pronker pronker Immerse into the world of 1943 and feel the sense of everyone pulling for Victory, that's a true plus to this film. Blackie is his usual helpful, anything for a friend self, as he aids the daughter of an ex-con find her father. It's not his fault that this mission takes precedence over Runt's upcoming marriage to Jan Buckingham the bubble dancer, who hilariously intimates her bubble routine in front of a mesmerized Arthur Manleder, given the right musical cues. This was one of the funniest bits and I couldn't help LOL when Blackie hides the Maguffin, a trio of diamonds, in a carafe of water and later drinks two glasses under the watching bad guy holding a gun on Blackie, to deposit the gems into a hankie. We do not learn if he saved the diamonds for sweet Ann Savage's legacy from her dad or if he kept them; if someone else noticed their fate, I hope he/she reviews on IMDB and sets the record straight, because I couldn't tell.The blackface bit is funny enough and passes swiftly, for Blackie needs it for necessary subterfuge; it was also fun to see him enter a black lady performer's dressing room to use her sink to get rid of the makeup. The blackout was well-used to set the scene for hiding, concealing and disguising Blackie as he makes his usual escape from custody.I enjoyed these entries in the series; the action of fist fighting or car chases never disappoint and neither does the rapport between Blackie, Farraday, Runt, and Manleder. One sticking point was in viewing Cy Kendall during two other Blackie movies watched within days of each other, and recognizing him as Jumbo the fence/pawnbroker/informer for Blackie, while in After Midnight he's a different, though still shady, character. I thought he was the same character.

bkoganbing This entry in The Boston Blackie series finds Blackie's companion and factotum the Runt about to get married to statuesque Jan Buckingham. But the wedding can't seem to come off because an old prison pal of Chester Morris's gets out and starts looking for the swag he robbed before getting pinched.After Midnight With Boston Blackie has Morris, George E. Stone, and their playboy pal Lloyd Corrigan on the run again because the cops and a gang of crooks are tailing said prison pal Walter Baldwin to locate the hidden jewels. When the bad guys bump of Baldwin and grab his daughter Ann Savage, it's up to Morris to rescue Savage and locate and return the jewels before the police do. Because as always the cops suspect Morris of being the perpetrator.The police are once again represented by Richard Lane and Walter Sande and between them they seem to have less working brain cells than usual. A wartime blackout drill aids and abets Blackie in eluding cops and crooks.After watching several Boston Blackie features I can't believe any self respecting police force keeps Lane and Sande employed.

blanche-2 "After Midnight with Boston Blackie" is another fun entry into the Boston Blackie series, starring Chester Morris and George E. Stone. An old man, Diamond Ed Barnaby (Walter Baldwin) is freed from prison and intends to give some stolen diamonds to his daughter (Betty Barnaby). However, his old gang wants them. His troubled daughter appeals to involved with the police and proves himself smarter. Meanwhile, The Runt's marriage to one Dixie Rose Blossom (Jan Buckingham) keeps being delayed, and friend Arthur Manleder (Lloyd Corrigan) has to keep the intended entertained, since the wedding is taking place at his apartment.These Blackie films follow the same formula over and over - the dumb Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) and the clever Blackie interfering with a police case - which is a good thing because without Blackie, the case would never be solved.Nevertheless, these films always manage to be entertaining, thanks in large art to Chester Morris and George E. Stone. Morris has a lot of charm and a lighthearted attitude as Blackie. He manages to keep some of these tired plots going. Hard to believe that the woman who played the sweet daughter Betty is the same woman who played the hard-boiled femme fatale in Detour.

jknoppow ***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** One of the better Blackies, this film is fast paced, good humored, well acted, good fun and has very nice production values.'Diamond Ed' Barnaby has just been released from prison, according to the Warden, for a charge he "could have beaten." Some of his old 'friends' are very concerned with this; he's been released early and they aren't ready for it. They're very interested in some diamonds he has.Joe Herschel, the leader of the gang, wants those diamonds, and he tracks down Ed after Ed has put them in a rented box. Joe tells Ed to give him the rocks, but Ed says that they're going to his daughter and to nowhere else. He tells Joe to leave him alone, or he'll have Boston Blackie on his neck.But Joe's gang takes Ed to an office where they threaten him with a gun. He tells them where the diamonds are, and they leave him tied up. He manages to get to the telephone, and dial the operator. He tells police Inspector Farraday to go to the building that houses the boxes, to look for two men who are going to open box 13 and take the diamonds. But before he can finish the conversation, someone comes into the office and shoots him to death.Blackie has a key for the box, and he and his sidekick The Runt get there first--just in time for Farraday to nab him.Farraday has traced the call to the club owned by Joe, but when he brings Blackie and The Runt to the club, Joe denies that anyone was shot in his office or that anyone used his telephone.Blackie manages to start a fire and escapes. Can Boston Blackie find out who killed 'Diamond Ed' Barnaby, find the diamonds, and restore them to sweet Betty Barnaby, or will the crooks triumph and Blackie end up in prison on a trumped up charge?