Deadline at Dawn (1946) User Reviews (52)

Blackout

[sol-kay · 7/10 · 6 November 2004]

Little know post-WWII Film-Nior gem set in New York City on a hot sweltering summer night with one of the most unusual murder mysteries you'll ever see. The movie starts out with Sleepy Parsons, Marvin Miller, pleading with his estranged wife Edna, Lola Lane, for the $1,400.00 that she owes him. Edna after insulting the poor blind and very sick man Sleepy finds out that the money, Sleepy's $1,400.00, that she had in her purse is gone! what happened to it?

Earlier that evening Edna met this young sailor Alex, Bill Williams,on leave at a restaurant that her gangster brother Val Bartelli, Joseph Calleia, owned. After getting him drunk Val cheated him, playing cards, out of his pay. The story got even weirder when Edna telling Alex that she'll pay him to goes up to her place to fix her radio, Alex is a radio repairman in the navy, and got the poor slob even more drunk where he lost consciousness. waking up at a news stand after being given a cup of strong coffee by the newspaper man to clear his mind Alex staggered up on his feet a wad of $1,400.00 falls out of his pocket, where did it come from?

Going to a dance-hall later that night Alex gets very friendly with a local dance girl June, Susan Hayward. After June finished dancing with the costumers Alex goes with June to her place to have a bite to eat. At June's place Alex gets this bright idea to go back to where Edna lives and return the $1,400.00 ,which he feels is hers, with June coming along for the ride. When both get there they find, to their surprise and shock, that Edna was murdered, who did it? was it Alex? was it Sleepy? was it about a half dozen other suspects who had some connection with Edna? All I can say about the movie is that it will floor you with an ending that you won't see coming and even when it does! It will take you a while to realize what you missed in the clues that were so skillfully dropped leading to it all throughout the film.

"Deadline at Dawn" is one of those films that just sticks with you right from the start. Even though there's a number of flaws in it you easily overlook them when you realize that it's going in a direction that will more then make up for them, with it's almost unbelievable ending. Paul Lukas as NYC Cabbie, Gus Hoffman,is at first just an innocent bystander who picks up the couple, Alex & June.

As the movie goes on he becomes more and more central to the story by being more of a detective then a taxi driver as well as having the knowledge of a Ivy League Collage professor! whats this guy doing driving a cab? As the trio slowly work together time is running out to find out not only who murdered Edna but to also clear Alex of the crime, in which he's the prime suspect, and at the same time make it possible for Alex to catch the 6;00AM bus to Norfolk Virginia to report to his ship.

Powerful and surprising ending that has elements to it that you just rarely see in movies today and never in movies back then, in the 1940's. It really has you thinking about what is really good and bad in the world. Like I said before the ending just floored me not that it was so surprising, it was, but that it shows just how human and imperfect people are in the movie as well as they are in real life.

A very sticky summer night in the city

[bmacv · 8/10 · 12 June 2006]

When a blind ex-husband wearing a boutonnière shows up late in the evening demanding $1400, a good night is probably not in store. Especially when his former spouse's drunken excuse for not paying is "that sailor" must have stolen it. Thus begins Deadline at Dawn, an early noir that's not only a taut and agreeably complicated little mystery but that also aspires, and largely succeeds, in constructing an urban microcosm.

The sailor (Bill Williams) on shore leave has, as sailors on leave do, drunk too much, gambled away his money, been lured up to a wicked woman's apartment, and fallen into a blackout. (The movie's based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich, writing as William Irish, who knew whereof he wrote.) When he climbs back out, thanks to black coffee supplied by a kindly newsie, $1400 tumbles out of his pocket.

Trying to piece together the evening, he strays into a dime-a-dance palace, where he meets a would-be hard case (Susan Hayward – in her 24th movie!). Making small talk with his bored-to-the-bone partner, Williams speculates whether a rainstorm might break the heat wave. "Such things have been known to happen," replies Hayward, thereby lowering the thermometer pronto. (The quirky, bristling dialogue by Clifford Odets is one of the many amenities of Deadline at Dawn.) Of course, Hayward inevitably thaws enough to offer counsel to Williams and serve as sidekick in his quest to make amends (he's a square-rigger right out of one of the square states). They return to the robbed woman's apartment only to find her (Lola Lane) – dead. It's unclear to the befuddled Williams, and to Hayward, whether he might indeed have been the culprit. Trouble is, he's taking a 6 a.m. bus back to Norfolk, where he's stationed; there's only a few hours left to clear his conscience – or fess up to the police.

An immigrant cabbie (Paul Lukas) improbably volunteers as a third ally, and the three, together and separately, embark on various sleuthing expeditions through the dark and soupy streets of Manhattan. For a movie that clocks in under an hour and a half, Deadline at Dawn boasts a cast just short of epic. Among the principals who intersect are Joseph Calleia, as a ruthless yet debonair gangster; Osa Massen as a lame housewife expelled from the rubble of Europe; and Steven Geray as a well-mannered stalker. Joining them are countless players with brief walk-ons, comic or poignant, of the 8-million-stories-in-the-naked-city variety, giving the movie – the sole directorial effort by east-coast theater maven Harold Clurman – its distinctive tone and texture. (Jules Dassin must have borrowed greedily from it when he came to film his own The Naked City during the sweltering New York summer of 1947.) Deadline at Dawn falls short of perfection. It's too short for all it contains, it's a bit sooty from all the red herrings, and its way out verges on the-butler-did-it (or maybe Roger Ackroyd). But a lot of RKO talent went into its making (in addition to the above, Nicholas Musuraca photographed it, and Hanns Eisler – later to become a serious Leftist composer in East Germany – wrote the score). But it has its own sweaty, big-city flavor, a pungent New York Story, and a prototype of many noirish delights yet to come.

A terrific, flawed, but terrific small film, all at night in New York, about innocence and honesty

[secondtake · 8/10 · 25 June 2011]

Deadline at Dawn (1946)

If you can overcome, or overlook, the slightly stilted plot and the improbability of the events (in an O'Henry kind of way, if you know his clever short stories, though the actual writer is Clifford Odets, whose politics are not very visible), you'll be able to catch the really fine acting and directing here. And the nicely felt night crime drama that is really just a beautiful sappy love story (the best kind). The cast is small, the plot twists unreasonable but still enchanting, and the effect, in the end, is tightly wound.

While you might think the murder is the central premise (and it's key, for sure), or the sailor's blackout is the main event (and it isn't, really), you will eventually see it's the sailor himself, his utter innocence, that is both the core of the film and the driving force. This is the Odets part of the writing, character driven, and the sailor, through some effect of drinking we assume, has had a brief blackout, and he comes to his senses on the streets of New York with a lot of cash in his pocket. He's troubled, but we sympathize. Then a woman he was with is found dead. Still, this sailor is such the definition of innocence, there's no doubt--almost no doubt--that someone else did it. But who? And how can he defend himself?

Enter Susan Hayward, playing at first a kind of professional dance companion (the innocent side of prostitution, and a good match for our man). After work, she wants to help him because he's so clearly a good person, and then a cabbie strangely gets involved, too, sucked into the idea that justice will go wrong if the real killer can't be found. The dead woman had a couple of unsavory friends, and these two get into the plot in stages, and what we end up with is half a dozen clearly defined people all fighting for some small piece of personal clarity and internal well being.

It helps that all the actors are first rate small time contributors (Hayward is the one star, and is terrific). It also helps that the whole scenario is limited in time and space, so we get to feel like we are there, in New York, in this small neighborhood at night. It's great stuff on that level alone. The director? It's his one and only film. But the cinematographer was an old pro at the peak of his career, Nicholas Musuraca, who did a whole slew of noirs and dramas, some worth seeing just for the photography ("Spiral Staircase" comes to mind, but see the IMDb list). So whatever the small time credentials of much of the cast, there is some seriousness here that won't let go.

If the plot is a little preposterous, it's only because it's trying to package things too neatly. The writing is first rate, beyond plot structure, with some classic quotable lines that are either film noir staples or philosophical nuggets (the latter from the cabby, in particular). A film that would reward a second viewing just for the details of dialog and camera-work.

Call Me June It Rhymes with Moon

[drednm · 3 November 2007]

Terrific performances by many actors make this 1946 noir a joy to watch. Nifty murder mystery directed by Harold Clurman and written by Clifford Odets. As mentioned elsewhere on this board the dialog is wondrous; you never know what anyone will say, and everyone seems to "wax philosophic" throughout the film.

The action follows a murder of a woman and how it involves a sailor on leave, a dance-hall girl, and a taxi driver. The story takes place on a sweltering New York night in the early hours. The sailor must catch a 6 AM bus, so there's the "deadline at dawn." As the protagonists track down clues, they run across a bizarre collection of shady types, and everyone seems to to capable of murder, especially of this particular woman.

Susan Hayward gives a stunning performance as June. She starts out as a wisecracking and downhearted taxi dancer who resists getting involved but can't help herself since the sailor (Bill Williams) seems so innocent and naive. She calls him Boob McNutt. As they race around the city tracking down clues (this city never sleeps) they meet a world-weary taxi driver (Paul Lukas) who helps out. All three stars give amazing performances here.

Supporting players are also a knockout with Lola Lane terrific as the victim, Joseph Calleia as her creepy brother, Osa Masson (with a limp), and Marvin Miller, Jerone Cowan, Constance Worth, Al Bridge, Steven Geray, Joseph Crehan and others all solid.

