Night Editor
Encyclopedia
Night Editor is a B-movie
film noir
directed by Henry Levin
and based on a popular radio program of the same name. The script for the film was based on a previous radio program episode "Inside Story."
The movie was to be the first in a series of films featuring stories about the graveyard-shift police beat reporters at fictional newspaper, the New York Star, but no other Night Editor films were made.
In flashback, the editor tells the tale of police lieutenant Tony Cochrane (William Gargan
), a family man who cheats on his wife with socialite femme fatale Jill Merrill (Janis Carter
). Cochrane and the woman, who is also cheating on her husband, witness a man bludgeoning his girlfriend to death with a tire iron while the couple is parked at "lovers lane" by the beach.
The two can't report the crime without revealing their cheating, a dilemma which eventually leads to bigger troubles. Meanwhile, Cochrane must investigate the killing but is not able to tell anyone he witnessed the crime.
Sponsored by Edwards Coffee, this featured Hal Burdick as the "night editor." Hal Burdick would receive readers’ requests for stories, in a "letter to the editor" format, which would tell on the program. Burdick played all characters in the program. The stories varied greatly including tales of war, adventure, crime, and an occasional ghost story.)
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
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 Henry Levin
Henry Levin
Henry Levin began as a stage actor and director but was most notable as an American film director of over fifty feature films. He broke into film in 1943 as a dialogue director for the films Dangerous Blondes and Appointment in Berlin for Columbia Pictures...
and based on a popular radio program of the same name. The script for the film was based on a previous radio program episode "Inside Story."
The movie was to be the first in a series of films featuring stories about the graveyard-shift police beat reporters at fictional newspaper, the New York Star, but no other Night Editor films were made.
Plot
Crane Stewart (Charles D. Brown), the editor of the New York Star, while playing poker with his friends, tells a story about a cop involved in a murder investigation.In flashback, the editor tells the tale of police lieutenant Tony Cochrane (William Gargan
William Gargan
William Gargan, born William Dennis Gargan July 17, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York, USA and died February 17, 1979 aged 73 on a flight between New York and San Diego.He was an American motion picture, television and radio actor...
), a family man who cheats on his wife with socialite femme fatale Jill Merrill (Janis Carter
Janis Carter
Janis Carter was a film and television actress working in the 1940s and 1950s.After attending Mather College in Cleveland, Ohio, Carter headed to New York in an attempt to start an opera career. Although unsuccessful in opera, she was working on Broadway where she was spotted on stage by Darryl F...
). Cochrane and the woman, who is also cheating on her husband, witness a man bludgeoning his girlfriend to death with a tire iron while the couple is parked at "lovers lane" by the beach.
The two can't report the crime without revealing their cheating, a dilemma which eventually leads to bigger troubles. Meanwhile, Cochrane must investigate the killing but is not able to tell anyone he witnessed the crime.
Cast
- William GarganWilliam GarganWilliam Gargan, born William Dennis Gargan July 17, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York, USA and died February 17, 1979 aged 73 on a flight between New York and San Diego.He was an American motion picture, television and radio actor...
as Tony Cochrane - Janis CarterJanis CarterJanis Carter was a film and television actress working in the 1940s and 1950s.After attending Mather College in Cleveland, Ohio, Carter headed to New York in an attempt to start an opera career. Although unsuccessful in opera, she was working on Broadway where she was spotted on stage by Darryl F...
as Jill Merrill - Jeff DonnellJeff DonnellJeff Donnell was an American film and television actress. Born Jean Marie Donnell, she grew up in South Windham, Maine...
as Martha Cochrane - Coulter Irwin as Johnny
- Charles D. Brown as Crane Stewart
- Paul E. Burns as Ole Strom
- Harry Shannon as Capt. Lawrence
- Frank Wilcox as Douglas Loring
- Robert Kellard as "Doc" Cochrane
Radio program
The radio program the film was based upon ran from 1934 until 1948.Sponsored by Edwards Coffee, this featured Hal Burdick as the "night editor." Hal Burdick would receive readers’ requests for stories, in a "letter to the editor" format, which would tell on the program. Burdick played all characters in the program. The stories varied greatly including tales of war, adventure, crime, and an occasional ghost story.)
External links
- Night Editor titles and opening scene at You Tube