Eyes in the Night (1942)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Baynard Kendrick (book)
Guy Trosper (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 August 1943 (Sweden)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery

Tagline:

A Dark Labyrinth of Terror...And Murder!!!

Plot:

A blind detective and his seeing-eye dog investigate a murder and discover a Nazi plot.

Plot Keywords:

Blind Detective | Nazi | Seeing Eye Dog | Murder | Dog

Cast

Edward Arnold	...	Duncan 'Mac' Maclain
Ann Harding	...	Norma Lawry
Donna Reed	...	Barbara Lawry
Stephen McNally	...	Gabriel Hoffman (as Horace McNally)
Katherine Emery	...	Cheli Scott
Allen Jenkins	...	Marty
Stanley Ridges	...	Hansen, Lawry's butler (as Stanley C. Ridges)
Reginald Denny	...	Stephen Lawry
John Emery	...	Paul Gerente
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Vera Hoffman, Lawry's maid (as Rosemary de Camp)
Erik Rolf	...	Boyd
Barry Nelson	...	Mr. Busch
Reginald Sheffield	...	Victor
Steven Geray	...	Mr. Anderson (as Steve Geray)
Mantan Moreland	...	Alistair, Duncan's butler

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #8622) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Loew's

Trivia:

Some cast members in studio records/casting call lists did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were: Fred Walburn, Robert Winkler, Walter Tetley, Cliff Danielson and Frances Rafferty. In addition, a contemporary news item listed Hal Le Sueur and William Bailey as cast members, but they were not in the movie either.

Quotes:

[talking to Duncan Maclain's dog]
Alistar: I'm off to the Harlem Squash and Tennis Club to meet my dream girl.
[Alistar opens the door and the dog flattens him to pursue a female canine in the street]
Alistar: Why, you wolf!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Personalities (1942)

German Shepard Vs. German Spies

There are many excellent moments in this spy caper, detective and dog drama, murder mystery. The dog does do his own stunts and he does them well.

There are hints at romance, here and there, with the maid and her jailbird hubby, the young Donna Reed and her mom's ex-boyfriend and even the butler and the dog are lovesick for their partners.

Donna Reed looks beautiful. This was before It's a Wonderful Life and The Donna Reed Show. There is one scene I can tell you about without ruining anything for you. Women dressed to kill in the 1940s. In those days you always complimented a lady's new hat no matter how awful it looked. The hat Donna Reed wears at the end of the movie is so awful nobody could muster the courage to fake a compliment.

Edward Arnold is jovial and believable as the blind detective. I especially like the scene where he teaches one of the goons how to play Solitaire. He is also great with his voice in the darkened scene in the basement. The director does a wonderful job with this film.

The play within a movie is a fun idea for introducing some of the villains.

This one is very watchable. The dog is really good in his scenes.

Tom Willett