This little show barely qualifies as even a "B" picture, but I found it quite enjoyable, and parts of it certainly rose above the mundane. It was fun to see William Hall in a rare leading role, as well as pretty Anne Nagel who looked like one of the Young sisters. Charles Waldron (Gen. Sternwood in The Big Sleep) has a role as a blind man who "sees" more than many of the sighted characters, and his cultured voice is always a pleasure to hear. Added to that you have good if predictable character roles for Ward Bond, Murray Alper and the seldom-seen Stefi Duna, with a fine turn by Dean Jagger (pre-bald days) as a really mean gangster. Since it's only a hair longer than one hour, give it a try...if you're not expecting a classic, you might very well enjoy yourself.
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bowiebks25 September 2005
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This uplifting crime-drama, from the early years of Republic Pictures before the studio became an assembly-line, stars usual second-banana and character actor William Hall (a leading man in the Robert Kellard vein) as a former coal-miner who has come to the big city and gets in the way of two rival gangs fighting over a girl, and then finds himself associated with one of the gangs unintentionally. That gang hides out in a rural area (the leader of the gang, Dean Jagger, is not with them...this is just the colorful, "loveable" members of the gang!), where they meet a rural family and a small-time businessman and a dog, all of whom transform the minor criminals and cause them to finally stand up to the gang boss. Ah, there's nothing like those criminals with a heart of gold one finds in Damon Runyon or in 1930's movies. If you can accept the Hallmark Channel premise of this b-programmer, it's actually quite entertaining and fast moving, and has some nice supporting acting from the likes of Ward Bond (as the "cook" of the gang). "Bill" the dog gets a lot of screen time, and he's a good performer in the Rin Tin Tin Jr. vein who fights for the honor of the reformed gang moll with the Hungarian accent, played by Steffi Duna, who seems a lot more comfortable in the "good girl" than in the "tough girl" role. No great analysis is needed of a film such as this. It's good rainy-day entertainment with a positive, uplifting message, but still a crime film. Short of a Touched By An Angel or Highway To Heaven episode, one doesn't see this combination very often nowadays. Worth searching out for b-movie fanatics--others can wait.
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sscott5615 December 2018In the bleak light of 1937, this little gem was a complete Ray of Sunshine. All the hooks, all the cliches about "innate goodness" of man are used here and work marvelously.
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wes-connors30 March 2011Not wanting to see a dame manhandled, tough Pennsylvania miner William Hall (as Nicholas "Nick" Allen) assists street-walking Steffi Duna (as Josephine "Jo" Elliott) during a disagreement with gangsters. A resulting ruckus leaves Mr. Hall taking both Ms. Duna and a slug to the shoulder. Nursing his wound gets Hall involved with Duna's associates, a crime gang led by Dean Jagger (as James "Capper" Regan). Unluckily, they are "WANTED" for a recent murder. So, Hall is chased along with Mr. Jagger, Ward Bond (as Peter "Spudsy" Baker) and Murray Alper (as Horace "Red" Graham)...
The gang, with Hall providing some cover, takes refuge at what turns out to be an idyllic farm. They hide out there, with kindly blind Charles Waldron (as Pop Adams) and "Bill", his resourceful German Sheppard. The dog catches rabbits for the gang to eat, after thanking God. Hall finds romance with Mr. Waldron's pretty daughter Anne Nagel (as Linda). They enjoy sunbathing together. Living on the farm makes most of the criminal gang good. They reform into nice citizens. They resist a potential lucrative return to former criminal ways. But will the police understand, and forgive past sins?
**** Escape by Night (9/1/37) Hamilton MacFadden ~ William Hall, Anne Nagel, Dean Jagger, Steffi Duna -
planktonrules23 January 2017When the film begins, a poor sap, Nick (William Hall) accidentally gets involved with a gang of crooks and folks think he's one of them. Soon he and the Regan gang are on the lam and they come up with a great idea---to hide out at a humble farm in the country. There something unusual happens...the crooks all come to love the simple country life and want to give up their wicked ways. Plus Nick and Jo (Steffi Duna) find love with two locals. The problem is that the leader of the gang, Capper Regan (Dean Jagger) isn't about to let any of them just retire.
This is a bad film in some ways. Steffi Duna can barely speak English and practically needed subtitles. Additionally, the finale is a bit silly. But, most importantly, I was able to set all that aside and enjoy the picture even if it was just a cheap B. Not bad overall and rather fun. -
blumdeluxe30 March 2017"Escape by night" is one of the older movies that screams its moral out in the world. It carries the belief that in every human there is something good, that just waits to be brought to the front by the right people. We learn about a gang of criminals that needs to hide after fleeing from the police and lands on the farm of a blind, but very wise and empathetic old man. While doing everything to help the family rebuild their farm, they get in touch with their true, caring side.
There are a few points in the film that bothered me. First of all I find it quite hard to believe that any gang would just "adopt" some random guy and trust him enough to hold the odds against them. Secondly, and I can't stress that enough: Why do people in movies always want to marry after an estimated two days? Slow it down, for gods sake. Finally I don't exactly get what Nick should get charged with, apart from helping criminals hide.
Nevertheless the movie also has its strengths, namely two very likable yet predictable characters (the old man and Bill) and a very warm and hopeful atmosphere and message.
