Lady at Midnight

Cute little suburban, domestic thriller drama for the whole family. Unusual, surprising, agreeable Sam Newfield's feature about foster parents, adoption. So, you see, no criminals here, or nearly none. It is a good surprise, even if the little girl can be a bit annoying after a while. It is not a depressing, gloomy tale, but it is short, not so boring, despite the pace. One more proof that B pictures may bring good stuff from time to time, though not masterpieces, just good enjoyable stuff. This is a mid comedy crime film, directed by a very prolific film maker specialized in all kinds of films.

One night, Peter and Ellen Wiggins (Richard Denning and Frances Rafferty) are awakened at midnight by a mysterious female intruder. The next day, the woman is found dead. The plot takes a turn when the Wiggins' believe that she knew their daughter.

Meanwhile, Peter, a radio news reporter sets out to uncover the truth, in spite of phoned-in death threats.

LADY AT MIDNIGHT is a fairly silly, mostly toothless mystery. It does gain some momentum once a missing will enters the picture. The Wiggins' daughter, Tina (Lora Lee Michel) is a highlight, adding comic relief.

Worth a watch, but don't expect any pulse-pounding suspense...

Richard Denning and Frances Rafferty wake in the middle of the night to find a strange woman prowling their house. The next day she is found dead, and soon after , their adoption seven years earlier of Lora Lee Michel is challenged. Why would anyone do that? Who would kill the woman? Fortunately for this movie, Denning is a news reporter for a local radio station, and so we gt an interesting bit of mystery.

It's done on the cheap by Sam Newfield, operating under a pseudonym for distribution by Eagle-Lion, early in their transformation from bottom-of-the-barrel PRC. There's some pleasantly corny humor offered by Miss Michel and Ralph Dunn. For what was a blood-free, old-fashioned mystery, it fits the lower half of a double bill pleasantly.

Any movie that shows a child using a gas stove unattended and playing with a detective's gun can NOT be all that bad! Hey, this movie is straight forward, honest '48 entertainment. The cast, replete with an obnoxiously sweet little girl, is excellent and a lot of them are recognizable character actors of the time. The movie is a gem as a study of mid-40 home decorating, clothes, manners and attitudes. But there's a bonus, it's entertaining. Footsteps are heard at midnight by an alert mother. The parents go their child across the hall. The tyke swears that a pretty lady sat on her bed and told her she was adopted. Naturally, they don't take her seriously until things develop to where they find out someone might be trying to take their adopted daughter away and the father feels he must hire a private eye. There are enough false leads to keep you guessing until the end. I'm glad I watch this movie.

Delightful old B Picture available on Netflix and perfect for a rainy Saturday afternoon. Super cheaply made with writing and a plot that will make you smile, even at its own inadequacies. Fast paced and thoroughly entertaining. Richard Denning and Frances Rafferty are likable as they fight to keep their adopted daughter from being taken away from them. Their sickeningly sweet little girl grows on you until she's actually fun and appealing. Filled with familiar faces from old B Films, all playing their usual typecast characters. And all are placed in the context of those cheap 1940's sets which all look remarkably the same.

All the vicious comments about this B film are true yet it's still fun to watch. Be sure and make some popcorn and grab a coke before you begin.