No need to recap the plot.The opening scenes suggest this will be a tough-minded buddy picture, with the great Eddie O'Brien and a good-natured Mark Stevens playing the two prowl car cops. Fortunately, this buddy part is convincing. Add some jarring action scenes from much underrated Director Gordon Douglas, and there's considerable to recommend. Trouble is the later romantic parts shift the mood into none-to-convincing light-hearted comedy. To me, the shifts are noticeable, weakening the movie as a whole. Plus, I'm inclined to think Gale Storm is miscast as a police dispatcher, much too malt shop and glowing. Maybe it's the My Little Margie factor, for which she was perfect. Nonetheless, there are a number of nice touches, such as the funny looking little boy, some good snappy lines, along with songbird Gale Robbins to add atmosphere. All in all, the 90-minutes doesn't fit easily into any category. It's mostly a crime drama, yet lacks the moral ambiguity of true noir. Still, any chance to catch Eddie O'Brien, one of Hollywood's best actors, makes the movie worthwhile, along with the great action scenes.(In passing—can't help noticing the similarity of this 1950 screenplay to 1952's The Turning Point. And that's down to even O'Brien as the luckier of the two buddies, William Holden being the other buddy. I wonder: could it be that Hollywood would actually recycle a plot just two years later—then again, do mosquitoes bite.)

Between Midnight And Dawn refers to the graveyard shift that patrol car cops Edmond O'Brien and Mark Stevens are on where for some dead time a lot of action is happening. Most of it generated by a vicious local hood played by Donald Buka. O'Brien and Stevens really have it in for him, but that's nothing compared to how Buka feels about these two always cramping his style.When some out of towners try to muscle in on Buka's rackets that starts a gang war. Most gang bosses have people on the payroll to take care of the dirty work, but Buka likes to get in on the action himself. That proves to be his undoing.While all this is going on O'Brien and Stevens have a good natured rivalry for Gale Storm going on. Of course one of them does get her, but that's far from the whole story.O'Brien and Stevens are fine as the cops, but Donald Buka probably got his career role as the vicious hood who is their nemesis. Some kudos should also go to Gale Robbins as the nightclub singer who is Buka's girlfriend. She finds out too late what a bad taste in men she has.Between Midnight And Dawn is one good cop drama from Columbia Pictures that still holds up well for today.

***SPOILERS*** One of the first films that depicts police partners has squad car Officers Rocky Barnes & Dan Purvis, Mark Stevens & Edmond O'Brian,and the problems that's involved in their both private and professional lives. The movie also has the cute and talented singer, even though she doesn't sing a note throughout the entire film, a pre-"My Little Margie" Gale Storm as police dispatcher Kate Mallory who's dad a police officer was killed in the line of duty five years ago. It's Kate who gets between the two police partners and eventually ends up marrying one of them.It's both Barnes & Purvis' attempts to put part-time night club manager Ritchie Garris,Donald Buka,behind bars that in the end turns out to be deadly for them. In the two not realizing what a outright and maniacal psycho the guy really is. It in fact was out of town hood Leo Cusick, Ronald Winters, who set the deranged Garris off by muscling into his territory that started an all out gang war with Cusick ending up getting the worst of it.Captured in a wild car chase by both Barnes & Purvis Garris is convicted and given the death penalty for the murder of Leo Cusick but as we soon see that he has other plans. Escaping from the prison infirmary Garris sets his sights, or gun sights, on both Barnes & Purvis who had him put away. Gunning down Barnes who had since married Kate Mallory Garris ends up hold up in his girlfriend nightclub singer Terry Romaine's, Gale Robbins, apartment together with the supernatant's 9 year old daughter Kathy, Lora Lee Michael, held as a hostage.**SPOILERS*** Adrenaline driven final sequence with Purvis busting into Terry's fifth floor apartment. from the window ledge, with a teargas canister and having it out with the by now totally crazed and murderous Ritchie Garris. It was in fact Terry whom Purvis slapped around earlier in the film who ended up saving his neck by taking not one but three slugs meant for him by Garris. As for Garris he ends up getting blasted by Purvis and ironically as he falls down a flight of stairs he leaves his hand print on the wall covered with blood! That obviously meant to be, by the films director, all the blood that Garris had on his hands in the life of crime that he lead.P.S Actor Donald Buka as the psychotic hood Ritchie Garris made a name for himself two years earlier as the snarling knife wielding psycho Shivvy in the movie "The Street with no Name" which incidentally also starred Mark Stevens as an undercover FBI Agent.

