All Through the Night (1941) 7.1
Runyonesque Broadway gamblers turn patriotic when they stumble onto a cell of Nazi saboteurs. Director:Vincent Sherman |
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All Through the Night (1941) 7.1
Runyonesque Broadway gamblers turn patriotic when they stumble onto a cell of Nazi saboteurs. Director:Vincent Sherman |
|
Watch Trailer 0Share... |
Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Humphrey Bogart | ... | ||
Conrad Veidt | ... | ||
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Kaaren Verne | ... | |
Jane Darwell | ... | ||
Frank McHugh | ... | ||
Peter Lorre | ... | ||
Judith Anderson | ... | ||
William Demarest | ... |
Sunshine
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Jackie Gleason | ... |
Starchy
(as Jackie C. Gleason)
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Phil Silvers | ... |
Waiter
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Wallace Ford | ... |
Spats Hunter
(as Wally Ford)
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Barton MacLane | ... |
Marty Callahan
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Edward Brophy | ... |
Joe Denning
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Martin Kosleck | ... |
Steindorff
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Jean Ames | ... |
Annabelle
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Broadway gambler Gloves Donahue wants to find who killed the baker of his favorite cheesecake. He sees nightclub singer Leda Hamilton leaving the bakery. When her boss Marty's partner Joe is murdered, Leda and her accompanist Pepi disappear. It turns out that beneath all the mystery is a gang of Nazi operatives planning to blow up a battleship in New York harbor. Written by Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Humphrey Bogart and a cast of comedians and character actors make it "All Through the Night," a spy story set in New York City. Bogart plays Gloves Donahue, a bigwig in the sports world - gambler, bookie, and he likes to get tourists involved in rigged card games. His boys include Jackie Gleason, William Demarest, Phil Silvers, and Frank McHugh - a bunch of characters right out of Damon Runyon if there ever were any. When the baker who makes Gloves' favorite cheesecake is murdered, Gloves is determined to find out what happened. The trail leads to a spy ring run by sinister Conrad Veidt with assistance from Judith Anderson, her dachshund Hansel, and Peter Lorre. Lorre doubles as a pianist for a nightclub singer (Kaaren Verne) whose father is in a concentration camp and being used as leverage so she will assist the spies.
This is a fast-paced, funny film made shortly before Pearl Harbor. Its underlying message is that the Nazis aren't going to be content with a few eastern European countries; they want it all. As propaganda, it goes down easily with a terrific cast and some hilarious moments, particularly when Bogart and Demarest attend a secret meeting posing as Nazis.
The plot, of course, is preposterous, and the notes that Bogart finds in Veidt's desk are, for some reason, written in English instead of German, but none of that takes away from the enjoyment of the movie.
The performances are all excellent, but Bogart is a wonder. His no-nonsense, honest delivery and perfect timing work beautifully in comedy as well as drama.
This is a delightful movie - don't miss it.