Two O'Clock Courage (1945)

Directed by Anthony Mann; produced by Ben Stoloff

A man (Tom Conway) stumbles through a foggy night and is nearly struck by a cab driven by Patty Mitchell (Ann Rutherford). Unable to recall his name, anything about himself, or recent events, the amnesiac begins to suspect that he is involved in a murder. With Patty’s help, he wends his way through crime scenes, night-clubs and hotel rooms, coming closer to the truth with each hour - and coming closer to being the next murder victim, as well.

Tom Conway, George Sanders’s look-a-like brother, did not achieve the stardom that came to his sibling, though Sanders - except for his role in the Falcon movie series - was usually seen as secondary characters, and villains at that. Conway, at least, thanks perhaps to his more approachable persona, played more protagonists - including taking over as the Falcon from his brother. Such parts, however, were usually found in B-movies, of which Two O’Clock Courage is an example. And while b-movie it may be, it nonetheless falls into the higher end of the spectrum.

This is largely because of the performances and the direction. The latter is in the very capable hands of Anthony Mann, who would go on to make his name in film noir and, especially, westerns. Here, though, he guides the movie through a number of good scenes, nothing spectacular, but most interesting, and keeps the pace moving at a good clip.

The script is not first-rate, but it suits the movie well enough. There are no great revelations when the amnesia victim remembers who he is and what he went through, and the amnesia itself is induced and cured in the crude manner of blows to the head. B-movies tend to view loss of memory as determined almost by a switch that can be turned off and on. This issue aside, there are a number of plot-holes (eg. why was Conway’s character wearing a hat with someone else’s initials in it?) The police investigation is the standard sloppy procedure of b-movies, in which scene-of-crime investigation and expertise is nil.

On the other hand, the writing creates a milieu of high-class night-clubs, the theatre and their various denizens, into which a character played naturally by Conway fits very well. The actor’s Oxford English and seemingly inherent sophistication would not have been served by every setting, so this one’s choice is successful. Also, there are a number of good lines, such as when someone apologises to Conway’s amnesiac for a past insult, to which Conway good naturedly replies, “Forget it. I have.”

Conway’s character and Rutherford’s, despite coming from different social strata, work well together, thanks to the stars. Richard Lane, as a persistent reporter, is annoying, but then, he’s meant to be. Jane Greer (billed as “Bettejane Greer”) has her first credited role, a not insubstantial one.

Two O’Clock Courage is a good, small-budgeted, short (68 minutes) film, a lean mystery with few surprises but advantages that make it worth viewing.