After Hours (1985): Laughter in Noir Is the Best Medicine

“What does a Martin Scorsese film have to do with laughter?” you may be asking. It’s true that his most famous films don’t bring the words laughter and humor to mind. But if you are willing to make room for dark humor, noir with a comedic edge, then After Hours is a good choice.

The first time that I saw it, I remember laughing early in the film, for the entire cab scene, which happens about nine minutes in. It was hilarious to watch the lead character, Paul Hackett, bounce around in the backseat of a cab from uptown Manhattan all the way down to SoHo. Sometimes he seemed to be airborne, and the only thing that kept him from flying off was the hand strap inside the passenger compartment. And then there’s the changing expression on the cabbie’s face when Paul tries to explain his lack of money to pay the fare when the cab finally drops him off in SoHo.

This is my second article about After Hours. Click here to see my first article, written six years ago now!

That cab ride is just the start of Paul Hackett’s journey through New York City during the overnight hours, when almost anything, and a lot of it hilariously unpleasant, seems to befall him. The entire plot hinges on fate; some might say outright coincidence. Fate and coincidence are the source of a lot of the humor in Paul Hackett’s predicament. Either way, fate is what helps to define noir, and the minute that Paul is in that cab and his twenty dollar bill flies out the window, he’s in the hands of fate. Even the ending is the result of fate. At one point later in the film, desperate in his desire to get out of Soho and just go home, Paul kneels down in a damp city alley and implores the heavens: “What do you want from me? What have I done? I’m just a word processor, for Christ’s sake!”

Another very funny scene occurs in a diner, where Paul Hackett and Marcy Franklin talk about her marriage. Marcy Franklin is the reason that Paul took the wild cab ride down to SoHo in the first place, and their conversation in the diner only adds to his confusion. Marcy surprises Paul with the news that she is married. She assures him that she is no longer living with her husband, who is now living in Turkey. She married young and broke off their relationship because her husband couldn’t stop screaming “Surrender, Dorothy!” whenever they made love. At one point, Marcy stops herself in the middle of her story to ask a stunned Paul if he has ever seen The Wizard of Oz. “Surrender, Dorothy!” is an obvious reference to the 1939 classic film, and Paul says that he has indeed seen it.

This diner conversation is the only scene that mentions The Wizard of Oz, but the film is a corollary to After Hours, and the lead, Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz is a corollary to Paul in After Hours—except that Dorothy’s journey is much more pleasant. Dorothy is lost after a tornado in her home state of Kansas has taken her away and plopped her down in a strange fantasy land. All she wants to do throughout the film is find her way back home, and she eventually learns that she has always had the power to return home. Paul, on the other hand, never actually returns home. He does arrive to his office on time for work the next day, but his decisions have nothing to do with that outcome. He can finally breathe a sigh of relief only when he finds himself outside the front door of his office building at the start of the next workday.

In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy meets people who want to help her. They may have their own goals, like the lion who wants courage and the tin man who wants a heart, but they are happy to work together. Paul doesn’t have that kind of camaraderie. After abandoning Marcy Franklin, Paul meets a series of people who only want to do him harm, even while protesting otherwise. Here are just a few examples: Julie distributes wanted posters around SoHo accusing Paul of being the person burglarizing the neighborhood, which puts him in the crosshairs of a local vigilante mob. Gail does everything she can to thwart Paul’s attempts to call a friend for help, and she is the one who alerts the mob about his whereabouts. June is an artist who encases Paul in a life-size papier-mâché sculpture to help him hide from the mob, but then she leaves him trapped inside the hardening papier-mâché.

Neil and Pepe, the two SoHo burglars (played by the comedy duo Cheech and Chong) offer a humorous running commentary on art and art appreciation throughout the film. As they make their rounds through the SoHo neighborhood apartments, both offer their critiques of what they find. Neil especially has a lot to say about art, both fine and popular. They are friends of Kiki Bridges, whose loft Marcy Franklin is staying in for the night and where Paul Hackett starts his fateful night. Kiki also works in papier-mâché, and she sold one of her papier-mâché sculptures to Neil, who loses it soon after. He tells Pepe, “Let’s look for my statue, man. It’s got to be around here someplace. It makes me sick. You know, that statue was the first thing in my life I ever bought. See what happens when you pay for stuff? Somebody rips it off.”

