Noite Sem Fim

B-movies were short and relatively low-budgeted films intended as a second film in a double-feature. Usually, there was an A-movie, some more prestigious and larger-budgeted film as well as the B....along with various shorts (such as a cartoon and/or a news reel) shown at most theaters during this era. Many of them were made by small studios like Republic or Monogram and many more were made by practically microscopic studios that actually didn't own their own studio space but rented it from a larger studio and filmed mostly at night. But what many folks don't know is that the biggest studios ALSO made Bs, and "The Longest Night" is clearly a B...and it is from MGM...the largest and fanciest studio of the era.

So why is "The Longest Night" a B? Well, at only a paltry 51 minutes, this alone would make it a B-movie. But it's also a fancy B (almost a B+ film if there was such a thing), since it's cast has some A-list actors, such as Robert Young who is in the lead.

"The Longest Night" is a murder mystery. Apart from westerns this was probably the most common genre for Bs. A few of these mysteries were very good. Most, sadly, are filled with cliches and are very formulaic. Despite "The Longest Night" being a higher-budgeted B from MGM, I'd place it in the latter category...being mostly formulaic and cliched.

What are some of these cliches and formulas? Well, in this case you have the typical idiot cop investigating (Sidney Toler is particularly one-dimensional here), his even stupider sidekick (Ted Healy is practically sub-human in his stupidity and uselessness), a smart civilian who for no discernible reason is practically Sherlock Holmes (Robert Young) as well as predictable scenes, such as one where someone says "I didn't kill her, but I'll tell you who did..."....and a shot rings out and kills them!! In other words, no matter how enjoyable all this is, it's also predictable and a bit silly. This clearly is NOT a thinking person's mystery and it obviously was hastily written. On the plus side, however, the cinematography is unusually good and the film is slick looking and enjoyable. Overall, a very mixed bag.

Even though this murder mystery starts off silly, it ends up being quite a fast-paced movie with lots of action and entertaining sequences. A murder takes place in a department store, and until the murderer is discovered, everyone is locked in with a few policemen all night. There are two sisters, Florence Rice and Julie Haydon, one of whom is dating a jewelry thief, Leslie Fenton, as well as a kleptomaniac, Etienne Girardot, and both the old owner of the store and the new buyer, Paul Stanton and Robert Young. Will police chief Ted Healy be able to find out who's guilty and why?

How do you keep everyone entertained in one room of a department store? By opening up the rest of the department store, restoring a previously unused elevator, and having the lights go out! Robert Young is busy wooing Florence, but since Julie is implicated, he's got a bigger job on his hands than to score a date for Saturday night. Before long, everyone's gone from suspect to detective and have to work to prove their innocence at the expense of someone else's guilt. Check this one out if it appeals to you!

This is the type of film that ran on late night TV in the early 50s. The difference from then to now is that this 55 minute film would been placed into a 90 minute time slot and interrupted at every reel change with 8-10 minutes of commercials. Considering that its MGM, the acting and plot are inane but production value quite good. It would be fun to have the Mystery Science Theater crew commentate.

A nice short (55 min) "B" picture with a good cast of MGM stock players. Robert Young is pleasant and keeps this murder mystery in proper perspective.

For me, the real highlight was seeing Sidney Tolar playing the police honcho who conducted the investigation. It's the only time that I have ever seen him in any role other than Charlie Chan. To hear him talk that tough New York police lingo without a Chinese accent was fun for me. If I had no other reason to watch this film, Tolar, alone, would be sufficient.

Being of such short duration, the movie moves quickly. It's a good thing because (and I say this with reverence) this flick has "B" movie written all over it. Enjoy............

This is a fairly entertaining programmer featuring Robert Young in his early screen career. He is again teamed with Florence Rice, an up and coming actress who never quite made it in the big times, though she showed potential. Of interest is Ted Healy as Police Sergeant Magee (yes, another dumb detective/policeman role). Healy was the comic responsible for introducing The Three Stooges to the world. That may be a blessing or a curse depending on how much you like Moe, Larry, and Curly.

"The Longest Night" is a compact comedy thriller with the entire story taking place on one night (hence the title) at one location, a department store, except for the opening sequence which takes place on the street. Sidney Toler, in his pre-Charlie Chan days, has the meaty part of Captain Holt, the one in charge of the investigation when a murder occurs in the store. The cast includes an assortment of character actors including the often corny Olin Howland as a floorwalker.

Thought there is much attempt at humor, most of it is lame by today's standards. Many of the supposedly funny lines fall flat; even the slapstick seems forced. This film would have played better with less comedy and more thrills and chills.

Taken as a short murder mystery, "The Longest Night" works. Taken as a comedy, it falls on its tush.