Odets' writing is excellent even if all the characters seem to talk in the same poetic language. But it becomes mesmerizing as the characters seek the truth and talk. It seems that everyone is city wise but a poet at heart.

Hayward looks great with her hair pinned up (it's a sultry night) with bobby pins. She wears little makeup. Williams is also wonderful as the sailor who's not quite as dumb as he seems. Lukas is also solid as the surprising taxi driver.

Great film noir with touches of poetry and humor. What more could you want?

A Manhattan Murder Mystery

[seymourblack-1 · 7/10 · 21 October 2014]

Many of the standard film noir components are blended together brilliantly in "Deadline At Dawn" to create a murder mystery that features a culprit whose identity, when revealed, is a genuine surprise. As its title suggests, the plot involves a race against time which adds tension and intensity as an innocent fall guy tries to prove that he's not a killer. Numerous twists, dead ends and colourful characters complicate the search for the real murderer and the dark city streets in which much of the action takes place, seem to carry a threat all of their own.

When on-leave sailor Alex Winkley (Bill Williams) wakes up in a New York City newsstand with a hangover and $1,400 in his pocket, he struggles to remember what happened before he blacked out. Gradually, he recalls losing all his money in a fixed card game and a woman who invited him to her apartment to fix her radio. As she refused to pay him for restoring her radio to working order, Alex comes to the conclusion that he must have stolen the money from her apartment to cover his losses.

In his confused state, Alex goes to a nearby dance-hall where he meets a taxi-dancer called June (Susan Hayward) who later takes him back to her place for sandwiches and listens when he tells her about the guilt he feels about not being able to remember how the $1,400 came into his possession. June advises him to take the money back to the apartment and agrees to go with him. When they go there, they find that Edna Bartelli (Lola Lane) has been strangled to death and Alex becomes anxious because he can't remember whether or not he killed her and also becomes convinced that the police will obviously regard him as the prime suspect.

June, whose life and work in the city has made her very cynical, feels some sympathy for Alex and finding his exceptional naiveté rather refreshing, decides to help him in his search for the real killer. Together, throughout a long hot night, they follow up whatever leads they can find with increasing desperation as they're also sharply aware that they only have until 6.00 a.m. to complete their investigation because, at that time, Alex has to catch his bus to report back to his base in Norfolk, Virginia.

"Deadline At Dawn" packs a lot into its 83 minutes and features a series of interesting characters. Alex and June are helped in their endeavours by a good natured cab driver, Gus Hoffman (Paul Lukas) who puts his cab at their disposal and shares his thoughts on life with them. Edna Bartelli turns out to be a woman with many enemies because she and her gangster husband, Val (Joseph Calleia) ran a blackmail scheme with many victims. Three of these victims, a blonde woman with a limp, a mystery woman with a gun who enters the Bartelli apartment to recover some letters and a Broadway producer who's a business associate of Val Bartelli, all become obvious suspects as does Edna's ex-husband, Sleepy Parsons (Marvin Miller).

The main strengths of this movie are its plot, which is based on a Cornell Woolrich (aka William Irish) novel, its array of well-drawn characters and Nicholas Musuraca's cinematography which contributes so much to the wonderful look and powerful atmosphere of the piece. In addition, a whole series of strong performances, especially from Susan Hayward, Paul Lukas and Joseph Calleia make this an enjoyable thriller that remains totally gripping throughout.

It's That Dialogue That Grabs You

[Bucs1960 · 7/10 · 1 November 2007]

This is one strange little film. If anybody but Odets had supplied the dialogue it would have just been another bottom of the double bill movie. Do people talk that way?.......well, probably but we are so used to "movie talk" that initially it seems forced. As the film progresses, you realize that this indeed is the language of the city and who better to say lines like "I hear the bell ringing" than Susan Hayward. She was just on the brink of stardom and was already coming across as the tough dame who was vulnerable if you pushed the right buttons. Nobody did it better.

Her relationship with Bill Williams strains credibility. He moves through his role as the confused sailor as if he was mentally challenged. Williams never made it big but appeared in supporting roles in countless films and on television.At least he married Perry Mason's secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale) so he couldn't be all bad.

Paul Lukas, looking particularly haggard, has a good role as the taxi driver with a secret and there are a number of excellent actors in secondary roles. My favorite supporting actor,Joseph Calleia, does his usual slimy but debonair crook with panache and there are appearances from Marvin Miller(as the blind ex-husband), Jerome Cowan(as a less than likable producer) and Lola Lane(as a blackmailing good time girl who soon becomes the raison d'etre for all the scurrying around by the principals).

