City That Never Sleeps

Plot synopsis:
The story begins with a voice-over the "Voice of Chicago" introducing the world and main characters of the film. There's Sally "Angel Face" Connors (Mala Powers), an exotic dancer; Gregg Warren (Wally Cassell), a former actor working as a performance artist, a "Mechanical Man"; Johnny Kelly (Gig Young) a cop having an affair with Angel Face and struggling with his conscience to leave his wife; Penrod Biddel (Edward Arnold), a successful and smooth attorney; Hayes Stewart (William Talman), a magician who has turned to making a career as a thief. Johnny Kelly is disillusioned with his job which he took to please his father, and writes a letter of resignation which he intends to hand in at the end of his shift. He calls Penrod Biddel to accept an offer that the lawyer had made for employment and agrees to meet him later that evening. Johnny's wife Kathy Kelly (Paula Raymond) discovers Johnny's plan to quit his job and calls his father Sgt. John Kelly Sr. (Otto Hulett) who talks to Johnny and is concerned for his son's happiness. On this night Johnny's regular partner calls in sick and his replacement is Sgt. Joe (Chill Wills) whose voice can be recognized as the introductory "Voice of Chicago". As they begin the nightly shift Sgt. Joe has a goodly amount of homespun homiletic advice for Johnny whose negative energy casts a pall on their working environment. As the night progresses Johnny visits his stripper girlfriend Angel Face to re-affirm their plans to go away. He also meets with the lawyer Penrod Biddel who asks Johnny to pick up Hayes Stewart and carry him across the state line for the Indiana Police to incarcerate him. Johnny turns down the offer but changes his mind when Biddel tells him that Johnny's brother 'Stubby' is associating with the criminal and will surely get into trouble unless Johnny intervenes and does what Biddel wants. Johnny and Sgt. Joe also answer a call for a woman having a baby and Johnny performs the delivery; they answer a call for an illegal gambling game on the street arresting the ring leader and getting the money back to the men who have been hoodwinked. After each call Sgt. Joe lays out another bit of wisdom that seemingly begins to affect Johnny to where he begins to reevaluate his life. Hayes Stewart has obtained incriminating evidence on Penrod Biddel and seduced his wife Lydia (Marie Windsor). Stewart shoots the lawyer and he and Lydia escape, running to the nightclub where Angel Face dances. Hayes Stewart, having discovered Biddels's agreement with Johnny to take him out of the state calls the police asking to meet with Officer Kelly, only Johnny's father takes the call. Stewart shoots Kelly Sr. and takes Lydia and escapes but can't get far because of the enclosing police. Stewart believes that the Mechanical Man has seen him and intends to stay close by to kill him. Gregg Warren thinks he can bait the killer for Johnny. This sense of honor, and his father's murder, makes clear to Johnny what he really holds valuable in his life. As the Mechanical Man performs in a window, Angel Face states her love for him and as the man begins to shed a tear Hayes Stewart see that he is indeed a real man and shoots, revealing his hideout. Johnny chases him and Stewart falls to his death from an elevated railroad track. Johnny considers what has happened this eventful night and re-evaluates his station in life.

Tags: romantic, murder

Review: