Behind Green Lights (1946)

Written by CinemaSerf on October 30, 2022

When a recently slain body is dumped at the entrance to the police station, it falls to "Lt. Carson" (William Gargan) to get to the bottom of things. Snag is, he thinks he has his culprit then the body disappears, the clues seem to conflict and he seems to be back at square one. Might the sassy "Janet Bradley" (Carol Landis) be behind it all? Well, sadly, Otto Brower doesn't really provide us with very much to get our grey matter stimulated. Gargan always was exceptionally mediocre and even with the presence of the usually lively Miss Landis, and some attempts at humour now and again, this still lurches along as a sort of breadcrumb following cop-noir with a few red herrings and not much else as we spend twenty-four hours looking for the perpetrators - dead and/or alive! It only lasts an hour, and is reasonably well stitched together to pass a wet Saturday afternoon - and it does make a sly dig at the integrity (or lack of) of police, media and their respective priorities and paymasters, too. You won't remember it afterwards, but it just about holds the attention while it is on.