Midnight Manhunt (1945)

In the hushed shadows of a budget hotel room in New York City, a sinister play unfolds as Jelke, a ruthless character, guns down the notorious gangster Joe Wells. Swiftly pilfering a mysterious package from the dying man's pocket, Jelke vanishes into the city's underbelly. Miraculously, the gravely wounded Wells staggers into a nearby alley, where his life finally ebbs away within the eerie silence of a wax museum. Meanwhile, Sue Gallagher, a tenacious reporter from the Chronicle, stumbles upon the scene. Intrigued and sensing the opportunity for a career-making scoop, she decides to hide Wells' lifeless body amongst the wax figures. The once silent museum now holds a deadly secret, and Sue desperately calls her paper to dispatch a photographer, aiming to expose the murder of Wells, a man with a $5,000 bounty on his head. In a chaotic twist, Henry Miggs, the museum owner, discovers the concealed corpse. Shocked and fearing suspicion, he's on the verge of alerting the police when his handyman, Clutch Tracy, convinces him otherwise. The museum's hallowed halls then become the backdrop of a frantic game of hide-and-seek involving the hidden body and the stolen South American diamonds Wells was carrying, turning the wax museum into a chilling labyrinth of mystery. Simultaneously, a rival reporter, who happens to be Sue's boyfriend, enters the fray, eager to crack the case. Unbeknownst to them, however, the cold-blooded killer Jelke is also on the prowl, desperate to locate Wells' body. As the night thickens, the thrilling chase for the truth unfolds, with each character entwined in a deadly dance of deceit, ambition, and survival.

Midnight Manhunt is a comedy movie featuring William Gargan and directed by William C. Thomas.

Midnight Manhunt is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Public Domain Movies and it's also available on FlixFling.

It is also possible to buy Midnight Manhunt on Amazon Video and FlixFling.