This is a film that you either like or hate and it may take a couple of viewings to fall under its spell. Listen to that dialogue......quirky and slangy.....it will grab you every time.

this place is like the post office - full of second class matter

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 23 July 2015]

A decent story based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich, good performances, and snappy dialogue by Clifford Odets elevate "Deadline at Dawn" from 1946. A small film, clocking in at 83 minutes, it packs in a lot of drama.

The film begins with a blind man (Marvin Miller, Mr. Anthony from "The Millionaire") visiting a young woman and demanding $1400 that he is owed. Next thing you know, she's dead.

A young sailor on leave, Alex, (Bill Williams) sobers up after a blackout and sees that he has a lot of money that belonged to one Edna Bartelli (Lola Lane), a girl who invited him to her home to "fix her radio."

Alex has the radio, and at a dime a dance place, he asks for help from June Goth (Susan Hayward) to help him return it. When they get to Edna's, she's dead. Alex is afraid that he did it, but he can't remember.

His leave ends in four hours, so that's all they have to find out what happened. They team up with a friendly cab driver (Paul Lukas). In their investigation, they meet a bunch of low-lifes and it becomes apparent that Edna had a few enemies.

Both Hayward and Williams give delightful performances. Hayward vacillates from the tough girl she is at the dance hall and softness as she gets to know Alex. Williams, who was TV's Kit Carson is the dad of actor William Katt ("Greatest American Hero") and the husband of Perry Mason's Barbara Hale.

True to its New York City wee small hours of the morning scenario, the film is peppered with various actors, each with his or her own story: Joseph Calleia, Osa Massen, Stephen Geray, Roman Bohen, and Constance Worth.

Harold Clurman, a theater director, directed this with an excellent idea of what it's like to be in New York City in the summer - hot, and the weirdos who come out at night.

Very entertaining, though probably too ambitious given the budget and time frame. The ending is a little convoluted.

Terrific performances, amusing Odetsian dialogue

[luciferjohnson · 9/10 · 7 February 2000]

The real star of this underappreciated noir is Clifford Odets' dialogue, which you either love or you hate. I love it. Really terrific performances, and even the bit players are memorable. Look for Group Theater vet Roman Bohnen in a tiny role as the building janitor with a dead cat-- "she could practically speak." Or Jerome Cowan, a B-movie actor in a zillion Forties flicks, wonderfully slimy as a Broadway producer. Filmed on a backlot, but it seethes New York more than most location movies.

Fresh From The Farm

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 8 March 2011]

The biggest thing that Deadline At Dawn has going for it is the snappy dialog by one of the best word-smith's around at the time in Clifford Odets. It really crackles, especially what comes from Susan Hayward's mouth. What prevents it from being top rated noir is the rather unbelievable character of Bill Williams, the green kid sailor from Poughkeepsie.

Williams gets himself too much of a snootful of booze and ends up in Lola Lane's apartment with her quite dead. She asked him to 'fix her radio' just like guys ask women to 'see their etchings'. He also has $1400.00 in cash in his pocket and hasn't a clue how that got there either because he was in a poker game with Lane's brother Joseph Calleia, a most crooked gambler.

Fortunately for Williams he meets up with a cynical Susan Hayward who sees something in Williams, a naiveté she's not used to in the big city. She helps him investigate Lane's murder and before the cops are called in, they've got an interesting assortment of suspects.

The Deadline At Dawn refers to the fact that poor Williams has to get back to his ship by dawn else he be declared AWOL. At times that seemed to worry him more than the fact he's in a nice little jackpot.

Deadline At Dawn has a great cast and some great writing. But try as I might I couldn't get convinced about the character of Williams. Nobody could be that naive.

One of the Best - and Unfortunately Forgotten - of the Film Noir Genre

[Kirasjeri · 9/10 · 11 September 1999]

It is a shame that this is an all but forgotten example of Film Noir. Hopefully it will make a comeback. A sailor has apparently killed someone and has until dawn to find the real killer. Bill Williams, sort of a poor man's Lloyd Bridges, is serviceable as the sailor. But stealing the entire film and dominating the plot is a wonderful Susan Hayward, who somehow manages to be beautiful, sexy, and tough as nails as she in effect plays a hard-bitten private detective tracking down the truth. I would have loved to have seen Hayward, as a female, play one of those 1940's private eyes, or try her hand at the Stanwyck role in "Double Indemnity". But she's good enough here. If you spot this movie, SEE it. Hayward makes a good movie even better.

Involving Murder Mystery.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 5 August 2010]

This keeps getting itself referred to as a film noir. It's part of a boxed set, "Film Noir Collection Number Five." But I don't know exactly what's "noir" about it. Yes, it takes place at night, it's in black and white, there's a murder, cops, gangsters -- but that's Charlie Chan territory too. At the least, in a film noir, I expect an air of resigned despair, a femme fatale, and some expressionist imagery, none of which is apparent here.

