Midnight Intruder

I don't know - is it Louis Hayward's smooth voice, his laugh, his smile - he has oodles of charm, whatever it is, and he shows it here in spades in "Midnight Intruder" from 1938, also starring J.C. Nugent, Eric Linden, and Barbara Read.

After losing every cent at the track, Barry Gilbert (Hayward) and his friend Doc (Nugent) set out for Belmont, hitching a ride in a truck. After that, in the pouring rain, they wander around and find a house which just happens to be empty. However, a servant arrives and mistakes Barry for the long-lost estranged son of the family, John Reiter, who is supposedly coming home while his parents are on a long cruise. Barry and Doc know they have to get out in the morning before he arrives. Then Barry finds a note with $500 in it from John saying he's not coming.

The two settle in, Doc reluctantly until he meets a rich widow, but they wind up involved in a murder case, friends of the homeowners, and the family dynamic.

A fun, light movie with the sophisticated Hayward giving his classiness a criminal edge. He and Nugent are funny together as well. Interesting to see Barbara Read, who would commit suicide at the age of 45. Here she's pretty and flirtatious.

I saw Louis Hayward do "The Saint in New York" and he remains my favorite Saint to this day. He had amazing charisma. If you don't know many of his films, it's worth looking into them.