La noche avanza

John Derek was a terrible actor. The rest of the cast isn't any better and neither is the writing.

A spoiled young man kills his friend In the heat of anger. The family decides to say nothing and see how it plays out. The killer's mother is especially cold, "After a while we will forget all about this!" Never mind that the slain boy's mother is her best friend. An innocent man is accused and tried and drops dead from a heart attack.

Even the resolution at the end is boring. The movie just STUNK!

If you really want to expose a bad actor's badness then put him or her up against a great actor. Like Ava Gardner opposite Bogie in "Contessa". Or Natalie Trundy juxtaposed with Dean Stockwell in "Careless Years". Or John Derek, in this snorer, next to Juror #3.

David Clark is in trouble. He had killed his best friend in self-defense. He confesses to his lawyer father Howard Clark (Lee J. Cobb). They are set to come clean to the D. A. but another man gets arrested for murder. It's the dead man's bookie and Howard gets the job to defend him.

I like the starting premise but I don't like David. It's a complicated role and the actor doesn't seem to be up to the task. He has to play both innocent and guilt. Mostly, he's playing snarky and cold which leaves me a bit cold. He should be running around and changing the evidence. The plot needs twists and turns. This could have centered around Lee J. Cobb instead. He's the veteran actor and the more capable one. I would also get rid of the narration. When done well, this premise has generated plenty of good tense shows. There is so much potential but I don't see it being maximized. The final turn is more a morality play than a surprise twist. The opening premise is full noir but the movie turns into a bland 50's morality lesson.

It's an honest well to do family, where the father is a retired lawyer and the only son is studying law with great future prospects. One night however he accidentally happens to cause the death of his best friend in a drunken brawl which totally shatters his self respect. He confides in his father who advises him to immediately make a clean breast of it to the police, but the mother has second thoughts and advises him to wait and sleep on it. Matters get more complicated when a married innocent man without children gets charged with the homicide, and he begs the retired lawyer to defend him at court. The father finds it a clear case for acqittal and accepts the case, but during the trial the charged innocent who has a heart condition has a heartstroke and dies. The case is dismissed, but the perpetrator feels very bad about it and is getting nervous. The film is remarkable for its excellent acting, especially by the father (Lee J. Cobb) playing his part with admirable restraint, and by the son (John Derek) adding another impersonation of a very sensitive and nervous young man, and by his sensible girl (Jody Lawrance) who adds a great deal of cold good sense to the film. It's a great family drama posing many questions of moral resposibility.

Twenty five year old john derek. When david may be in serious legal trouble, his parents (lee cobb and erin obrien moore) can't agree on what to do. Dad is an attorney, and certainly knows the law inside and out. To make matters worse, it involves their best friends. Small role for familiar face whit bissell. Some heavy issues in this suspense drama.... having the courage to do the right thing, as well as damaged family communication. Right versus wrong tackled in the 1950s in films. It's very well done, although they could have left out the over the top drunk scene where david acts like a total jerk. Cobb was nominated for two films in the 1950s, and appeared in the HUAC congressional hearings. Directed by henry levin. Directed a couple biggies, but looks like he never got the oscar. Check out john derek's story on wikipedia; he sure covered a lot of ground.