Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Wordiezett So much average

Pluskylang Great Film overall

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

JLRMovieReviews Edward Arnold is blind, but that doesn't handicap him too much in his profession as detective in "Eyes in the Night." A female friend, played by Ann Harding, goes to him for help on how to handle a sticky situation. An ex of hers has latched himself on to her stepdaughter, played by Donna Reed. She knows he's no good, but of course Donna doesn't listen to her. What is the stepmother to do? Edward tells her to confront the man and ask him to leave Donna alone. But coincidentally, the guy, an actor in a repertory group, has been murdered just minutes before she gets there to talk to him. Such sets up the stage of intrigue. And then, we some of Ann's household staff attempting to crack the family safe, because the father/husband is a scientist, who's secret solution is invaluable to them. Hey, they're not really the staff, are they?! The husband has gone to Washington, DC for a meeting about all this, so that's why he's not there throughout all the action of the movie until…. Edward is aided by his dog, Friday and Allen Jenkins, his right hand man. The movie is just as much as the dog's as it is Edward Arnold's, with all the action given to the dog. Both Stanley Ridges and Katherine Emery (you really hate her) give memorable performances as part of the gang, each trying to exert power over each other and Rosemary de Camp, Stephen McNally, and Barry Nelson are also part of the gang. This was a lot of fun, with Edward Arnold chewing up a lot of the scenery and the dog doing his part. This was followed by a sequel, "The Hidden Eye," but, while passable entertainment, that's not nearly as much fun and not as well made. Director Fred Zinnemann's "Eyes in the Night" is shown on TCM from time to time, so when you're surfing the channels and find it, sit a spell and enjoy yourself.

classicsoncall This was a fairly inventive little drama with a play on words title that effectively describes it's lead character Duncan Maclain (Edward Arnold), a blind detective. It starts out with a murder, but evolves into something of an espionage thriller when Nazi agents reveal their intent to steal a scientist's new invention that will prove useful in the war effort. Charlie Chan would get involved in both types of stories so the hook seemed to be a pretty good one.Being blind was obviously no handicap for Big Mac, as Arnold's character got a lot of mileage out of being a blustery blow-hard upon arriving at the Lawry homestead. But you really have to pay attention to his seeing-eye dog Friday, who makes the save for his master near the end of the story. That was pretty clever the way he knocked over the furniture to gain a way out of the basement where he was trapped. Good old Friday, with him around, having Allen Jenkins on hand seemed to be entirely unnecessary.What's really cool about coming across these all but unknown films from the Forties is seeing who shows up. Folks like Donna Reed in an early screen appearance is a real treat here, along with Barry Nelson in a minor part. I always get a kick out of seeing Mantan Moreland show up anywhere, and we might have seen more of him here if he had been a butler over at The Lawry's instead of Maclain's.

Michael_Elliott Eyes in the Night (1942) *** (out of 4) A woman (Ann Harding) fears that her stepdaughter (Donna Reed) is involved with an evil man so she goes to his apartment to ask him to leave her alone. Once at the apartment she finds the man dead and the step daughter catches her there and believes that she did the killing. The mother goes to her blind detective friend (Edward Arnold) who starts to investigate and learns that German spies were behind it. This was the first of a two part series for MGM and I'm really not sure why more weren't made as both proved to be good films. This film features a very attractive cast, a nice story and some very good direction by Zinnemann, which makes this a must see for fans of detective movies. Arnold is very good in his role making it very believable that his character is actually blind. The actor plays the part very well and has good chemistry with everyone in the cast. Harding comes off quite strong as well even though her character isn't the best written in the film. Stephen McNally, Katherine Emery, Allen Jenkins and Reginald Denny all add nice supporting performances as well. Reed actually steals the show as the 17-year-old step daughter with an attitude. Her attitude is so dead pan perfect that you'll have no problem hating the young lady who thinks she knows everything. Mantan Moreland is wasted in his few scenes though. The German subplot just works itself into the story and there's never a spotlight shined on it due to WW2, which is a nice twist for this type of film. Most movies from this era beat the war stuff to death but this film stays away from that.

rjtrules If you're a dog lover like me, you'll find this one hard not to like! Good old "Friday" steals this show-with some able assistance from a very keen and rugged blind man. I found this one easy to follow and it kept my interest all the way. A really neat mix of intrigue, mystery, and humor to boot. Oh...and some espionage thrown in as is per this era's thematics. The gal who plays the enemy is quite wicked! This is a murder mystery that will get you smiling! A fun and easy frolic minus a tangled plot that uses all the "senses". Oh, and a young Donna Reed.......not bad at all. This one makes Rin Tin Tin and Lassie look like amateurs!