Notte d'avventura

Mark Latham (Tom Conway) is a busy defense lawyer with a big case. Erica Drake Latham (Audrey Long) seems to be his happy wife, but he never has time for her. He's winning his case and becomes a target for the bad guys. Erica flirts with artist Tony Clair who has jealous drunken girlfriend, Julie Arden. Mark goes to confront Tony only to find a distraught Julie waving a gun.

I'm not sure why Erica would go to her husband to defend Tony. That's the weakest link in this noir crime drama. She could do it if she keeps her relationship a secret, but even then, she would keep her husband away from the case. The movie seems more obsessed with getting to the trial than setting it up properly. I do find myself wondering where the story is going. It could go any which way including Mark's final destination. That is fascinating.

Tom Conway is a very successful defense lawyer, but he's losing his wife, Audrey Long, through lack of attention. She's enamored of artist Louis Borel, and he of her. They're in his studio where model Jean Brooks barges in. She's drunk, and accusing Borel of making love to her, of them being engaged. Borel and Mrs. Brooks leave. Jealous Conway enters the studio and they talk. She starts to brandish a gun and it goes off. Mrs Brooks is killed, and Conway exits post haste. Borel is charged with murder, and Miss Long calls on Conway to defend him.

It's a remake of HAT, COAT, AND GLOVE and is a rapidly moving courtroom drama. I found it to be an adequate B, but not enough to be terribly interesting on its own, except for questions about how this movie got past the Hays office, when Conway gets away with it scot free. True, it's an accidental death, but he is never identified, despite some courtroom antics that should have been noticed. With Edward Brophy, Addison Richards, Russell Hopton, and Emory Parnell.

I was pleasantly surprised by this neat little one hour, 10 minute treat. I rated it an "8.", although it probably should average a "7.5" or so. Everything about it was adequate, and the plot was great. Conway was good looking and suave. The romantic patter was nice. The characters were pretty juiceless, though. Just let me say that the plot and denouement are particularly ingenious. Attorney Conway gets way over his head with a crime that threatens his career, innocence and marriage. The enjoyment of the film is wondering for so long how he and his client can possibly escape unharmed. That is enough. See and enjoy it.

Mark gets caught up in the murder of a woman in a flat. Tony, the owner of the flat, happens to be dating mark's wife, and is blamed for the murder. And even though they are separated, she wants mark to defend tony in court. Stars tom conway and audrey long, who sounds and acts just like myrna loy. Keep an eye out for studio regular ed brophy, who doesn't crack non-stop jokes in this one. We were deep in the depths of world war II, so i guess the director wanted this to be a more serious film. Lots of court-room zigging and zagging. You have to go along with everything that happens. It's all tied up so neatly in a bow at the end, in a rather rushed ending. Between the film code and the war, i guess it had to stay light. It's pretty good. Directed by gordon douglas.

The film's title is obviously ill chosen since the word "adventure" implies excitement, suspense, and fun and there is none of the three in evidence in this half hearted effort to yet again reproduce the magic of "The Thin Man". Indeed, everything about this movie is third hand. Tom Conway is a poor man's George Sanders (appropriate, since they're sibs) who is a poor man's William Powell while Audrey Long is at least two removes from Myrna Loy. As for Crane Wilbur's screenplay, let's just say that it improves by the movie's being over scored so that a lot of it is drowned out. I could go on but I have exceeded the dreaded 600 character minimum which is 597 more than this dog deserves. (I'd have just written "ugh"). C minus.