''Night Editor'' is a 1946

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

directed by Henry Levin and based on a popular radio program of the same name. The script for the film was based on a previous radio program episode "Inside Story.". The movie was to be the first in a series of films featuring stories about the graveyard-shift police beat reporters at a fictional newspaper, the ''New York Star'', but no other ''Night Editor'' films were made.

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acq ...

released it in the boxed set ''Bad Girls of Film Noir: Volume II'' along with ''

Women's Prison This article discusses the incarceration of women in correctional facilities. As of 2013 across the world, 625,000 women and children were being held in penal institutions, and the female prison population was increasing in all continents.< ...

'', ''

One Girl's Confession ''One Girl's Confession'' is a 1953 low-budget film noir released by Columbia Pictures. The movie stars Cleo Moore and was written, produced, and directed by Hugo Haas who also plays a supporting part in the film. This film was released on DVD ...

'' and '' Over-Exposed''.

Plot

Crane Stewart (Charles D. Brown), the editor of the ''New York Star,'' while playing poker with his friends, tells a story about a cop involved in a murder investigation. In flashback, the editor tells the tale of police lieutenant Tony Cochrane (

William Gargan William Dennis Gargan (July 17, 1905February 17, 1979) was an American film, television and radio actor. He was the 5th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1967, and in 1941, was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

), a family man who cheats on his wife with socialite ''femme fatale'' Jill Merrill (

Janis Carter Janis Carter (born Janis Elinore Dremann, October 10, 1913 – July 30, 1994) was an American stage and film actress who performed throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s. During the mid-1950s, she began working regularly on television, co-ho ...

). Cochrane and the woman, who is also cheating on her husband, witness a man bludgeoning his girlfriend to death with a tire iron while the couple is parked at "lovers lane" by the beach. The two can't report the crime without revealing their cheating, a dilemma which eventually leads to bigger troubles. Meanwhile, Cochrane must investigate the killing but is not able to tell anyone he witnessed the crime.

Cast

as Lt. Tony Cochrane *

as Jill Merrill *

Jeff Donnell Jean Marie "Jeff" Donnell (July 10, 1921 – April 11, 1988) was an American film and television actress. Early years Donnell was born in South Windham, Maine, to Harold and Mildred Donnell, when her father was superintendent at a boys' refor ...

as Martha Cochrane * Coulter Irwin as Johnny * Roy Gordon as Benjamin Merrill *

Charles D. Brown Charles D. Brown (July 1, 1887 – November 25, 1948) was an American stage and film actor. Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Brown wrote and directed a single short film in 1914. As an actor, he appeared in more than 100 films, stretching fro ...

as Crane Stewart *

Paul E. Burns Paul E. Burns (January 26, 1881 – May 17, 1967) was an American actor, who had a very lengthy career on film and television, although mostly in bit parts. He played Ebenezer Hawkins in ''Son of Paleface'' (1952), Latitude Bucket in ''The Ro ...

as Police Lt. Ole Strom * Harry Shamnon as Police Capt. Lawrence *

Frank Wilcox Frank Reppy Wilcox (March 13, 1907 – March 3, 1974) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films and television series, as well as Broadway plays. Background Wilcox was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Roger V. Wilcox. He was born in De Soto ...

as Douglas Loring *

Robert Kellard Robert Kellard, aka Robert Stevens (April 23, 1915 – January 13, 1981), was an American actor who appeared in over 60 films between 1937 and 1951. Early years Kellard was born Robert Dorsey Kellard April 23, 1915, in Los Angeles, California. H ...

as Doc Cochrane (as Robert Stevens)

Radio program

The radio program the film was based upon ran from 1934 until 1948. Sponsored by Edwards Coffee, this featured Hal Burdick (1893–1978) as the "night editor". Burdick would receive readers’ requests for stories, in a "

letter to the editor A letter to the editor (LTE) is a letter sent to a publication about an issue of concern to the reader. Usually, such letters are intended for publication. In many publications, letters to the editor may be sent either through conventional mail ...

" format, which he would relate to the listeners. Burdick played all characters in the program. The stories varied greatly including tales of war, adventure, crime, and an occasional ghost story. The radio series was adapted for ''

Night Editor ''Night Editor'' is a 1946 B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publ ...

'', a short-lived TV series on the

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of bein ...

in 1954, also hosted by Burdick.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{Henry Levin 1946 films 1946 crime drama films American crime drama films American radio dramas American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures films Film noir Films about journalists Films directed by Henry Levin Films set in the 1930s Films set in the 1940s American police detective films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films

Plot

Cast

Radio program

See also

References

External links