famous doggerel from the Lizzie Borden case.
Lizzie Borden took and ax
And gave her mother forty whacks
Then because she liked it so
She gave her father forty more …
October 8th, 2009 at 4:58 am
Yeah, with that provenance I just can’t believe this was the only time “forty whacks” was ever used for a crime novel? I bought this book some years ago, primarily for that title and that jacket, though the author is said to have written some solid detective novels (including this one), before turning to more noirish stuff (Build My Gallows High).