''Between Midnight and Dawn'' is a 1950 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 ...

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Mark Stevens,

Edmond O'Brien Eamon Joseph O'Brien (; September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor of stage, screen, and television, and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on th ...

and

Gale Storm Josephine Owaissa Cottle (April 5, 1922 – June 27, 2009), known professionally as Gale Storm, was an American actress and singer. After a film career from 1940 to 1952, she starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, '' My Litt ...

.. It is notable as one of the earliest Hollywood ''policiers'' to focus on beat cops rather than detectives and other high-ranking officers.

Plot

Childhood friends Rocky Barnes and Dan Purvis are Los Angeles prowl car cops on night duty. Barnes is easygoing while Purvis is a cynic who views all lawbreakers as scum. Both men are attracted to radio communicator Kate Mallory but she is reluctant to get involved with policemen, her cop father having been killed in the line of duty. After several pushes from her mother, she eventually falls for Barnes. While Barnes and Purvis regularly patrol the streets and respond to crime small and organized, it is their arrest of murderous racketeer Ritchie Garris that is most consequential. After his arrest Garris swears vengeance on the duo, and quickly carries out his threat by escaping from prison, and shooting Barnes in the face several times. After months of hiding from the police, Garris finally believes it is safe to collect to his girlfriend Terry Romaine and then flee to Mexico. The police, however, have been surveilling Romaine's apartment and quickly close in on Garris. In a desperate attempt for his freedom, he takes a neighbor girl hostage, forcing a daring one-man raid from Purvis. While his smoke bomb separates the child from the killer, it also disorients Purvis allowing Garris to get the jump on him. At the last minute Romaine jumps in front of Garris' bullet, saving Purvis' life and forcing the officer to rethink his cynicism.

Cast

* Mark Stevens as Rocky Barnes *

as Daniel Purvis *

as Katherine Mallory *

Donald Buka Donald Buka (August 17, 1920 – July 21, 2009) was an American supporting actor in radio, films, and television from 1943 to 1971. Early years Buka was born on August 17, 1920, in Cleveland, Ohio. When he was 17 years old, he went to Pittsbur ...

as Ritchie Garris *

Gale Robbins Gale Robbins (born Betty Gale Robbins or Betty Gale Murphy, May 7, 1921 – February 18, 1980) was an American actress and singer. Early years Born in Chicago, Illinois, although one source claims she was born in Mitchell, Indiana and her fami ...

as Terry Romaine *

Anthony Ross Anthony Ross (born Rosenthal, February 23, 1909 – October 26, 1955) was an American character actor whose career extended to Broadway stage, television and film. Born in New York City, Ross was the son of Charles M. Rosenthal and Cora S. Rose ...

as Lt. Masterson *

Roland Winters Roland Winters (born Roland Winternitz; November 22, 1904 – October 22, 1989)DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 287. was an Ame ...

as Leo Cusick *

Tito Vuolo Tito Vuolo (22 March 1893 – 14 September 1962) was an Italian-born American actor, best known for his supporting work playing often stereotypical Italian characters. Prior to his film career, he toured the United States as a stage actor. His wi ...

as Romano * Grazia Narciso as Mrs. Romano *

Madge Blake Madge Blake (née Cummings; May 31, 1899 – February 19, 1969) was an American character actress best remembered for her role as Larry Mondello's mother, Margaret Mondello, on the CBS/ ABC sitcom ''Leave It to Beaver'', as Flora MacMichael o ...

as Mrs. Mallory *

Lora Lee Michel Lora Lee Michel (born Virginia Joy Willeford, September 13, 1940) is an American former child actress. She appeared in several feature films during the Golden Age of Hollywood in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1950, she was the focus of a cus ...

as Kathy

References

External links

* * * 1950 films 1950 crime films American crime films American black-and-white films Film noir Columbia Pictures films Films scored by George Duning Films set in Los Angeles Films directed by Gordon Douglas 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language crime films {{1950s-US-film-stub