Main Street After Dark

Edward Arnold is a police lieutenant prowling Main Street After Dark invthis 1945 film also starring Selena Royle, Dan Duryea, Hume Cronyn, Audrey Totter, and Dorothy Morris. Directed by Edward L. Cahn.

Royle heads up a family gang of thieves, the Dibsons, and Cronyn is Keller, their pawnbroker. The big excitement in the family is that Lefty (Trout) is being released from prison. His wife Jessie (Totter) would be happier, but she seems to be in competition with her mother-in-law who takes charge of his welcoming.

The family's major concentration is on ripping off soldiers coming through town with wage packets, so none of them are very likable. And though Lefty is warned by his mother not to carry a gun, he does.

This is a more sophisticated Ma Barker group as they sit around the radio listening to - police scans instead of Jack Benny.

Audrey Totter is great in her debut.

This is supposed to be light-hearted but I felt sorry for the soldiers.

It's a typical wartime home: service star in the window, family sitting quietly in the living room. The door bell rings. It's a a telegram. There's tension. Tom Trout is coming home! They discuss what food there'll be and argue over who gets to cook it. After all, it's not everyday that Tom gets out of prison!

Selena Royle is the mother of the brood, with Dan Duryea as the other son; Audrey Trotter (in her screen debut) is Trotter's wife, and there's little Dorothy Morris to round out the clan. Police lieutenant Edward Arnold never seems far away, urging Trotter to keep out of trouble, mentioning that the farms are short-handed Mostly, though, this movie is hanging around, waiting for the boys to do something dangerous and get collared. With less than an hour to do it in, it doesn't take long.

A great opening scene and Arnold playing one of his chuckling characters keeps this one good. Otherwise, it looks like an expanded entry in the Crime Does Not Pay series.

Too bad that more work and fine tuning wasn't put into this film. What you get is a mildly entertaining programmer about a family of pickpockets harassed by a police lieutenant who could be held partly responsible for the murder that takes place during a robbery. Even the title is misleading. with a title like "Main street After Dark," one would expect to see either a film noir or a "Naked City" type docudrama. Instead we get a "Crime Does Not Pay" type package that plays too much like a stage presentation, especially for the first thirty minutes. That's not to take away from an intriguing story, acted out by a stellar cast. One of the reviewers for IMDb mixes up the family, although the review itself is excellent. The family consists of ma, one daughter, and two sons. Lefty is one of the sons. He is married to Jessie Belle.

Main Street After Dark (1945)

** (out of 4)

Edward L. Cahn directed this drama about a family a pickpockets who prey on sailors at a local bar. Cahn directed several of the "Crime Does Not Pay" entries for MGM and I'm going to guess this 57-minute film was meant to be an extended version of that. Sadly there isn't too much going in this film and comes off rather dull in the end. The storyline never really takes off even though there's an impressive cast including Edward Arnold, Selena Royle, Audrey Totter and Hume Cronyn.

This one shows up on Turner Classic Movies ever couple of years.

From the outside, the Gibsons are an all-American suburban family. In reality, it's a den of thieves. Ma Dibson is trading with crooked pawn dealer Keller (Hume Cronyn). His son Lefty gets released from prison. Her daughter Rosalie and daughter-in-law Jessie Belle dance with and steal from servicemen. Posey is her other thieving son. Lt. Lorrgan keeps a close eye on family and offers Lefty a farm job milking cows.

This is an one hour movie that plays more like a Crime Does Not Pay short. It's also possibly a warning for soldiers on leave. That seems to be part of the war effort. The acting is pulpy good especially sassy Audrey Totter. I am surprised to see Hume Cronyn who dons a bald cap to look like his older self although I don't think he ever got that bald. I like the family although I wish their thieving is more imaginative and dangerous.