Broadway gambler Gloves Donahue wants to find who killed the baker of his favorite cheesecake. He sees nightclub singer Leda Hamilton leaving the bakery. When her boss Marty's partner Joe is murdered, Leda and her accompanist Pepi disappear. It turns out that beneath all the mystery is a gang of Nazi operatives planning to blow up a battleship in New York harbor. Runyonesque Broadway gamblers turn patriotic when they stumble onto a cell of Nazi saboteurs. If the theory of comparative evil during wartime is shown in THIS GUN FOR HIRE and LUCKY JORDAN for Alan Ladd, it is shown as well in ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT for Bogie. Made after HIGH SIERRA and MALTESE FALCON and ACROSS THE PACIFIC made him a star, ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT makes a type of prescient statement in answer to a line in the future CASABLANCA. You may recall in CASABLANCA how when Rick Blane meets Major Heinrich Strasser and his file on Blane at the nightclub, they discuss Rick's beliefs in general and his feelings about the war: "Whom do you think will win the war, Mr. Blane?" "I have absolutely no idea!". Strasser tests Rick by asking how would he feel if the Nazis invaded New York City. Suddenly Rick becomes rather confidential: "Well Major, I should tell you that there are some sections of New York City I would advise you and your men not to enter." Presumably Rick is meaning the Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan.<br/><br/>But CASABLANCA was made in 1943. A year earlier Bogart made this film, ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, as gangster "Gloves" Donahue, who with his gang is very influential on Manhattan's east side. In fact, the film is set mostly in Yorkville (the upper 70s and 80s of Manhattan in 1942 and even today). It was a heavily German area (and in the late 1930s to 1941 a center for American First supporters and German - American Bundists). It would have possibly been more conducive for a Nazi occupying force under Strasser or some other Gestapo type. As it is, the villain and wire puller in ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT would have seen eye to eye with Strasser. It's because it is Strasser: Spymaster Franz Ebbing is played by Conrad Veidt! Bogart (like Ladd in LUCKY JORDAN) is a mobster who has not hesitated to use force, but he is not enamored with it. He is human - there is a local Yorkville bakery that produces apple strudel that he likes, and that he buys once every week. Imagine his unhappiness when his favorite baker is found murdered - and the cops wonder if he's involved.<br/><br/>Bogart and his gang (including right hand man William Demerest, but also the new faces of Phil Silvers and Jackie Gleason are among them) begin to investigate. They slowly realize that the baker's fate is tied to politics not normal crime - something dealing with the Nazi German government. It involves nightclub owner Marty Callahan (Barton MacLane) and members of the German consulate (Veidt, Peter Lorre, Kaaren Verne, and Judith Anderson). Slowly Bogart realizes that the Germans are part of a spy and sabotage gang, and that they have plans for a major sabotage act in New York City within a day or so.<br/><br/>It was not a crazy notion. In 1942 memories of Fritz Kuhn's Bundists marching in Yorkville were still fresh to Americans. Soon other films (like SABOTEUR) would include scenes of attempts to blow up battleships in New York Harbor. And, indeed, in 1916 (one war earlier) a major sabotage act, the "Black Tom" Island explosion behind Liberty Island in New Jersey occurred, causing tens of millions of dollars of losses of ammunition meant for Britain, France and Russia against Wilhelmine Germany, so the sabotage act in 1942 was not too crazy to be possible.<br/><br/>Veidt does nicely in his role, a distant cousin to his military Strasser. Lorre is his second in command, who grows increasingly nervous as Bogart and his gang keep interfering with their plans (and bringing the New York Police closer and closer to confronting them). Judith Anderson acts like a German Mrs. Danvers (that role typecast her for too long in movies - it wasn't until THE FURIES that she began breaking away from it). And Verne is available to be Bogart's growing love interest.<br/><br/>As an entertainment it is still an enjoyable movie. With it's combination of various genres (Runyonese gangsters,comedy,spy drama,mystery,thriller,Nazi villains,wartime propaganda),ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT could've been an unwieldy and confusing melange of styles;that it is not is a tribute to it's behind the scenes crew (splendidly led by Vincent Sherman) and wonderful cast,with arguably Hollywood's most imperishable star,Humphrey Bogart,at it's epicentre.<br/><br/>Genial gangster Gloves Donahue (Bogart) probes into the killing of a friend, Miller (Ludwig Stossel),a baker whose cheesecake Gloves has been eating for years.His investigations lead him onto a nightclub singer (Kaaren Verne) who reveals that like Miller she's under the whim of an organisation of Nazi fifth columnists,led by the urbane but sinister Ebbing (Conrad Veidt).Gloves himself is under suspicion of murder,and exposing the Nazis involved intent on sabotage is the only way to prove his innocence.<br/><br/>ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT is a scandalously underrated effort in the Humphrey Bogart catalogue.Perhaps the fact that the story involved is played for laughs rather than grim drama has led critics in the past to feel the tone was overly facetious and jokey,lacking the greater sophistication of the immortal CASABLANCA for example.It is very true on the last point,but overall as a piece of all-round entertainment,this film is very hard to beat.This is a quintessential Hollywood studio product of the early 1940's;Warner Bros'studio back-lots glistening with rain,fog and atmosphere,dark corners,warehouses,swanky nightclubs and docklands,breathlessly unpretentious direction by Vincent Sherman,a witty,exciting,fast-moving script that covers up the implausibilities of the plot,and a quite extraordinary cast of outstanding character actors,such as William Demarest,Peter Lorre,Judith Anderson,Edward Brophy,Barton MacLane,Jane Darwell,Phil Silvers,Jackie Gleason,James Burke and Wallace Ford.The very appealing ingredients above combined make this an irresistibly entertaining brew.<br/><br/>There are several minor flaws;Frank McHugh is a little over-strident as a newly-attached bridegroom;Sam MacDaniel's brief role shows that Hollywood still had a long way to go before conquering it's crude Negro stereotyping,and Kaaren Verne is rather colourless and ineffectual as the main female lead.Bogart himself was not always completely assured when just playing straight comedy,yet he still handles it with his usual style and charisma,and works very well in tandem with the ever reliable Demarest and others with the Runyonese-style dialogue and situations.Bogie remember was still in the very early stages of his new-found stardom after years playing a variety of unpleasant hoodlums and gangsters,and he would reunite with Veidt and Lorre soon afterwards in perhaps the most beloved Hollywood production of them all,CASABLANCA.There is a rousing,exciting finale when various friends and cronies of Bogart battle it out with the Nazi villains in their secret headquarters,though this is slightly off-put by a dockland-based sequence involving Bogart and Veidt which goes somewhat over the top and is afflicted by unconvincing model work.<br/><br/>Nevertheless,ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT is a hugely enjoyable and entertaining example of wartime Hollywood,when talent,professionalism and actors could paper over the cracks of a story which was often dubious and lacking in credibility.What a shame there are very few indeed in this day and age who can come nowhere near such admirable qualities.<br/><br/>RATING:8 out of 10.
All through the night I'll be awake and I'll be with you is my ever time favorite song. It is a very intense one. diamonds rings near me I fall in love with this song each time I listen to it. You will also love it.
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344 weeks ago