When Neil and Pepe find Paul encased in June’s clever papier-mâché disguise, Neil is thrilled. He thinks he has found the original statue from Kiki. Pepe isn’t so sure that the statue is worth their time and effort:

• Pepe: “Hey, man, is it worth taking this thing?”

• Neil: “What? Are you crazy, man? This is art.”

• Pepe: “Art sure is ugly, man.”

• Neil: “Yeah, that’s how much you know, man, you know? The uglier the art, the more it’s worth.”

• Pepe: “This thing must be worth a fortune, man.”

Neil tries to convince Pepe of the statue’s worth by claiming that George Segal, the actor, is the artist behind it. Pepe would rather steal someone’s stereo system, and Neil tells him, “A stereo’s a stereo. Art is forever.”

I was rooting for Paul Hackett to find his way home, but he is not an entirely sympathetic character. (He’s not nearly as friendly and as innocent as Dorothy!) Sometimes his behavior adds to the humor, but sometimes it adds to the general noir discomfort of the film:

◊ Paul agrees to buy one of Kiki Bridges’s papier-mâché bagel and cream cheese paperweights because he wants to see Marcy Franklin again, not because he is interested in art. (Funny.)

◊ He looks in Marcy Franklin’s handbag the first time he visits her in the SoHo loft because he wants to see what she bought at the all-night drugstore. (Creepy.)

◊ Paul argues with Marcy about the pot she offers to him. He calls her a liar when she says that it’s Colombian, which in 1985 (when pot was illegal in every state) was supposed to be some of the best pot for illegal sale. (Funny.)

◊ Paul has a voyeuristic streak. When he discovers that Marcy has overdosed on Seconal, he pulls back the sheet covering her to inspect her body for scars and/or burn marks. (Creepy and uncomfortable.)

Most of Paul’s escapades in SoHo for one long night are hilarious, but a lot has changed since the release of After Hours in 1985. Marcy Franklin and Paul Hackett’s brief discussion of The Wizard of Oz in relation to her husband may not mean much to anyone who hasn’t seen the film and knows nothing about Dorothy. The mere fact that Marcy asks Paul if he has seen The Wizard of Oz is amusing because, in 1985, the classic was still shown on broadcast television at least once a year, usually in prime time. This tradition started in the 1950s, so almost everyone living in the United States in 1985 would have known something about The Wizard of Oz and Dorothy. And then there are the differences in technology. Paul Hackett’s situation is even more of a trap because there are no ATMs, smartphones, World Wide Web, ride-sharing apps. His office features huge word processors and electric typewriters.

But most of the humor comes from his interactions with other people, and in that regard, not a whole lot has changed since 1985. Cultural references and word processors may come and go, but (1) art is forever and (2) people can still be really funny. After Hours has plenty of humor and laughter on both counts.

This article about After Hours is my entry for the Classic Movie Blog Association’s 2021 Fall Blogathon: Laughter Is the Best Medicine. Click here for the complete list of blogathon participants and links to their blogs. The list is updated each day of the blogathon, from October 19 to October 22.

September 13, 1985, release date  •  Directed by Martin Scorsese  •  Screenplay by Joseph Minion and Martin Scorsese (uncredited)  •  Music by Howard Shore  •  Edited by Thelma Schoonmaker  •  Cinematography by Michael Ballhaus

Griffin Dunne as Paul Hackett  •  Rosanna Arquette as Marcy Franklin  •  Teri Garr as Julie  •  John Heard as Tom Schorr  •  Catherine O’Hara as Gail  •  Linda Fiorentino as Kiki Bridges  •  Verna Bloom as June  •  Tommy Chong as Pepe  •  Cheech Marin as Neil  •  Will Patton as Horst  •  Clarence Felder as the bouncer at Club Berlin  •  Dick Miller as Peter, the waiter at the River Diner  •  Bronson Pinchot as Lloyd  •  Martin Scorsese as the Club Berlin searchlight operator  •  Victor Argo as the diner cashier  •  Larry Block as the taxi driver  •  Rocco Sisto as the coffee shop cashier  •  Murray Moston as the subway attendant  •  John P. Codiglia as the transit police officer  •  Robert Plunket as the male street pickup  •  Stephen J. Lim as the bartender at Club Berlin

Produced by The Geffen Company and Double Play Productions  •  Distributed by Warner Bros.