Bill Williams is an RM2 in the Navy, a second-class petty officer with a rating of radioman. Now this is a demanding rank and rating. Only the best, the brightest, the most industrious and committed survive the grueling training program. I know this because I was one of them.

Anyway -- oh, yes, Bill Williams awakes in New York from a drink-induced blackout to find that he has a wad of money stuffed into his wallet. He runs into an unhappy dance hall girl and innocently tells her about this other woman, whose apartment he was in, and that's all he remembers. It must be her money so he wants to return it.

Despite her sour attitude towards life, the dance hall girl, Susan Hayward, decides to accompany him when he returns the money, but when they enter the apartment they find the young woman strangled. Paul Lukas, a philosophical cab driver, stumbles into the plot and offers to help. They can't call the police because, for all Bill Williams knows, he's guilty of the woman's murder, so they try to track down the real killer.

And here Cornell Woolrich's pulp plot follows the usual trajectory. They track down various people who knew the victim, or might have known her. There are a lot of red herrings. The sailor, the dance hall girl, and the cabbie are all over New York. It's the middle of the night and still everybody of interest is wide awake and fully dressed. Improbable. It reminded me of "Crime and Punishment", a novel in which everyone of all social stations seemed to know EVERYONE ELSE in Petersberg, as if the city had a population of only a few hundred.

In any case, it's an interesting story. We know that ONE of these diverse characters must have killed the icy babe -- but which one? The ending falls completely apart as the murder and his motive pop up out of nowhere like a stage magician appearing in a puff of smoke. Woolrich was a hard-boiled writer but writing under deadlines can produce slapdash structure.

What the movie DOES have is a couple of good performances. Bill Williams is a little old for his part and he doesn't look like the "innocent kid" he's supposed to be, but he gives a fine impression of being both dazed and naive. Susan Hayward is professional, and cute too.

Maybe the most enjoyable element of the film is Clifford Odet's screenplay. It's filled with tag lines. He couldn't help himself.

"Now, wait a minute, let's pause for station identification." And, "This is New York, where hello means good-bye." And, "Was that your last dollar? Busticated?" And, "If you hear a noise, it's my skin creeping." And, "Remember, speech was given to man to hide his thoughts." Some of the lines could have come from Woolrich's novel but, really, he wasn't given to grace notes.

Two minor points. Bill Williams' blouse is tailored. And the most prominent purveyor of orange drinks in New York was Nedick's, which has here been changed to Redick's.

Quirky, but I liked it

[rstoer · 8/10 · 1 August 2006]

This is a strange little movie, which I'm sure is primarily due to Clifford Odets bizarre screenplay, but I freely admit that I really enjoyed it! The plot is somewhat convoluted (although not as hard to follow as some make out) and the ending is a little 'feel good' for a noir but Odets' dialog is what will bring you into it - or push you out. I still can't figure if the way his characters speak is closer to real life than 'regular' movie dialog, or nothing at all like anyone speaks; it somehow manages to be a little of both. One thing for sure is this is not how people normally speak in movies. Strong performances by Susan Hayward and Paul Lukas contribute to the fun; and that's what I found it to be. You've got likable characters, clever dialog, a mystery to solve before dawn, and Susan Hayward looking as good as I can remember. What else do you need?

A bit dull and talky.

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 7 September 2020]

Sailor Alex Winkler (Bill Williams) discovers that the woman he argued with hours earlier has been murdered, making him a prime suspect. It's already late in the evening, and he only has until 6 AM to find the real culprit, as he has to catch a train to make it to his ship on time. Alex finds unlikely allies in a world-weary dancehall girl (Susan Hayward) and an immigrant taxi driver (Paul Lukas).

With a script by Clifford Odets, based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich, this a decent mystery with some noir trappings that's ultimately undone by a fatal flaw. The acting is good, and all of the characters are interesting and fully drawn. Williams, Lukas, Calleia, and even Hayward are all performers of somewhat limited range who work best within certain constraints, as is the case here, where none hit a false note. The direction and cinematography aren't very memorable or moody, but things move at a good pace. The fatal flaw I mentioned earlier is one that I won't go into as it's a major spoiler.. Suffice it to say that this revelation makes much of the earlier film ludicrous to such an extent as to almost render the whole thing a bust.

Good dialogues and details.