So if you can stand a bit of idealism and don't bother too much about ridiculously righteous characters, you can actually have fun with this one. -
kimpunkrock30 August 2006For all those interested this title is available on DVD..though it doesn't say it in the IMDb home page for the picture. It is available on the Platnium disc release called "Mobster Movies". Also included on the disc is Gangster's Boy (1938) starring Jackie Cooper, Gang Bullets (1938) starring Anne Nagel and Morgan Wallace, also The Racketeer (1930) starring Carol Lombard and RObert Armstrong. I love these cheap four or more movie disc of films of yesteryear. If you can find it and it is only a few bucks, pick it up, especially if you collect the classics of the golden era. Platnium disc is also famous for their other classic film collections. Including Westerns, classic TV, film noir, drama and comedies.
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ArmandoManuelPereira28 February 2021I want to be as kind as I possibly can with this film, as it had some elements I enjoyed. At the same time I cannot deny that it is just barely passable as entertainment. A definite low grade film, with a brisk pace, and a script that at times feels like it was being written while they were filming. Particularily towards the end, with its ridiculous jailbreak. The movies most interesting idea was having the gangsters (who are hiding out at a farm owned by an unsuspecting father and his daughter) fall in love with country life, which causes them to give up on crime. An unlikely scenario, but makes for an interesting storyline.
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classicsoncall31 March 2007Even for a movie, this story defies credibility on so many levels that it begins to parody itself. It starts with a nice enough guy, Nick Allen (William Hall) looking for employment in a new town, who's suddenly caught up in a street fight and taking a bullet for a young lady accosted by a couple of thugs. His wound is treated in a ritzy apartment by a doctor making a house call at no charge. I was waiting for the moment when all the surreal events would catch up with him, but instead, Nick winds up in a getaway car when a policeman is shot chasing down mobster Capper Regan (Dean Jagger) and his henchmen. Not once did Nick ever question what was going on, or attempt to bail out, instead he joins the crooks as they take it on the lam.
What defies reason the most though is how not one, but all three of the petty hoods wind up having a Green Acres moment and decide that they'd rather give up their life of crime in favor of the peace and solitude of rural life. Along the way, one might ask what ever happened to Nick's bullet wound, since he's shown going swimming without even a scratch; and by the way, where did the spiffy swim trunks come from?
Maybe with a little more thought, something credible might have been salvaged from the concept attempted here, but as it is, it just doesn't work. Individually, each of the characters is likable enough, including bad guys Spudsy Baker (Ward Bond) and Red Graham (Murray Alper), along with Capper's moll Jo Elliott (Steffi Duna), who starts out a little rough but mellows as the story progresses; those chicks put her over the edge. There are a couple of romances thrown in for good measure too, though the only one who makes it through the story maintaining some semblance of character integrity is Bill the German Shepherd, and he had to take a bullet too! -
Leofwine_draca21 February 2017ESCAPE BY NIGHT is a rural thriller made in America by Republic in 1937. The story reminded me a little of the wave of B-movies released in Britain in the 1950s which made the most of their single location settings. This film sees the usual criminal gang going into hiding and choosing a remote farmhouse as the spot. As usual there's a mix of good and bad eggs and a lot of time for sitting around and philosophising instead of providing suspense and danger.
Most of the fun in this cheapie comes from a cute German Shepherd dog clearly designed to resemble Rin Tin Tin in terms of look and spirit. The bit where he saves a chick is nice. There are some pre-stardom character actors lower down in the cast list including western favourite Ward Bond and Dean Jagger, unrecognisable with a full head of hair. Sadly the film is never as exciting as it should be and the moralising just feels like padding. -
bkoganbing15 June 2009Escape By Night is a B film from a B picture studio Republic which may have lost something in the editing. I'd hate to think that something this bad could have been made deliberately.
Young William Hall being brought up as he was in small town Pennsylvania has been taught to go to a lady in distress which he does on his first day in the big city when gangster's moll Steffi Duna is being accosted. For his efforts Hall gets what they call in movies 'a flesh wound' and gets treated by the local mob doctor. Later on he takes it on the lam with the mob, why is still beyond me because he certainly hasn't done anything wrong.
In the getaway however mob leader Dean Jagger with a full head of hair kills a cop and he splits from the rest of the gang. So Hall, Duna, and henchmen Murray Alper and Ward Bond go into the country on their own.
A flat tire has them winding up at a farm owned by blind Charles Waldron and his daughter Anne Nagel and of course their German Shepherd guide dog, a relative no doubt of Rin Tin Tin. Nagel gives Hall reason enough to hang around. But Duna, Alper, and Bond actually take to country life and the relative peace and quiet and semi-seclusion from the law.
Of course it all catches up with them as it always does in these films. The cast does their best, but with a weak script and some impossible plot situations Escape By Night is not the best thing that ever came from Republic.
Maybe after this one, Herbert J. Yates decided to concentrate on westerns. -
Hiding out in the country to avoid rival gangsters and violent men who attacked her, mobster James Hall and streetwalker Steffi Duna seemingly find their Shangri-La. But when their location is exposed and criminals arrive, they're happy Idol life is threatened with change forever. When rival gangsters leave information after a bank robbery exposing the location of Hall and Duna, the local law creeps in, threatening Hall's new romance with Anne Nagel, daughter of their blind host (Charles Waldron) and exposing Duna to the harshness of her previous life.
Certainly the idea of taking long romantic walks in the country and sitting on a porch with a loyal German Shepherd sounds appealing compared to dealing with racketeers in the big city. However, the way this is presented is so preposterous that in spite of its idealism it ends up being extremely hokey. When Hall goes off on Nagel claiming that the criminal life is the only life for him, his acting is so obvious that it is a true eye-rolling scene. Duna plays pretty much a one-dimensional see. The message that this gives, country folk good, city folk bad, is outrageously one-dimensional making this Republic programmer pretty much instantly forgettable.