Key Witness (1947)

Film noir is a fluid category, perhaps more so than most film categories. Key Witness is one of those films that is mostly a film noir, but it does have elements that are not particularly noir. The main character, Milton Higby, is a dreamer, a man who likes to invent novelties. He reminded me of Walter Mitty in James Thurber’s short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” except that Higby can turn his ideas into profitable items for sale. Higby eventually transforms himself, too: into someone who can misrepresent himself and impersonate someone he has never met.

(This blog post about Key Witness contains spoilers.)

On-screen type informs viewers that the location is Warset, Arizona. A disheveled man ducks into a post office and uses an Order to Change Address form to write a note: “You’ll find the body of Milton Higby on the R.R. tracks five miles east of town.” He drops this note in a mail slot, returns to the sidewalk outside the post office, and runs in front of a car (this accident is off-screen). He is hit by the car, but he survives with only a slight concussion. In the hospital, he is identified as Arnold Ballin because he is carrying a birth certificate with that name on it; he is also carrying a lot of money and a locket with pictures of a woman and an infant. An extended flashback helps to explain how Higby ended up in the hospital.

In the flashback, Milton Higby works for a company called Builders, Inc. Milton is a drafter, as is his friend Larry Summers, who sits at the next worktable. Larry suggests that Milton join him for a night out. Larry is portrayed as a ladies’ man with questionable hobbies, and he has a date with a woman whose friend needs a date. Milton is sure that his wife Martha would not approve, and Larry wonders out loud why Milton has to tell his wife everything.

Milton Higby comes home to his wife Martha. They argue, and she tells him, “You don’t have the backbone of a jellyfish.” During their argument, his talking clock, one of Milton’s inventions, springs into action on the hour. A puppet pops out and recites a rhyme in a human voice. Milton and Martha make up after their argument, but Martha explains why she was so cross: “I can’t help it. I know—I know I sound like a fishwife sometimes, but it’s just because I worry so much. We don’t seem to be getting ahead at all. We’re just marking time. And then you make matters worse. When I pick on you, you won’t even fight back.”

Martha’s explanation is an example of societal disillusion after World War II. The end of the war promised the American dream and prosperity amid the postwar recovery, but many were unhappy with the lack of economic progress. The United States was victorious in the war, and the country was now a world leader, riding high on an impressive international reputation, but many at the time felt that they were left out of the American dream. Martha seems to be one of those people. Milton suggests to Martha that she take a vacation to visit her aunt, and she readily agrees.

Back at Builders, Inc., Larry suggests that Milton join him for an afternoon at the racetrack. Milton reluctantly agrees and accidentally buys ten tickets (for $20.00) instead of one ticket (for $2.00). When he tries to demand his change, a security guard throws him off the premises. Later, Larry shows up at Milton’s home with Sally Guthrie and Marge Andrews. Sally is very impressed with all the gadgets that Milton has invented, including the talking clock and a light switch that shows a boy and a girl kissing when it is turned on. (Both gadgets will be key pieces of evidence that bring Milton back to his former life.) Larry learns that Milton has won the daily double at the racetrack, which is worth a fortune, and is now a rich man. Fate starts out kind but turns nightmarish, in keeping with the noir elements of this film.

Milton shows up drunk at Sally’s apartment with gifts for her, Larry, and Marge. They all have plans to go out, but Milton is too drunk and passes out. Sally suggests that she stay home with him, and she and Milton can meet Larry and Marge later. After Larry and Marge leave, Sally’s ex-husband Jim shows up uninvited. Sally and Jim get into an argument, and Sally is shot dead with her own gun. Milton wakes up to find Sally’s dead body on her living room floor, and he leaves by the fire escape before anyone can find him in Sally’s apartment. He goes home to leave a note for Martha because he has decided to become a drifter and travel around the country.

