Best movie ever!

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

There's a nice mix of comedy and intrigue in this thriller about stolen diamonds that brings Chester Morris's Blackie up against future "Detour" star Ann Savage. Actually, she's a heroine here, kidnapped by the bad guys so they can get Blackie to bring them the diamonds. Once again, George E. Stone and Lloyd Corrigan are the comic relief, joined by Dick Elliott in a hostage situation. It's a debate as to which fat man is the cheeriest: the eternally smiling Corrigan or the constantly laughing Elliott. Stone gets a great gag moment as well, as his character ("the runt") cuddles with the gigantic Jan Buckingham to get his hands on a diamond broach caught on her waste. It became apparent to me with this entry in the series that it hit its height with the first two films, but evened out to 5-6 rating four films, forward, into the series. At the end of each film, police lieutenant Richard Lane and his dumb stump of a sidekick, Walter Sande, kept insisting that the case they completed might not have been solved without Blackie's help, but by the beginning of the next film, they were at odds again. This maintains enough action and intrigue, mixed with the right amount of comedy, to maintain its dignity and a proper pace, making this an acceptable, decent, entry in the series, although far from the near excellence of the first two.

Columbia Pictures had an unbeatable formula in the 40's - get stars who had passed out of the limelight but still had great talent and charisma and make them the leads in short B crime mystery films with lively scripts. They did this with Warner Baxter and the Crime Doctor series, with Warren William and the Lone Wolf series, and with Chester Morris and the Boston Blackie series. They also had a habit of naming the films in almost a random way. For example this film has nothing to do with the hour of midnight or what came before or after.The basis of the story is an old friend of Boston Blackie -"Diamond Ed" - is getting out of jail and has some diamonds hidden away for his grown daughter that are apparently from the heist for which he was doing time. His old gang has been waiting for him to get out and wants the loot. Blackie is drawn into the whole situation by Ed's daughter, who wants Blackie to help Ed decide to go straight. Of course, things never go right for Blackie or else we wouldn't have a story and soon Blackie finds himself falsely accused of killing Diamond Ed to get to his loot. The incompetent and always mistrusting detective Farraday and his sidekick Matthews get their usual exercise jumping to conclusions and running in circles.There are a few items of note in this particular Boston Blackie film. First, we finally get to hear Blackie's real name. Second, apparently Blackie's friend "The Runt" (George E. Stone) has it in him to court and marry a very tall and buxom amazon of a woman who's a burlesque dancer at a local club...or does he??? Finally, I may have missed something but it is not entirely apparent at the end that Blackie turns over Ed's diamonds to the police. You walk away at the end not knowing if Blackie gave the diamonds to the daughter and told her to keep them or not. For a production code era crime film this would be quite an event.Action packed from beginning to end, and even using a WWII west coast blackout as a plot device, I highly recommend this fast little film.

This low budget film with the usual cast of characters has Chester Morris, as Boston Blackie coming to the aid of an ex-con buddy who he got to know while serving in the State Penn. His buddy is being released and has some diamonds hidden my his previous business investments and is afraid his old gang will want the diamonds and kill him. Ann Savage, "Detore" is the ex-con's daughter and she wants to look after him and seeks Boston Blackie's help. Richard Lane, Inspector Farraday is still out to handcuff and arrest Blackie for breaking into a locker containing the diamonds. There is train rides and plenty of car chases and Boston Blackie even impersonates an African American in order to disguise himself from Cy Kendall the top gangster. If you like these sequels, you will love this film which runs very smoothly and is enjoyable.

***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?