Main Cast: Edward Arnold, Ann Harding, Katherine Emery, Horace McNally, Allen Jenkins
Release Year: 1942
Country: US
Run Time: 80 minutes
Plot
Edward Arnold made the first of his two screen appearances as Bayard Kendrick's blind detective Captain Duncan McLain in MGM's Eyes in the Night. The plot is set in motion by Norma Lawry (Ann Harding), whose stepdaughter Barbara (Donna Reed) has been keeping company with washed-up actor Paul Gerente (John Emery). Norma feels that Gerente, an ex-lover of hers, is a bad influence for Barbara, but the girl merely assumes that Norma wants Gerente all to herself. When the ageing actor is murdered, Barbara assumes that Norma committed the crime. Rather than go to the police, Norma heads to her old friend Duncan McLain, but when the detective arrives at the scene of the murder, the body has disappeared. Detecting the odor of violets in the room, McLain uses this tiny clue to build a case against a gang of Nazi spies, headed by the Lawry's butler Hansen (Stanley Ridges), with whom the late Mr. Gerente had been collaborating. Just knowing who did it isn't enough in this case, however: getting the drop on McLain and his associates, the villains hold the detective and Lawry prisoner until they are able to get their hands on a secret formula developed by Barbara's father (Reginald Denny). In true movie-serial fashion, it is McLain's faithful seeing-eye dog Friday (played by "himself") who saves the day. A "B" picture with "A" entertainment value, Eyes in the Night proved successful enough to warrant a sequel, 1945's The Hidden Eye. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Eyes in the Night turns on a gimmick, that of a blind detective, which premise has been used in books, TV and films a number of times. Although its use in Eyes requires a stretching of belief in some cases, it is used mostly effectively here, helping to add interest to a screenplay that is otherwise nothing more than a routine thriller. It's put together well enough, but with little to distinguish it other than its gimmick. That Eyes manages to stand out slightly is due more to its cast and director than it script. Edward Arnold is quite good as the detective, using his imposing girth to good effect and letting that distinctive growl of a voice lend force to simple statements. Arnold's bulldog face is a bit more relaxed here than in many of his filsm, but he's still an imposing presence. He gets solid support from Ann Harding, Donna Reed and his quite good dog, Friday. In his second feature, Fred Zinnemann is competent and assured. He is not yet in a position to really make a mark, but his work keeps the picture moving and involving -- and his "in the dark" shoot-out is really quite inventively done. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Stanley Rogers - Art Director, Robert Kalloch - Costume Designer, Fred Zinnemann - Director, Ralph Winters - Editor, Lennie Hayton - Composer (Music Score), Charles Lawton - Cinematographer, Robert Planck - Cinematographer, Jack Chertok - Producer, Edward Boyle - Set Designer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Douglas Shearer - Sound/Sound Designer, Howard Emmet Rogers - Screenwriter, Guy Troper - Screenwriter, Baynard Kendrick - Book Author