Milton has to stay one step ahead of the law. He has only one friend on the road: a fellow hobo named Smiley. At one point, they find a dead body on the railroad tracks. Smiley doesn’t want to get involved, but Milton stays behind to see what he can do. Instead of contacting anyone for help, he decides to exchange identities with the body. He takes the man’s birth certificate, locket, and money.

Milton’s flashback ends at this point, and the film cuts back to him at the hospital. He has a visitor: Albert Loring, lawyer for John Ballin, Arnold Ballin’s father. Loring can’t convince Milton to return to a home that wasn’t his to begin with, but then John Ballin himself shows up and convinces him to come home. They eventually discuss Milton’s love for inventing novelty items, and his father sets him up in business. Milton “reinvents” his talking clock and his electric light switch plate.

In the meantime, Larry Summers and Marge Andrews are now engaged, and when she arrives at his door, she has something to show Larry: an electric light switch plate exactly like the one that Milton had in his home with Martha. Larry is suspicious and thinks that the Ballin Manufacturing Company, the name on the back of the box for the electric light switch, has stolen Milton’s ideas. He and Marge decide to spend their honeymoon visiting the Ballin Manufacturing Company. Larry becomes the film’s amateur private detective because he thinks Martha Higby, Milton’s widow, should get some compensation for Milton’s ideas.

One of the things that I really like about Key Witness is the way that it presents Larry Summers, Marge Andrews, and Sally Guthrie as questionable characters, the people who could lead Milton Higby down a rabbit hole of bad luck and fateful errors. But Milton goes down the rabbit hole because of his own decisions. And after his three friends are introduced into his life as possibilities for trouble and ruin, they become his truest friends. They want to help him and his wife Martha, and Larry’s investigative work leads to finding Milton and financial reward for everyone.

The title is appropriate for the film because one of the characters in the film is the key witness in Milton’s life story. Another plus is the story pace. An awful lot is packed into this film, which is barely sixty-seven minutes long, but it doesn’t feel rushed. Except for the ending, that is. The ending of Key Witness almost took my breath away—and not in a good way. It doesn’t match the rest of the film at all and definitely felt tacked on. In less than five minutes of film time, Milton is cleared of murder just before he is about to be executed, Milton and Martha Higby are reunited, John Ballin forgives Milton and keeps him on as an inventor, Larry Summers is now an employee of Ballin’s company, and Smiley seems to have taken on the new role of the voice for Milton Higby’s famed talking clocks. The very last shot is of Smiley popping his head through a paper clockface and reciting one of Milton’s poems. It’s a happy sugary ending for everyone, which is definitely not noir.

I knew nothing about Key Witness before I found it on DVD. I didn’t even recognize the actors, which turned into a huge plus. I had no idea what to expect from the plot, which meant that there were several surprises, something I always enjoy in any story, on film or in print. I enjoyed it a lot more than I ever expected to; I enjoyed it enough to see it twice in one day, which admittedly was not hard to do for a film that is barely over an hour long.

Key Witness does have many noir elements: an extended flashback, murder, mistaken identity, trading identities with a corpse on the side of the road. Describing the film like this makes it seem thoroughly noir, but the ending and Milton Higby’s fantasy life and inventions dilute its noir-ness a bit. In spite of its drawbacks, Key Witness is a good choice for about an hour’s worth of entertainment.

October 9, 1947, release date  •  Directed by D. Ross Lederman  •  Screenplay by Edward Bock, Raymond L. Schrock  •  Based on a story by J. Donald Wilson  •  Music by Mischa Bakaleinikoff  •  Edited by Dwight Caldwell  •  Cinematography by Philip Tannura

John Beal as Milton Higby  •  Trudy Marshall as Marge Andrews  •  Jimmy Lloyd as Larry Summers  •  Helen Mowery as Sally Guthrie  •  Wilton Graff as Albert Loring  •  Barbara Read as Martha Higby  •  Charles Trowbridge as John Ballin  •  Harry Hayden as Custer Bidwell  •  William Newell as Smiley  •  Selmer Jackson as Edward Clemmons, district attorney  •  Douglas Fowley as Jim Guthrie  •  John Hamilton as R. C. Hurlbert, the coroner

Distributed by Columbia Pictures  •  Produced by Columbia Pictures