Noir Hunt For A Serial Killer

He Walked By Night Raises Suspense Stakes for 1948

Someone please tell me how instrumental Anthony Mann was toward success of this sock suspenser (Alfred Werker gets director credit). Some have called it a 40's best explore of the psychotic criminal mind, mild-manner Richard Basehart embodying that in a chiller perf that established him. There's chasing among LA storm drains, posited as getaway means for criminality. Did local miscreants take note and begin using these to elude law? He Walked is part procedural, the rest inky noir, as captured by atmospherist lensman John Alton, and I wonder --- did he ever have aspiration to direct (beyond a few very early credits)? Among police lab boys is Jack Webb, watching/learning toward empire of his own customizing a same approach for radio/TV's eventual Dragnet. The killings are random and cruel; Eagle-Lion did not pussyfoot as majors might have. The independent company had spun (comparative) gold from crime subjects that played rougher with formulas in place a long time, but fresher-seeming for E-L's bare knuckle approach. Reed Hadley narrates as he did for 20th Fox fact-derived thrillers. You could mistake He Walked By Night for one of theirs but for Night's lack of a star name TCF would have fallen back on. Excellent in all ways; these are 79 minutes that go by at a run. Available on MGM/UA disc. Quality is fine.