''Night Editor'' is a 1946 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

directed by Henry Levin and starring

William Gargan William Dennis Gargan (July 17, 1905February 16, 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 Be ...

, Janis Carter and Jeff Donnell. It was 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." A

B-movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

produced by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

, 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. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...

released it in the boxed set ''Bad Girls of Film Noir: Volume II'' along with '' Women's Prison'', '' One Girl's Confession'' and ''

Over-Exposed ''Over-Exposed'' is a 1956 American film noir crime film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Cleo Moore, Richard Crenna and Raymond Greenleaf. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. This film was released on DVD by Sony Picture ...

''.

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 (

), a family man who cheats on his wife with socialite ''femme fatale'' Jill Merrill ( Janis Carter). 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 * Janis Carter as Jill Merrill * Jeff Donnell as Martha Cochrane * Coulter Irwin as Johnny * Roy Gordon as Benjamin Merrill * Charles D. Brown as Crane Stewart * Paul E. Burns 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 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 (message), 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 ...

" 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'', a short-lived TV series on the

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

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 English-language crime drama films

Plot

Cast

Radio program

See also

References

External links