Ann Rutherford spent most of her MGM years being Polly Benedict, Andy Hardy's biggest fan. In most of the Andy Hardy movies she usually had to take a back seat to up and coming actresses such as Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Esther Williams etc, but by the end the humbled Andy would always be back in her arms. Obviously, she tired of these and couldn't wait to leave MGM. She hoped free lancing would give her more adult roles but it wasn't to be. She just had a very bubbly personality and her part as Patty, the perky taxi driver who helps amnesia victim Tom Conway was exactly the type of role she did best. Directed by Anthony Mann and with a screenplay by Gelett Burgess, noted American humorist and inventor of the "blurb", "Two O'Clock Courage" starred Tom Conway, in between his Falcon assignments, as a nameless amnesia victim who may just be mixed up in the murder of a Broadway producer. He is encouraged to find out the truth by Patty, the bubbly taxi driver, who almost runs him over. There are more laughs than drama with Richard Lane as a bumbling newspaper reporter. Conway finds out he is really Theodore Allison, who has been hired by the mother of Laurence Kenny, author of the play "Two O'Clock Courage" to find out what happened to it. The play has been plaguerized by the producer and retitled "Menace" where said producer has been pocketing all the royalties.This movie was also the debut of Bettejane Greer, soon to be known as Jane Greer - she had the role of Helen a sulky nightclub girl and she certainly made a splash with her limited screen time. Jean Brooks proved again that she was an attractive actress who should have been more well known. She certainly was more stunning as a brunette ("The Seventh Victim"). Unfortunately she was almost at the end of her brief career as RKO's "resident neurotic of the Bs" according to Doug McClelland.

Finding himself with a bloodied head, and suffering from amnesia, suave Tom Conway is nearly run over by pretty cab driver Ann Rutherford (as Patty Mitchell). Riding around, Mr. Conway discovers clues to his identity, including five hundred dollars in his suit pocket. A news flash connects Conway to recent murder, but Ms. Rutherford doesn't think her passenger is guilty. The pair try to solve the murder mystery while love blooms. Director Anthony Mann isn't as artful as in later years. "Two O'Clock Courage" turns out to be the name of a play that figures in the plot. By the time the mystery is solved, it's not very interesting. Fortunately, the well-endowed Rutherford, Jane Greer (as Helen Carter), and Jean Brooks (as Barbara Borden) are around to keep it looking good.****** Two O'Clock Courage (4/13/45) Anthony Mann ~ Tom Conway, Ann Rutherford, Jane Greer, Jean Brooks

Incongruously lighthearted early noir from Mann, involving a familiar premise (the film is actually a remake of the obscure TWO IN THE DARK [1936]) – an amnesiac finds himself the chief suspect in a murder case and, while attempting to trace his identity, he also contrives to expose the guilty party. The lead role is played by Tom Conway, not the most likely noir hero perhaps – his overall stilted performance suffers most when striving for comedy; much more natural (and appealing) is Ann Rutherford as the spirited female cabbie helping him out, even if she's just as much at odds with established genre conventions! The plot is fairly convoluted: also involved, among others, are Lester Matthews (from THE RAVEN and WEREWOLF OF London {both 1935}), Jean Brooks (from the Val Lewton-produced THE LEOPARD MAN and THE SEVENTH VICTIM {both 1943}) and Jane Greer (soon to graduate to full-fledged femme fatale with OUT OF THE PAST [1947]); just as prominent, however, albeit merely for comic-relief purposes are a Police Inspector and a nosy reporter (who gets on his boss' nerves when he keeps changing the scoop i.e. the identity of the murderer). All in all, this emerged a pleasant and trim 66 minutes – but, clearly, a very minor footnote in the genre and the career of one of its most notable exponents.

Fast-paced mystery as Tom Conway unravels his past life following an injury to the head and amnesia. Tom is believable as is the storyline. Ann Rutherford serves as an adequate sidekick, Jane Greer looks beautiful in one of her very early films, and we see Jean Brooks in one of her last. Although shot in the middle of the Falcon series, and much resembles same, this is actually a re-make of the 1936 movie "Two in the Dark." The plot has lots of twists and turns and it will not be obvious "who done it" until the very end. Enjoyable light entertainment.