At the Stroke of Twelve

Jean Negulesco
1941-11-15


5
20 min

This entry in Warner's "Broadway Brevity" series of shorts is based on Damon Runyon's short story, "The Old Doll's House". Racketeer Lance McGowan, on the night he has decided to go straight, finds himself caught between the gunfire of two rival gangsters and, wounded by a bullet, he finds refuge in the home of a wealthy recluse. One of the gangsters is found riddled with bullets from the gun Lance dropped while making his escape, and he is arrested and tried for murder. The reclusive widow comes to the trail and testifies that Lance was her guest that night when the clock struck twelve, the time of the killing. Lance, while innocent, is also lucky, as the widow had her all her clocks set to always strike twelve, as the time her husband had died.

Cast

Name Character Team
Craig Stevens Lane McGowan Unowned
Elisabeth Risdon Abigail Osley, aka The Old Doll Unowned
Knox Manning Carson Unowned
Howard Da Silva Angie the Ox Unowned
Ben Welden Babe Unowned
Frank Ferguson Prosecuting Attorney Unowned
Eddie Dunn Policeman Unowned
Faye Emerson Miss LaMond Unowned
Fred Kelsey Police Sergeant Unowned
John Ridgely Reporter Unowned