"Between Midnight and Dawn" is buddy/cop movie about two ex marines who are now uniformed policemen in an unnamed city. The title refers to the graveyard shift that they work through most of the story.
Mark Stevens and Edmond O'Brien play officers Rocky Barnes and Dan Purvis respectively who go about their business arresting crooks, breaking up fights and the like. Barnes takes a liking to a voice he here's on the police radio. The voice turns out to belong to Kathy Malloy (Gale Storm), their boss Lt. Masterton's (Anthony Ross) assistant. Naturally a triangle is formed as both Barnes and Purvis pursue her to the point of moving next door to her.
On the serious side the boys are trying to get something on Ritchie Garris (Donald Buka) a baby-faced mobster who runs a popular night club. To show their honesty, the boys reject an attempted bribe by the gangster. One night while at the club off duty with Kathy they spot rival mobster Lee Cusick (Roland Winters). Cusick tries to muscle in on Garris' territory only to be murdered for his trouble.
Cusick's murder give Barnes and Purvis the opening they need to go after Garris. Barnes and Purvis arrest Garris and he is brought to trial and is found guilty of murder. On his way to jail Garris vows revenge on the two cops that arrested him. At this point you just know that he will escape and attempt to carry out his threat.
An argument could be made to type this picture as a "film noire" as most of the action takes place at night on the shadowy rain soaked streets of the unnamed city where the story takes place. As in most buddy movies you sense that misfortune will befall one of them and that one will ultimately get the girl. There is a "femme fatale" of sorts in the person of Garris' girl friend Terry Romaine (Gale Robbins)who ultimately has an effect on the out come of the story.
The light hearted banter between the three principals seems a little bit out of place in this otherwise serious police drama but what the heck this was 1950 after all. Edmond O'Brien stands out among the cast (as he usually did) as Purvis the serious cop. Mark Stevens is adequate as his partner but O'Brien steals the picture.
Gale Storm would go on to greater fame on TV as "My Little Margie". Roland Winters had just finished playing Charlie Chan in the long running series.
"Between Midnight and Dawn" suffers from the light comedy scenes but overall is an enjoyable police buddy picture.
Mark Stevens and Edmond O'Brien play officers Rocky Barnes and Dan Purvis respectively who go about their business arresting crooks, breaking up fights and the like. Barnes takes a liking to a voice he here's on the police radio. The voice turns out to belong to Kathy Malloy (Gale Storm), their boss Lt. Masterton's (Anthony Ross) assistant. Naturally a triangle is formed as both Barnes and Purvis pursue her to the point of moving next door to her.
On the serious side the boys are trying to get something on Ritchie Garris (Donald Buka) a baby-faced mobster who runs a popular night club. To show their honesty, the boys reject an attempted bribe by the gangster. One night while at the club off duty with Kathy they spot rival mobster Lee Cusick (Roland Winters). Cusick tries to muscle in on Garris' territory only to be murdered for his trouble.
Cusick's murder give Barnes and Purvis the opening they need to go after Garris. Barnes and Purvis arrest Garris and he is brought to trial and is found guilty of murder. On his way to jail Garris vows revenge on the two cops that arrested him. At this point you just know that he will escape and attempt to carry out his threat.
An argument could be made to type this picture as a "film noire" as most of the action takes place at night on the shadowy rain soaked streets of the unnamed city where the story takes place. As in most buddy movies you sense that misfortune will befall one of them and that one will ultimately get the girl. There is a "femme fatale" of sorts in the person of Garris' girl friend Terry Romaine (Gale Robbins)who ultimately has an effect on the out come of the story.
The light hearted banter between the three principals seems a little bit out of place in this otherwise serious police drama but what the heck this was 1950 after all. Edmond O'Brien stands out among the cast (as he usually did) as Purvis the serious cop. Mark Stevens is adequate as his partner but O'Brien steals the picture.
Gale Storm would go on to greater fame on TV as "My Little Margie". Roland Winters had just finished playing Charlie Chan in the long running series.
"Between Midnight and Dawn" suffers from the light comedy scenes but overall is an enjoyable police buddy picture.