I've always wanted to see a film directed by the prolific character actor, Paul Hurst. Grapevine have come to my rescue with a very attractive tinted print of The Midnight Message (1926), a "B" movie from an outfit called Goodwill Productions that moves along competently if somewhat heavy-handedly, until suddenly coming to vibrant life for a really rousing chase climax on actual city streets. It's a little sad to see the famous Wanda Hawley of "Bobbed Hair", reduced to appearing in a "B" (she made no less than 10 movies in 1926 alone), but let's be thankful that we can see her at all – and in this excellent print! She receives good support from young Johnny Fox as the resourceful boy hero, but Creighton Hale's pallid suitor isn't much of a match for her. Stuart Holmes tries hard to put himself across as the villain but the script's excuse for inviting him into the Macy home in the first place, is paper-thin, to say the least. However, Otis Harlan really enjoys throwing his weight around as Macy, and we suspect some real police were rung-in to play themselves.
