ThrillerMysteryCrime

Eyes in the Night

- Startling as a scream!

Blind detective Duncan Maclain gets mixed up with enemy agents and murder when he tries to help an old friend with a rebellious stepdaughter.

Release Date : 1942-10-16

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Duncan 'Mac' Maclain

Original Name : Edward Arnold

Gender : Male

Character Name : Norma Lawry

Original Name : Ann Harding

Gender : Female

Character Name : Barbara Lawry

Original Name : Donna Reed

Gender : Female

Character Name : Gabriel Hoffman

Original Name : Stephen McNally

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cheli Scott

Original Name : Katherine Emery

Gender : Female

Character Name : Marty

Original Name : Allen Jenkins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hansen

Original Name : Stanley Ridges

Gender : Male

Character Name : Stephen Lawry

Original Name : Reginald Denny

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paul Gerente

Original Name : John Emery

Gender : Male

Character Name : Vera Hoffman

Original Name : Rosemary DeCamp

Gender : Female

Character Name : Boyd

Original Name : Erik Rolf

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Busch

Original Name : Barry Nelson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Victor

Original Name : Reginald Sheffield

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Anderson

Original Name : Steven Geray

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alistair

Original Name : Mantan Moreland

Gender : Male

Character Name : Detective Pete (Uncredited)

Original Name : Milburn Stone

Gender : Male

Character Name : Actress at Rehearsal (Uncredited)

Original Name : Marie Windsor

Gender : Female

Character Name : Taxi Driver (Uncredited)

Original Name : John Butler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pilot (Uncredited)

Original Name : Edward Kilroy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Detective Herman (Uncredited)

Original Name : Ivan Miller

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hugo (Uncredited)

Original Name : G. Raymond Nye

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Lieutenant (Uncredited)

Original Name : Frank M. Thomas

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Now you are in my world-darkness! Eyes in the Night is directed by Fred Zinnemann and adapted to screenplay by Guy Trosper and Howard Emett Rogers from Baynard Kendrick's novel The Odor of Violets. It stars Edward Arnold, Ann Harding, Donna Reed, Stephen McNally, Katherine Emery, Allen Jenkins, Stanley Ridges and Friday the dog. Photography is shared between Robert Planck and Charles Lawton and the music is scored by Lennie Hayton. Plot finds Arnold as blind detective Duncan Maclain, also a judo expert, he is always accompanied by his intelligent seeing-eye dog, Friday. Maclain is called on to a murder case for his friend, Norma Lawry (Harding), but the body is missing and there appears to be something very sinister going on at the Lawry family home. A cracking little thriller boosted by a top cast (Donna Reed playing a bitch step-daughter!) and moody photography. What it lacks in simplicity of plot it more than makes up for in terms of execution and tone, with the added "gimmick" of the detective being blind further enhancing the effectiveness of the picture. In fact, that Arnold is so good, and his dog so brilliant (seriously, this is one great dog), it marks this out as ingenious considering the limits of the Wartime story. Zinnemann knits it together skillfully, never letting the pace sag or the tension drop, while there's some great scenes dotted throughout: such as one filmed in total darkness, lit up intermittently by the flash of pistol fire. With the film 99% set at night of in darkened rooms, this lets Planck (The Canterville Ghost/Moonfleet) & Lawton (3:10 To Yuma/The Tall T) dally in atmospheric shadows and murky low lights. Clocking in at a slim 80 minutes with never a dull moment, Eyes in the Night is one of the more enjoyable film's of its type. Deserves a bigger audience. 7.5/10

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-06-26

This is quite an enjoyable thriller with a strong performance from Edward Arnold as "Jim McLain" - a blind detective who is sought out by his old pal "Norma" (Ann Harding) to try to help her put off one of her old boyfriends who is courting her 17 year old stepdaughter. When the cradle-snatcher is found murdered and his friend is the chief suspect, he arrives at her home with his agile guide dog "Friday" and soon discovers a complex Nazi plot to obtain secret papers from her husband. Frankly, the plot's all a bit far-fetched, but Arnold is on super form - especially on the organ, as is his very fleet-of-foot canine companion. Mantan Moreland also shows up now and again in his usual butler's guise to add a little humour to the proceedings and all in all this is a decent piece of wartime cinema.