Contains SpoilersEver wondered how various producers, writers and directors came up with original ideas for such TV classics such as "Adam Twelve", "Dragnet", "CHIPS", "Police Story", "Columbo", "McCloud" and maybe even "Police Woman's" leading lady "Pepper" played by Angie Dickinson ? I'm sure this classic 1950 good cops and nasty bad guys "B" movie "Between Midnight and Dawn" had to have been THE model for "partner" cop dramas that teamed up two good, morally correct and by-the-book street cops together in some very dangerous, and very believable situations. The two idealistic and by-the-book cops played by Mark Stevens and Edmond O'Brien present their roles with exceptional style. Donald Buka, who played in numerous criminal roles, also gives a great performance as the sadistic crime boss turned cop killer "Ritchie". The crime boss has one of the best "mugs" for crime stories - thin, nervous lips, a sub-zero stare and equally cold eyes that give audiences a lot of material for many nightmares.This film was made in 1950 and certainly belongs into the upper level of classic "B" movies that showed a much darker side of society and the hidden slums of big cities in postwar America. It's obvious that the writers, directors, and producers of dozens of film classics such as "Ashfault Jungle" starring Sterling Hayden and "Cross Cross" starring Burt Lancaster were trying to make a very strong point that following the unbelievable horrors of World War II, the movies had many new, and more graphic boundaries in terms of depicting society, crime, suffering, and the sadistic nature of the those who prayed on the innocent."Between Midnight and Dawn" could easily be rewritten into a current police drama. Simply add some more currently cars, and a little more violence and you could have a major box office smash in 2004. . . . . . . This 1950 film is simple, and gives a new insight into the routine, predicable, and often violent surprises of the street cops who work the graveyard shift in an unknown, and large Midwest city. The scenes take place mostly at night, and show few, if any pretty interludes as Mark Stevens and Gale Storm (who plays a sexy voiced radio dispatcher) gradually begin a short, and tragic relationship. Gale Storm was rarely given any opportunities to show her screen talents, and it's a rare treat to see this pretty gal who had several #1 song hits in the early 1950's (like "Dark Moon") display some great acting talents. Edmond O'Brien, who was one of the screen's grittiest and well-rounded actors comes across as a tough, no-nonsense cop who hunts down the sadistic killer of his partner Stevens. Early in the story, the two cops catch a nasty criminal who guns down a rival hood for control of the city's gambling action, and when he's brought to trial he swears revenge for the two cops who testify against him. Shortly before he's transferred to the state prison, the gunman's cohorts free him from a jail hospital in a dramatic escape and gun battle. Within hours Stevens is gunned down by Ritchie while out on patrol and his partner O'Brien watches in horror as his partner wilts under gunfire. Gale Storm, now in love with Stevens has a few last moments with him, and the two discuss plans about a wedding before Stevens dies on the operating table.Now the stage is set for some major reprisals by the police, and the hunt takes a very personal mission by O'Brien who baggers and roughs up the killer's girlfriend - a beautiful night club singer in a vain attempt to gain the location of her "mad dog" boyfriend. Following the classic story line of "I'm an absolute sucker for my girlfriend", the killer foolishly sneaks into his sexy girlfiend's apartment, without realizing that the police have set up hidden microphones, and are monitoring her phone calls and all activities from the basement of her high rise building. Oh please, is this guy REALLY dumb or what ???Within minutes police converge on the building, and put on a great show of spotlights, begin shouting into bullhorns "come out this is your last chance", and must have 100 police with guns of every description trained on the windows. In one last desperate attempt to buy some extra minutes for his escape, the mad dog killer grabs a small child from an adjoining apartment and dangles her outside the window . . . "You cops let me go or I drop this girl in 30 seconds" !!!!!. . . . WHEW, things are really tense, and the action level rises to the boiling point. The final moments have to go down as one of THE best classic life or death scenes between an army of cops, the determined O'Brien who wants blood, the equally determined mad dog killer, an innocent (and screaming) little girl and a suddenly turned moralistic girlfriend who jumps in front of her killer boyfriend's bullet meant for O'Brien. Just before the killer is shot dead in the hallway he makes one last insulting comment "You crazy dame" to his dying girlfriend. As expected the mad dog cop killer gets his punishment in the final and most violent scene (especially for 1950) and leaves a wall full of blood as he takes bullet after bullet from O'Brien.We're not sure if O'Brien and Gale Storm begin a new love interest, however the director leaves a final subtle message that may very well be a STRONG possibility.One final note, Hollywood had two very obvious "camps" of "A" and "B" actors and although all of the "B" group gave first rate performances in this fast-paced, and excellent film, very few of them ever made the transition into the "major leagues" of Hollywood. It's also very clear that the director choose a proven and reliable actor like Edmond O'Brien to greatly improve the over all quality and pace of this exciting melodrama.The determined cops, the nasty criminals, and all of the supporting cast pulled out their talents to the max and made "Between Midnight and Dawn" one of the BEST of the top 100 crime dramas of all time from the classic black and white era. One of the best and shortest performances featured character actress Madge Blake who was one of the most recognized actresses in films of the 1950's. She also had a short revival of her career as Bruce Wayne's mother in TV's "Batman" in the mid-1960's.