Two O'Clock Courage (1945)

After nearly running over him with her cab, Patty Mitchell picks up a fare who claims to have amnesia. As he fumbles to remember the basic facts of his identity, Patty becomes interested in... See full summary »

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Robert E. Kent (screen play by), Gordon Kahn (additional dialogue by)

Stars:

Tom Conway, Ann Rutherford, Richard Lane

Cast

Cast overview:
Tom Conway	...	Ted 'Step' Allison
Ann Rutherford	...	Patty Mitchell
Richard Lane	...	Al Haley
Lester Matthews	...	Mark Evans
Roland Drew	...	Steve Maitland
Emory Parnell	...	Insp. Bill Brenner
Jane Greer	...	Helen Carter (as Bettejane Greer)
Jean Brooks	...	Barbara Borden

Storyline

After nearly running over him with her cab, Patty Mitchell picks up a fare who claims to have amnesia. As he fumbles to remember the basic facts of his identity, Patty becomes interested in the stranger and decides to help him in his search. But as the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, and Patty's interest becomes more personal, the stranger finds that he is the prime suspect in a murder case.

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Plot Keywords:

suspect | search | identity | murder | amnesia | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of two wartime murder/mysteries starring Tom Conway in which he is aided by a female taxicab driver (due to the "man"-power shortage of WWII). Coincidentally, Emory Parnell and Jean Brooks also appear in both films. The other is "The Falcon In Hollywood" (1944).

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Goofs

Near the end, when the police attempt to enter room 212, three bullets are shot through the door from inside the room. After the police gain access and the door swings open, the holes are absent. when it then swings back to reveal Barbara Borden, the holes once again appear.

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Connections

References Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

User Reviews

TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE (Anthony Mann, 1945) **1/2

Incongruously lighthearted early noir from Mann, involving a familiar premise (the film is actually a remake of the obscure TWO IN THE DARK [1936]) – an amnesiac finds himself the chief suspect in a murder case and, while attempting to trace his identity, he also contrives to expose the guilty party. The lead role is played by Tom Conway, not the most likely noir hero perhaps – his overall stilted performance suffers most when striving for comedy; much more natural (and appealing) is Ann Rutherford as the spirited female cabbie helping him out, even if she's just as much at odds with established genre conventions!

The plot is fairly convoluted: also involved, among others, are Lester Matthews (from THE RAVEN and WEREWOLF OF London {both 1935}), Jean Brooks (from the Val Lewton-produced THE LEOPARD MAN and THE SEVENTH VICTIM {both 1943}) and Jane Greer (soon to graduate to full-fledged femme fatale with OUT OF THE PAST [1947]); just as prominent, however, albeit merely for comic-relief purposes are a Police Inspector and a nosy reporter (who gets on his boss' nerves when he keeps changing the scoop i.e. the identity of the murderer). All in all, this emerged a pleasant and trim 66 minutes – but, clearly, a very minor footnote in the genre and the career of one of its most notable exponents.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 February 1946 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Dos en la oscuridad

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min 66 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1