[espumoso55-1 · 5/10 · 5 November 2010]

I have watched this movie recently. The movie has interesting assets: good performance by the whole cast, specially Susan Hayward and Paul Lukas; some brilliant dialogue moments (the rhyming of June and moon, the descriptions of New Yorkers and their life style or "somebody's father has to be a mortician"); surprising characters like the cabby who takes Hayward on the first ride to lamed blonde's house. Photography is excellent, really good. A special moment is the start of the movie (a fly annoying the sleepy drunk woman or the walk of Hayward and Williams in front of the police station when approaching to the murdered woman's apartment and many more)

Naiveness of the characters is purposely planned, of course. However, one thing is to use it as a resource to show other concepts (honesty, frustrations, wickedness and so on) and another matter is the overuse of naiveness. Whoever appears in the film, introduces him/herself with first and second name and even profession in some cases, being a corpse in the middle. They rely all on all with not much sense.

The end of the question "who killed the woman?" is unraveled in a really forced way. It's a surprise, but after putting on stage "artificially" the married couple that, intuitively was chased by Hayward. Some more effort to make a more solid plot would have been appreciated. Too much intuition for everything.

The film is too naive so as to be considered an unrated film-noir. It is even too naive so as to consider it a film-noir.

I insist, anyway, that it is not a bad movie at all. It's enjoyable to watch the performance and all the things I told at the start, but the script, although it has remarkable moments, makes the result unbalanced due to a lack plot consistency and too many coincidences.

A fine, fast firecracker of a film noir

[billwisser · 27 April 2002]

Explosive lighting by cinematographer Nick Murasaca; a twisty, turning plot by mystery writer Cornell Woolrich; literate dialogue with heart from playwright Clifford Odets; and an estimable ensemble cast of fine character actors, plus a young, beautiful, and surprisingly effective Susan Hayward -- it all adds up to make this a little film noir gem.

It's a very New York piece, though it's also an example of RKO Pictures at its Hollywood best. And yet, for a film noir, there's a surprising sweetness, a current of innocence personified by the sailor boy accused of murder in a nocturnal urban jungle of violence, betrayal and corruption.

Highly recommended.

Very Enjoyable 1946 Classic

[whpratt1 · 7/10 · 9 June 2008]

In this film Susan Hayward, (June Goth) plays the role of a gal who meets up with a young sailor named Alex Winkley, (Bill Williams) who got himself involved with a lady of the night who was also a blackmailer and the sister of a mobster. Alex drinks too much and has a lapse of memory in the apartment of the woman and he wakes up and finds a large sum of money in his pocket. Alex pours his heart out to June Goth who tells him to return the money to this lady, Alex proceeds to do so and finds that this gal has been murdered and June feels sorry for him because she believes he did not commit this crime. The story becomes complicated as a cab driver named Gus Hoffman, (Paul Lukas) decides to help Alex and June out of this situation. You will never be able to figure out just how this film will end. Great film to view and enjoy.

People with wax heads should keep out of the sun!

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 16 February 2020]

Deadline at Dawn is directed by Harold Clurman and adapted to screenplay by Clifford Odets from the novel written by Cornell Woolrich. It stars Susan Hayward, Paul Lukas, Bill Williams, Joseph Calleia, Osa Masson and Lola Lane. Music is by Hans Eisler and cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca.

Sailor Alex Winkley (Williams) wakes up with hangover amnesia to find he has a wad of cash on his person that he didn't have before his drunken exploits. Enlisting the help of dancer June Goth (Hayward), he retraces his steps to the home of the nightclub hostess who had befriended him the night before. Finding the woman dead, Alex doesn't know if he murdered and robbed her? So with the clock ticking, Alex and his friend have to find out what happened...

"She's a blitzkrieg with hair on her head"

Amnesia formed the backbone of many a good film noir picture, here we have a familiar theme brought about by a simple social occurrence, that of a drunken night. This sets us up for a mystery to be solved as our protagonists trawl through a backlot produced night time New York that's awash with a whole array of damaged or menacing characters.

The dialogue is often sharp, where we get plenty of choice one liners and superb philosophical musings from Lukas' taxi driver who has joined the fight to prove Alex's innocence (in fact all the cabbies in this are real cool). This was Clurman's only big screen directing assignment, and in truth it's just a passable job and he's saved by strong turns from Hayward and Lukas. However, there's a nifty noir world painted and the pic constantly holds interest value. 7/10

By dawn's murderous light

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 14 January 2020]

'Deadline at Dawn' sounded like my kind of film, being a long-term fan of mystery and of film-noir. Of which there are many greats around. The idea of the story sounded really intriguing and Susan Hayward was always worth watching. The more mixed reviews were less promising, with much-respected reviewers not caring that much for 'Deadline at Dawn' and finding it and its story too ridiculous to enjoy or find enough value in it.

Am going to side more with those that did find a lot to like about 'Deadline at Dawn' and quite liked if not loved it. Such as the production values, script and acting, which were more than good and actually in my view closer to being fabulous. While acknowledging of course that the film is a long way from being flawless. Namely the story's second half, which was rather messy. All this will be summed up in the below paragraphs of the review.

