"The Last Crooked Mile" (dir: Philip Ford, 1946)

This movie was based on a radio play, and as such has all the characters found in those old-time radio dramas--the cynical, hard-boiled private eye, the beautiful and elegant dame, the long-suffering "girl-next-door" dame, and the usual collection of policemen, bankers, and insurance reps. The snappy dialogue keeps things interesting for the viewer throughout. The down side is the too pat resolution of the mystery, when the private eye reveals who the "bad guys" are, but how he managed to figure this out remains a mystery as there have been no hints during the movie. The short run time of 67 minutes is a plus.