Crime

Between Midnight and Dawn

- THE STORY OF PROWL CAR 13...BASED ON THE POLICE FILES OF A GREAT CITY!

Rocky and Dan, war buddies, are prowl car cops on night duty. Dan is a cynic who views all lawbreakers as scum; Rocky feels more lenient. Both are attracted to the radio voice of communicator Kate Mallory; but in person, Kate proves reluctant to get involved with men who just might stop a bullet. By lucky chance, Rocky and Dan cause big trouble for murderous racketeer Ritchie Garris; but when he swears vengeance, Kate's fears may prove justified.

Release Date : 1950-10-01

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Columbia Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Prowl Car

Cast

Character Name : Officer Rocky Barnes

Original Name : Mark Stevens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer Dan Purvis

Original Name : Edmond O'Brien

Gender : Male

Character Name : Katharine 'Kate' Mallory

Original Name : Gale Storm

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ritchie Garris

Original Name : Donald Buka

Gender : Male

Character Name : Terry Romaine

Original Name : Gale Robbins

Gender : Female

Character Name : Police Lt. Masterson

Original Name : Anthony Ross

Gender : Male

Character Name : Leo Cusick

Original Name : Roland Winters

Gender : Male

Character Name : Romano

Original Name : Tito Vuolo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Romano

Original Name : Grazia Narciso

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Mallory

Original Name : Madge Blake

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kathy Blake

Original Name : Lora Lee Michel

Gender : Female

Character Name : Louis Franissi

Original Name : Jack Del Rio

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joe Quist

Original Name : Philip Van Zandt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Sgt. Bailey

Original Name : Cliff Bailey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Harry Yost

Original Name : Tony Barr

Gender : Male

Character Name : 'Cootie' Adams

Original Name : Peter Mamakos

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rod Peters (as Earl Breitbard)

Original Name : Ric Roman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Building Superintendent Blake

Original Name : Wheaton Chambers

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Blake - Superintendent's Wife

Original Name : Frances Morris

Gender : Female

Character Name : Officer Haynes (uncredited)

Original Name : James Brown

Gender : Male

Character Name : Peter J. 'Petey' Conklin (uncredited)

Original Name : Billy Gray

Gender : Male

Character Name : Policeman (uncredited)

Original Name : Brick Sullivan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Thurlow Conklin (uncredited)

Original Name : Tony Taylor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Reporter (uncredited)

Original Name : Guy Way

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Here, buy yourself a new head. One with a brain in it! Between Midnight and Dawn is directed by Gordon Douglas and adapted to screenplay by Eugene Ling from a story by Gerald Drayson Adams and Leo Katcher. It stars Edmond O'Brien, Mark Stevens, Gale Storm, Donald Buka and Gale Robbins. Music is by George Duning and cinematography by George E. Diskant. Stevens and O'Brien play two prowl car cops, long time friends who fall for the same woman (Storm), but that could never come between them. That's the job of rising crime boss Ritchie Garris (Buka)... On the page it looked as if it easily could have got bogged down by romantic threads and buddy buddy cop formula. Thankfully that isn't the case. Finding its way into a number of film noir publications, it's a pic that only just qualifies on account of certain narrative thematics and the night time photography of the always excellent Diskant. On its own terms anyway it's a damn good policer, one that is handled with knowing direction from Douglas and features the reassuring presences of Stevens and O'Brien, both of whom play cops with different attitudes to the job, but both believable and never played as trite good cop bad cop fodder. In the lady corner are Storm and Robbins, the former in the middle of our twin testosterone fuelled coppers, and the latter the gangster's moll. Both sultry and beautiful - even if Storm is sporting a hairstyle that equally is both distracting for the character and does her obvious sexiness no favours, but both the gals are written with thought and performed as such. Then there is Buka as scumbag Garris. This character clearly has ideas above his station, something which our coppers gleefully like to remind him of. But Garris is a nasty piece of work, which ultimately leads us to a thrilling and suspenseful finale. Buka (The Street with No Name) really should have had a bigger noir/crime film career. Sometimes funny and laced with choice dialogue, this still also manages to impact with dramatic, suspenseful and attention grabbing scenes. This a film that's easy to recommend to lovers of 40s/50s policer movies; it's also pretty bloody for the time. There's a great crew behind this and they don't let anyone down. 7/10