Will start with what 'Deadline at Dawn' does well in. It looks terrific, was really quite captivated by the atmosphere-laden photography. There is a genuinely noir-ish look to the lighting, especially in the first act. The music enhances the unsettlement without over-egging it. Another big strength is the script, which is remarkably clever and erudite, Paul Lukas' dialogue not sounding too flowery.

The film starts off very well, the first act is both entertaining and unsettling, with a genuine creepiness at the start. It never feels dull and although the characters are not particularly fleshed out so to speak, surprisingly to me they were still worth caring for. Some inexperience does show in the direction occasionally, some of the action could have been opened up a little more, but for a first and only time as a film credit (being a big influence on Broadway) it's pretty accomplished. The cast do a great job, Hayward giving a sterling performance in particular.

It is a shame though that 'Deadline at Dawn's' second half isn't as good. It is watchable sure, thanks to the visuals and performances, but primarily there could have been much more suspense and the pace actually could have been a little less busy.

More of a problem is that it does get ridiculous to the point of improbability, with it also being too heavy on coincidences. The ending comes far too suddenly and while it is an unpredictable one it is also truly preposterous.

Concluding, pretty good but could have been great if the second half was better. 7/10

Get Me to the Killer on Time

[evanston_dad · 8/10 · 26 August 2010]

This modest film noir is flat-out crazy and a tremendous amount of fun.

Bill Williams plays a sailor on leave who follows a floozy back to her room, passes out and then finds upon waking that the floozy is dead and can't remember what if anything he had to do with it. He's got to catch a boat (or is it train?) at dawn, and is afraid he'll be implicated in the murder if he doesn't find the true killer before then. He teams up with a dance hall hostess (Susan Hayward) and, before the evening's out, a cab driver (Paul Lukas) and sets out into the New York midnight to solve the crime.

The screenplay doesn't make a lick of sense, and my wife and I found ourselves actually laughing at the preposterous developments and turns in the story. It's hilarious how committed these three people are to solving this crime despite the fact that there's absolutely nothing attaching the sailor to it, and how easy a time they have following up on clues in as huge a city as NY despite the fact that the clues are things like "he was wearing a tuxedo" and "she had blonde hair." A plot twist at the movie's end, when the real killer is revealed, is right up there with the best of them. Oscar winner Paul Lukas brings much more acting ability to his performance than his role requires, and Susan Hayward is absolutely riveting. This was my first and so far only exposure to this acclaimed actress, and I look forward to many more.

What a blast this movie is!

Grade: A-

Plods occasionally but has great dialogue

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 13 March 2015]

DEADLINE AT DAWN is a low budget attempt by RKO Pictures to cash in on the popular film noir genre, featuring a 'wronged man' style plot line that Hitchcock himself would be proud of. The tale begins with a wealthy woman murdered; when a sailor wakes from a drunken stupor with her money and no recollection of preceding events, he thinks he's responsible.

He joins up with a pretty dancer and together the pair must solve the murder by dawn. Over the course of a single night they come into contact with many bizarre and off-beat characters, most of whom are fond of spouting some amusing dialogue; the script is definitely the best thing about this.

The performances are also pretty decent, with Susan Hayward particularly excelling as the investigative heroine. Bill Williams is likable as the hard-headed sailor, but the real scene stealer is Paul Lukas as the friendly taxi driver who assists the couple in their investigations. The triple twist ending has to be seen to be believed.

Interesting murder mystery with young and lovely Susan Hayward

[mgmstar128 · 9/10 · 9 July 2008]

I have watched this film twice, and each time I was spellbound. It's a nice, tight little murder mystery that keeps your interest throughout the picture.

I watched this film being a Susan Hayward fan, and if you like her, you won't be disappointed. She plays a tough broad with a heart of gold underneath her city hardened exterior. However, the film stands on its own with solid performances, a surprise ending, a nice feel for Manhattan, some interesting dialogue, and an interesting plot.

According to the trivia posted, Bill Williams, the sailor, in real life was the father of William Katt, the star of the 1980's TV show "The Greatest American Hero" and also of the 1981 video stage version of "Pippin" with Martha Raye. I wondered who Bill was since he was not a well remembered name for audiences today.

It's worth watching, especially since you get a feel for the 1940's era with patriotic sailors, dance halls, nightclubs, and denizens of the long forgotten decade.

"If you hear a peculiar noise, it's my skin creeping."

