Two O'Clock Courage

Finding himself with a bloodied head, and suffering from amnesia, suave Tom Conway is nearly run over by pretty cab driver Ann Rutherford (as Patty Mitchell). Riding around, Mr. Conway discovers clues to his identity, including five hundred dollars in his suit pocket. A news flash connects Conway to recent murder, but Ms. Rutherford doesn't think her passenger is guilty. The pair try to solve the murder mystery while love blooms. Director Anthony Mann isn't as artful as in later years. "Two O'Clock Courage" turns out to be the name of a play that figures in the plot. By the time the mystery is solved, it's not very interesting. Fortunately, the well-endowed Rutherford, Jane Greer (as Helen Carter), and Jean Brooks (as Barbara Borden) are around to keep it looking good.

****** Two O'Clock Courage (4/13/45) Anthony Mann ~ Tom Conway, Ann Rutherford, Jane Greer, Jean Brooks

A rather rushed whodunit, with the plot weaving all over the place littering the screen with suspects, motives and distractions. At the end we have an anti-climax solution followed by the real killer being revealed. Bewildering? Thankfully Mann's direction is solid and the main leads Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford do a good job putting over the somewhat unlikely plot.

The Noir Festival programmer at the American Cinematheque in his comments before the screening (where I saw this gem) quipped like many RKO b pictures this one has story contrivances that cut costs like most of the characters staying in the same hotel. But it gets a bit much when Conway's character gives the police the slip to search a room elsewhere in the hotel which results in a fight that the cops can hear through the ceiling. Talk about plot contrivance!

Catch that noirish opening—Ted (Conway) wandering around in the fog with an even bigger fog inside his head, not knowing who he is or where he came from. Good thing girl cabbie (it's still war time) Patty (Rutherford) helps him out since the cops think he's murdered someone. These look like classic elements of noir, especially with master of the genre Anthony Mann in charge. But this is early in his career when he was still doing programmers.

There may be some interest here for film historians since the movie appears to straddle two genres— the humorous murder mysteries of the 30"s and early 40's and the emerging noir crime dramas of the post-war period. Note how Mann uses a noirish close-up to dramatize Ted's recovering memory. Looks like his darker artistic side is looking for opportunities to surface.

Still, thick-headed cop (Parnell) and fast-talking reporter (Lane) remain anchored in Charlie Chan's and Falcon's of the earlier period. But however you cut it, the movie's still a fun diversion, with a bouncy Rutherford, a polished Conway, and a pay-me-by-the-word Lane. Just don't try to figure out the mystery. I lost track somewhere between the butler-did-it and the gorgeous Jane Greer's revealing gowns.

Remake of Two in the Dark from RKO starring the unlikely duo of Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford. Conway plays a guy with a head wound and amnesia who searches for the truth about who he is and whether or not he committed murder. Rutherford is the spunky female cabbie who helps him. This is an entertaining enough picture. Nothing exceptional but a good time-passer. Conway, debonair as ever, is the kind of actor they just don't make anymore. Adorable Ann Rutherford is a little miscast as a street-smart cabbie. This is a part more suited for a Farrell, Blondell, or Sothern. Rutherford's just too sweet. Still she's always a treat to watch, even if it does feel a bit like she's trying on her big sister's clothes. Conway/Rutherford chemistry isn't exactly sizzling, either. Also featuring noir great Jane Greer in a small part and RKO favorite Jean Brooks, who was in quite a few Tom Conway films during the 40s. Directed by Anthony Mann but you would never know it as it's a pretty routine B movie with no discernible style or craft to brag about.

Very well done who-done-it. I love mysteries and watch it every time it is broadcast. Tom Conway plays a man with amnesia who seems to be implicated in a murder plot, but obviously doesn't know whether he was the murderer or not. As the plot thickens it seems more and more like he might have been.

I did not realize for some time that it is a remake of the 1936's "Two in the Dark". This version is much better. Primarily due to Tom Conway's charm and Ann Rutherford's spunk. I don't think this one is quite as good as most of the "Falcon" series, but Conway never really got the credit or the opportunities he deserved.