What makes it different from others?

Crappy film

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Almost Every Professional Critic, for Some Unknown Reason, is Reluctant to Label This "Film-Noir". They Hedge by Using Hyphens Like Musical-Noir, and While the Film is Surely About Musicians and there are a Number of Musical Numbers, None are Filler or Unwanted. The Music is True to its Black Roots and in One Sequence Eviscerates White-Bread Sell-Out Fluff in No Uncertain Terms. This is the Real Deal. This is Film-Noir. In Fact, it is One of the First True Film-Noir, Made in the Era of "Stanger on the Third Floor" (1940) and "The Maltese Falcon" (1941). This is Pure Left-Wing, Down and Dirty Stuff. Hard Boiled and Hard Hitting, Electric and Eccentric. The Surreal Dream Montages are Some of the Best in Noir (done by Don Siegel). It's a B-Picture to be Sure. The Dialog Comes Fast and Furious, the Melodrama is Ripe, and the Characters are Straight Out of the Pulps. The Film Touches on Heavy Themes and Hardly Ever Pulls Back. A Cripple that is Bullied, Death of a Newborn, Alcoholism, Gambling, Gangsters, Gunplay, Fisticuffs, Double Crosses, and an Evil Femme Fatale as Gut-Wrenching as Ann Savage in "Detour" (1945).This Short Review Only Scratches the Surface of this Seminal Work and Even More Great Stuff can be Found if One Approaches this Mini-Masterpiece with an Open Mind.This is an Underrated Film-Noir Gem and the Fact that You don't Find it Listed in Some of the Noir Encyclopedias is an Oversight and is Unforgivable. One Hopes that Later Editions will Make the Necessary Inclusion.

This film could have been a lot better than it is. A strange melodrama where everyone gets their "due". In the old days, everyone pays for their sins and crimes. Part film noir, part musical, part thriller...doesn't really know what it wants to be. The main title BLUES IN THE NIGHT is not heard straight through even once, as noted in Maltin's book. Richard Whorf reminded me of Jerry Orbach, but not as talented. Jack Carson played Jack Carson. His performances never varied. Elia Kazan is fine as the one of the boys in the band. One writer noted that Betty Field and Lloyd Nolan were both in PEYTON PLACE years after this, but they had no scenes together. Wrong. They had a short scene outside Nolan's Hospital office. Field does just fine as the tart. Quite a contrast to her roles in PEYTON PLACE and especially PICNIC. Some interesting scenes and special effect montages, but really quite a dreary film filled with contrivances and plot holes. Looks like a lot was left "on the cutting room floor". Also the time element is confusing as is why these band players making money all live in a barn together in a barn yet. Like I said before, a strange film.

The blues and swing music are quite good, what there was of it. Unfortunately the music keeps getting interrupted by the sort of sappy story that Hollywood usually attached to films that were billed as musicals.Down and out musicians, riding the rails like hobos, decide to form a band at Depression's end, but they keep getting involved with gangsters, stupid club owners and a woman of very questionable morals who would break up their happy family. There's a good girl, of course, a blond singer who belongs to a philandering trumpet player. Oh, what's the use--no one would watch this for the story or to see Jack Carson or Lloyd Nolan or the rest of them.If only there had been more of the music and less of what some might call "drama," and what I would call fast talking, poor acting treacle.

What an interesting idea: a film noir musical. While some of the acting was a bit over the top by today's standards, this film is a masterpiece of classic noir with great music, as well. The story line is formulaic, but weren't most of the in those days? I loved the song Bacall sang in THE BIG SLEEP, but BLUES IN THE NIGHT makes brings the music to the forefront, giving the viewer/listener a fuller experience. What a femme fatale Kay is, and she leaves us with no doubt about it: out for herself, jealous, envious, self pitying, willing to sacrifice anything for what she wants, but once she gets it, goes about making it as miserable as possible. Even her death at the hands of a man she scorns as unworthy in every way is poetic justice.I'm glad TCM is running BLUES IN THE NIGHT a bit more. I'm ready to see it again tight away!