The fourth Boston Blackie movie released in 1945, this one was shot under the title SURPRISE IN THE NIGHT, which makes a bit more sense than its final moniker. In this case, Blackie’s old friend Arthur Manleader (out again with Lloyd Corrigan, in with an uncredited Harry Hayden) prevails upon him to help his nephew, an accused strangler who has escaped from his sanatorium. The nephew, James Cook (Steve Cochran), is in fact deranged and he’s escaped after establishing an affectionate pen-pal relationship with Sally (lovely Nina Foch), an award-winning dancehall girl. News of his escape gets out, but - after he has slain a couple of other women en route - he manages to insinuate himself into Sally’s confidence by posing as... Boston Blackie!
Director Arthur Dreifuss (who had also directed the regulars and Cochran in BB BOOKED ON SUSPICION) infuses the tight film with some eerie atmosphere and set-pieces, allows Chester Morris to pad an interrogation scene with a barrage of magic tricks, and clearly the caliber of supporting talent is higher than usual in this one. Alas, the film falls back on our hero’s unfortunate penchant for blackface disguise, which this time extends to The Runt as Chester Morris and George E. Stone pose as hotel cleaning women - and flirt with janitor Clarence Muse! I can’t help wondering if the recurring blackface disguises in this year of production had something to do with the fact that, the year before, Boston Blackie became a radio show, also starring Morris and Richard Lane as Inspector Farraday - as a summer replacement for none other than AMOS AND ANDY. Dreifuss later directed RIOT ON SUNSET STRIP (1967)!
The series was given a rest through most of this year, not reappearing until December 1946. Given a more sober title than usual, it's actually a fair description of its content for a change, but not of its tone. This one is pretty much a light and lively entertainment from beginning to end. The first 15 minutes of the film are devoted to star Chester Morris’ personal interest and aptitude for magic.
The story opens with Blackie giving one of his annual charitable magic shows at a women’s penitentiary, where he makes the mistake of making the wrong inmate disappear - a surly former magician’s assistant (Constance Dowling) who seizes the opportunity to skip jail and seek out the former partner who let her take a murder rap while he absconded with $100,000 of plundered cash. Naturally, Blackie is accused of planning and enabling her escape, and he’s taken to Police Headquarters, supposedly to be grilled by Inspector Farraday and his brainless associate Sgt. Matthews (Frank Sully), but it turns into Three Stooges time as he makes serial fools of the cops. He eventually escapes too and exchanges places with the other magician, now working under another name and planning marriage to his new assistant, which gives us more chances to see Blackie in Bela Lugosi’s old CHANDU THE MAGICIAN wardrobe, astounding audiences with trick store magic. (Frankly, there is less a feeling of astonishment about the prestidigitation than of hat-in-hand.)
There are a couple of corpses along the way, major characters too, but the laughs hardly stop long enough to let us feel their loss. D. Ross Lederman directs from an early script by Harry Essex, whose later credits would include KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL, I THE JURY, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE and CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON.
TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR THE FINAL INSTALLMENT!
