Under Cover of Night

... is all I can say about the villain in this one. On graduation day at a small college the head of the physics department announces he will soon step down and announce his successor shortly. Professor Marvin Griswald (Henry Daniell) has been letting his wife do the research work and he's been taking the credit with her full knowledge of course. She's on the threshold of a discovery that will shake the foundation of physics, and with Marvin taking the credit he's sure to get the department headship, or so he thinks - he's chomping at the bit for this promotion. Unfortunately for Marvin, he's let his loins get the best of him and has been flaunting his infidelity with a pretty young student in his wife's face. She decides to retaliate by summarizing her notes into one small book, destroying the original notes, and refusing to let Marvin have the summary book. Plus she's leaving him, which seems to be the least of the bad news as far Marvin is concerned.

That night, as a party goes on downstairs, Marvin enters his wife's room and does something just awful that shocks her and causes her to have a heart attack and die. Marvin has committed the perfect murder - her weak heart is a well known fact - but unfortunately his wife's notes are no longer in her purse as they were just an hour before. Wherever could they have gone? Now Marvin is in the clear up to now, but based on merely guessing as to which of the guests could have his wife's notes he invades home after home and commits several more homicides trying to find the notes - and these murders definitely do not look like heart attacks.

Fortunately, ace detective Chris Cross (Edmund Lowe) is on the scene and was at the party, since he is an old friend and ex-student of the retiring department head. Like Nick Charles, he prevents the police from arresting the wrong man, and the cast even includes Nat Pendleton playing the same type of easily flustered flat foot that he played in The Thin Man.

Unlike The Thin Man, you'll figure out who has the dead woman's notes from the start and you definitely know who the killer is. Also unlike The Thin Man there is a prolonged rather odd scene set in a sauna in which Chris Cross, Nat Pendleton's character, and the escaped falsely accused suspect sit around relaxing and steam cleaning their pores trying to figure this whole mess out.

Then there's the matter of Marvin's young mistress. She didn't start Marvin on his homicidal rampage or even assist him, but she's an accessory since he's told her everything and she didn't call the police. Like Anne Boleyn, she's got to realize that if her lover will kill to keep her and consolidate power he'll do the same to her if he ever wants to rid himself of her, especially now that she knows so much.

Like I said at the beginning, so much education, so little common sense. Highly recommended if you want to see a crime drama that is definitely off the beaten path yet is well done.

Typical throw-away 'Who Dun it' made by all the Studios to full-fill their obligations too their theater chain commitments. The difference with this film is we all know 'Who Dun it' from the get-go.

UNDER COVER OF NIGHT (1937) M.G.M. (70") is a tightly scripted and filmed 'B' programmer. It features second line Stars under contract, plus a supporting cast from their stock company. Edmund Lowe formally was a mainline Star at FOX during the 20s' through the early 30s', now a suave character actor. A second rate William Powell. Sara Haden, best known as 'Aunt Milly' in the ANDY HARDY series is the first victim. Her husband is Henry Daniell, which telegraphs from the opening credits who the murderer is. The rest of cast is readably identifiable. Johnny Arthur, Harry Davenport, Dean Jagger, Nat Pendleton, Dorothy Peterson and Frank Reicher. If you do not recognize any of them, you do not know movies.

The plot-line is hardly credible, but the professionalism of the cast and its quick pace makes it enjoyable. True, there is not ANY suspense in this mystery. It is all there in the first 10". That does not make it a less enjoyable watch. Sometimes it is just fun to view a group of competent actors just go through their paces without skipping a beat. Not cheating themselves or their employers while picking up their paychecks!

I agree with previous reviewer "Western" it put me off the film killing the cute little dog. I hate any film whether an old film like this or a modern film. I quite like Edmund Lowe films, this wasn't a bad story and would have given more stars.

This MGM mystery programmer shows the usual gloss, with plenty of money spent on sets, costumes and a full cast roll not only from Metro's company, but with Henry Daniell in his usual role of suave, low-affect nasty, Edmund Lowe being as bombastic as always -- he sports a one-foot white cigarette holder -- and even Dean Jagger in a move up from Gower Gulch, still sporting a toupee -- the previous year he had starred in REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES.

But these actors, and Andy Hardy's aunt, Sara Haden, giving a very oddly stylized rendition of a woman having a heart attack, are not the point of this movie. The real fun is provided by the air of lurking dread that pervades this movie, thanks to some astonishing proto-noir lighting by DP Philip Clarke. Usually at Metro, the rule was to turn on all the lights so people could see the gloss. However, in the effectively 'B' section, they sometimes let standards slip and here it works tremendously to the film's advantage.

Henry Daniell is an unethical professor in "Under Cover of Night," an MGM programmer starring Edmund Lowe and Sara Haden, a very young Dean Jagger, and Nat Pendleton.

We see the crime brought about up front, and then watch "Chris Cross" (Lowe) figure it out. It all hinges on a sort of which came first, the chicken or the egg scenario.

Professor Marvin Griswald is planning on taking credit for his wife's (Sara Haden) research and has plans for himself and a younger woman. His wife gets wind of it and is upstairs packing to leave him; Marvin has to act quickly and get his hands on her notes.

Lowe was a leading man with Broadway credits who started working in films in the teens. By this time, he was a character actor. Openly gay, he married actress Lilyan Tashman, also openly gay, probably for the sake of their careers, but the couple obviously enjoyed a great friendship. They were a very popular Hollywood couple and known for lavish entertaining and high living. When Tashman died of cancer, Lowe was at her side.

Atmospheric film movies quickly and has a very good cast.