Two O'Clock Courage
Encyclopedia
Two O'Clock Courage is an American
film noir
directed by Anthony Mann
and written by Robert E. Kent, based on story written by Gelett Burgess
. The drama features Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford.
), accused of murder searches for the truth with the help of cabbie Patty Mitchell (Ann Rutherford
).
(1936). In this film Stoloff goes from director to producer. Mann has added a great deal of comedy relief through use of his spirited supporting cast, that was not present in the original. Two O'Clock Courage follows in the vaunted tradition of 1930s whodunits. The film is photographed in a conventional style and lacks the overall grace the great cinematographer John Alton
would give Mann's later more sophisticated 1940s film noirs."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
directed by Anthony Mann
Anthony Mann
Anthony Mann was an American actor and film director, most notably of film noirs and Westerns. As a director, he often collaborated with the cinematographer John Alton and with James Stewart in his Westerns.-Biography:...
and written by Robert E. Kent, based on story written by Gelett Burgess
Gelett Burgess
Frank Gelett Burgess was an artist, art critic, poet, author and humorist. An important figure in the San Francisco Bay Area literary renaissance of the 1890s, particularly through his iconoclastic little magazine, The Lark, he is best known as a writer of nonsense verse...
. The drama features Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford.
Plot
An amnesiac, 'Step' Allison (Tom ConwayTom Conway
Tom Conway was a British film and radio actor, and elder brother of actor George Sanders.-Early life:...
), accused of murder searches for the truth with the help of cabbie Patty Mitchell (Ann Rutherford
Ann Rutherford
Ann Rutherford is a Canadian-American actress in film, radio, and television. She has had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict on the big screen of the 1930s and 1940s in the Andy Hardy series, and on The Bob Newhart Show as Newhart's character's...
).
Cast
- Tom ConwayTom ConwayTom Conway was a British film and radio actor, and elder brother of actor George Sanders.-Early life:...
as The Man, Ted 'Step' Allison - Ann RutherfordAnn RutherfordAnn Rutherford is a Canadian-American actress in film, radio, and television. She has had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict on the big screen of the 1930s and 1940s in the Andy Hardy series, and on The Bob Newhart Show as Newhart's character's...
as Patty Mitchell - Richard LaneDick Lane (TV announcer)Richard Lane , more commonly known as Dick Lane, was an American television announcer and actor who made his mark broadcasting wrestling and roller derby shows on KTLA-TV, mainly from the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.-Early years:Lane was born in 1899 in Rice Lake, Wisconsin...
as Al Haley - Lester MatthewsLester MatthewsLester Matthews was an English actor born in Nottingham, England, UK. In his career, he made more than 180 appearances in film and on television. He was on occasion erroneously credited as Lester Mathews and especially in later years was sometimes known as Les Matthews. He died on the 6 June 1975...
as Mark Evans - Roland DrewRoland DrewRoland Drew or Walter Goss was an American actor, primarily worked in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. He would later retire from acting and became a dressmaker.Drew was born in Elmhurst, New York and died Santa Monica, California....
as Steve Maitland - Emory ParnellEmory ParnellEmory Parnell was an American vaudevillian and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36 year career...
as Insp. Bill Brenner - Jane GreerJane GreerJane Greer was a film and television actress who was perhaps best known for her role as femme fatale Kathie Moffat in the 1947 film noir Out of the Past.-Career:...
as Helen Carter - Jean BrooksJean BrooksJean Brooks born Ruby M. Kelly was an American film actress who appeared in over 30 films. She was raised in both New York City and Costa Rica, and was fluent in both English and Spanish. She never achieved major stardom in Hollywood, though she landed a number of prominent roles in the early 1940s...
as Barbara Borden
Critical reception
Film critic Dennis Schwartz gave the film a mixed review: "A so-so B-movie murder mystery directed by the future esteemed filmmaker Anthony Mann.... Two O'Clock Courage is a remake of Benjamin Stoloff's Two in the DarkTwo in the Dark
Two in the Dark is a 1936 mystery film starring Walter Abel, Margot Grahame, Wallace Ford, Gail Patrick, and Alan Hale. The movie, about an amnesiac suspected of murder, was directed by Benjamin Stoloff....
(1936). In this film Stoloff goes from director to producer. Mann has added a great deal of comedy relief through use of his spirited supporting cast, that was not present in the original. Two O'Clock Courage follows in the vaunted tradition of 1930s whodunits. The film is photographed in a conventional style and lacks the overall grace the great cinematographer John Alton
John Alton
John Alton A.S.C. , born Johann Altmann, in Sopron/Ödenburg, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary, was an American cinematographer...
would give Mann's later more sophisticated 1940s film noirs."
External links
- Two O'Clock Courage trailer at TCM Video