A comedy with Ann Savage, W. Gargan, L. Gorcey, Don Beddoe, Zucco—a heterogeneous cast, small but choice, with each's style played freely, the director's input being to allow each to play ad _libitum, yet this was the twilight of a style, as in the hyperbole of the wax museum, by which the movie symbolizes jokingly its own nature, a show about the events of an evening in the life of a museum owner and his employee, two reporters, several cops and two gangsters, these last added symbolically to the museum (yet another age is also heralded in this comedy about gangsters and reporters), the structure of an ordinary but effective comedy, its main strength the speed; the policeman is clueless, but the gangster seems tough enough, and the reporter relies on his friend's having a gun. The owner of the joint could of shown a behavior a bit more dignified. Zucco is threatening and austere, good at what he does, and genuinely creepy, as others call him; Beddoe tries to manage a zany situation, but isn't ridiculous. Each of these: Gorcey, Beddoe, Zucco, even Gargan (as his leads are also typecast), were character actors. The actress' role serves well her undisputed talent. Her character is the only one who hasn't been summoned, tipped, like her rival or the copper, but steps into a scoop. The finding of a corpse, a gangster's corpse, is naturally kindred to the wax museum. The professional competitors, reporters and copper, didn't track a gangster, but his corpse. He lived in a hotel next to the museum, but none, save for his killers, recognized him alive.Also, there's no over the top silliness, from the two really humorous characters, the owner and his employee, only the 1st displays a silly scare, and even this is understandable, and it's not given much time.Some characters are changed by this evening: the employee gets the chance to play in a real gangster action (though he lately falls asleep, missing his main scene), the reporters' careers are boosted, a gangster is liquidated and his killer is caught; intrepidity is rewarded (the reporters), zaniness, to some degree (L. Gorcey in a justly praised role, the kid as grownup), _cluelessness (the copper, Beddoe, who as a matter of fact didn't get a fair chance to be more useful) and apathy (the joint's owner), not. Watchable for its cast, watchable for the comedy.

This was the only film Leo Gorcey made outside of the East Side Kids series which would soon become the Bowery Boys after a year or so. He plays a worker at a museum that displays dummies of gangsters. The stars are William Gargan and Ann Savage as a couple of reporters mixed up in the mystery which takes place during one late night a murder takes place. I'll just now say this was quite a compact thriller with plenty of good humor to liven the proceedings. Among the players is someone from my favorite movie-It's a Wonderful Life, a Charles Halton-who was Carter, the bank examiner in IAWL- who has quite a lot of screen time here as the easily tired owner of the place! So on that note, I recommend Midnight Manhunt.

This is a comedy who-done-it set in and around "The Last Gangster" wax museum. George Zucco plays Jelke, who kills Joe Wells (George E. Stone)who dies on the steps of the wax museum. Gallagher (Ann Savage)finds the body and sets it up as one of the exhibits.The killer returns and it is a race to see if they can get the body to the police before the murderer strikes again.The really interesting thing about this film is every part is played by people known by all. You can have fun guessing where you have seen them before.George E. Stone - looking a lot older than I remember him was always memorable in "42nd Street", "Little Ceasar" and "Cimarron".Ann Savage, who had such a different role in "Detour" plays Gallagher, a snappy reporter.Leo Gorcey seemed to make quite a few movies away from the Bowery Boys - he plays the young, wise-cracking museum assistant.George Zucco was always the dour scientist or professor in lots of these B or C films.William Gargan, who was a familiar face in the 1930s played Gallagher's boyfriend, Pete Willis.Ben Weldon, who always looked the same - he mostly played thugs and hoodlums in films like "Marked Woman" turns up for one scene as a hotel manager.Paul Hurst was in it as well - playing a policeman. He always seemed to play baddies, especially in westerns. He has over 300 movies listed on IMDb.

This movie has all of the charm that makes old movies fun. Tough newspaper reporters compete with one another as they deal with a murdering villain and an arrogant police detective. I cannot recall seeing Ann Savage in anything else, but right away I liked her. She had the look and presence that should have made her a bigger star. Although she gets second billing in the credits, I think she is the star that really pushes the plot the most. Leo Gorcey adds a fun comedy element that keeps the movie bouncing along. The action starts at the very beginning and keeps building until the end. All the events take place in one night as the different characters are involved with finding, moving, hiding, and searching for a mobster's corpse. For what appears to be a B movie, the whole movie keeps up a steady pace for plot twists. If you love movies of the 40's in general this movie will be a pleaser.