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 12 February 2023]

Clifford Odets scripted this enjoyably convoluted murder mystery from a novel by William Irish (a.k.a. Cornell Woolrich). It keeps introducing more and more characters, enough of whom had the motivation to want the murder victim dead. The main character is Alex Winkler (Bill Williams), a sailor who'd met this unsympathetic woman earlier in the night. When he realizes that she's dead, he has to spend an eventful couple of hours investigating the victim and the crime in order to clear himself. He has to accomplish this before six AM, which is when his bus leaves NYC.

This is actually good fun, although it does take a while to grab hold, and the whole story becomes a little more clear. It gets most of its juice from the rich variety of characters involved, with Paul Lukas standing out as philosophical cabbie Gus Hoffman, who decides to stick around and help Alex. It's Lukas who gets to utter some of the best dialogue. Also lending valuable assistance is dance hall girl June Goffe (the lovely Susan Hayward, in her first instance of top billing), who at first is reluctant but feels compelled to help just because Alex so completely conveys true innocence.

The first-rate cast also includes Joseph Calleia as the victims' brother (a hot-headed gangster), a hilariously weaselly Jerome Cowan, Lola Lane as the cold-hearted victim, Osa Massen and Phil Warren as an unhappy married couple, Marvin Miller as Lanes' blind, piano-playing ex-husband, and Joe Sawyer as a drunken former ballplayer (inspired by Hack Wilson).

"Deadline at Dawn" is consistently amusing and well-paced enough so you don't spend too much time scrutinizing the plot. It also benefits from solid atmosphere and capable direction (the official credit goes to theater director Harold Clurman, making his only feature film, although master visual stylist William Cameron Menzies was also involved, albeit unbilled).

This fairly snappy film benefits strongly from having a plot taking place in the wee hours of the morning.

Seven out of 10.

As Many Quotable Lines as Off-Beat Characters

[LeonLouisRicci · 9/10 · 14 June 2015]

As Left-Leaning as Hollywood Could get at the Time, it is Clifford Odets' Bouncy, Philosophical Dialog that Peppers this Picture with almost Every Line from Every Character Poetic Street Stuff that Keeps this Interesting among the many Characters and Intricate Plot.

From a Novel by Cornell Woolrich (aka William Irish) the Pulpish Writer had much Success in the Middle-Brow World of Heavily Written Murder Mysteries, Hollywood took Notice and made His Novels into many Movies.

This Film-Noir has all the Ingredients that make for a Recipe of Off Center Entertainment. It's Screenplay reminds of a Stage Play and is excessively Talky, but always Interesting. Susan Hayward gets most of the Acting Praise, but She is hardly much Better than the Stellar Cast of Paul Lukas and a host of Others.

There are Amnesia, Blackmail, Murder, Red Herrings Galore, Deep Cynicism, and Shadowy Photography from Nicholas Muscara. It's a Web of Nighttime doings in the Big Apple. The Ending Reveals are Abrupt, Stunning, and Reflective.

Overall, a Must See for Fans of Film-Noir, Susan Hayward, Clifford Odets and General Murder-Mystery Aficionados. A Superb and Dark Display of Regular People Caught Up in the Pain of Life. "Die and there is no trouble. Live and You struggle.", is only One of the Many Quotables.

Shore Leave.

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 13 November 2013]

Bill Williams plays Alex Winkley, a sailor on leave who awakens from a drunken blackout to find a large sum of money on his person, which he believes belongs to a young woman named Edna(played by Lola Lane) whom he had helped the night before. Sadly, he finds her dead, and is unsure if he's guilty or not, but is helped by a dance hall girl(played by Susan Hayward) and a friendly taxi driver(played by Paul Lukas) to solve the mystery, which has many suspects, and he only has four more hours until he has to report back to his ship, or be AWOL. OK film noir has likable performances which compensate for the complicated mystery which ends up having a semi-surprising resolution.

Another all-nighter in the city that never sleeps.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 17 November 2011]

The police have no qualms about knocking on someone's door just before dawn cracks in this post-war film noir which uses temporary amnesia to make a sailor (Bill Williams) wonder if he killed a nasty blackmailer (Lola Lane, far from the nice swinging on gates gal of "Four Daughters"). An exhausted taxi dancer (Susan Hayward) is perky enough after fighting off a masher to invite Williams over for corned beef, and gets more than he bargained for.

It turns out that the victim was nastier than Williams thought, and with the help of a cab driver (Paul Lukas), the trio begins their own investigation, which must turn up a killer by 6 AM when Williams is scheduled to catch a bus back to his base. This fast-moving entry in the new genre of darkly lit crime dramas popular after 1944 features interesting characters, a gritty use of New York City nightlife and sleaze, but some of the details just don't seem right. Yet, there are various comments about late life in New York that seem to ring true today. All of the actors are fine, both sleazy and decent, and the film is overall a lot of fun to watch. Certain aspects of the screenplay seem far-fetched, and the conclusion also seems a bit forced, as well as predictable.