After Midnight with Boston Blackie 1943

Parole and diamond plan

Ed Barnaby is paroled and determined to give the diamonds to his daughter. He hides the jewels in a safe deposit box at the Arcade Building. Knowing that shady characters are after the diamonds, he keeps a low profile to stay ahead of them.

Betty contacted for meeting

Betty receives a call asking her to meet him at the Arcade Building, but Barnaby never arrives. She contacts Boston Blackie for help, sensing danger and the looming treasure. Blackie agrees to assist and starts coordinating a plan.

Betty placed in safekeeping

Blackie delivers Betty to Arthur Manleder's apartment for safekeeping and warns that Barnaby's enemies won't pause. He ensures her protection while the danger closes in. The Runt's engagement to Dixy Rose Blossom is postponed due to these events.

Barnaby's interrogation and death

Blackie identifies the exact deposit box Barnaby used and plans to recover the diamonds. Meanwhile, the crooks torture Barnaby to reveal the hiding place, and he manages one last plea by calling the police before Herschel kills him. The deadly confrontation underscores the danger surrounding the jewels.

Police close in; box empty

Inspector Farraday and Sergeant Mathews rush to the Arcade Building as Blackie is about to open the box, hoping to arrest him for Barnaby's murder. They discover the box is empty and Blackie escapes custody. The search for the missing diamonds intensifies.

Betty's kidnapping and ransom note

Betty is kidnapped from Manleder's apartment, and a note demands the diamonds in exchange for her freedom. Blackie has the Runt borrow a Dixy brooch to help test whether the stones are real by prying off fake ones. The plan heightens the stakes as the clock ticks.

Blackie at the Flamingo Club

Blackie goes to the Flamingo Club, run by Herschel and associates. He slips inside and watches through the keyhole as the crooks stash the diamonds in a safe. The tension of the caper tightens as the heist unfolds.

The diamond theft and escape attempt

Blackie cracks the safe and pockets the jewels, but Walsh and Beck burst in before he can leave. He escapes with the jewels still at stake, triggering a tense pursuit. He then changes strategy to keep the diamonds from falling into the wrong hands.

Fake diamonds and the exchange

Walsh and Beck exchange Betty for the fake diamonds, unaware that Herschel has the real ones. Herschel returns too soon and the fakes are exposed, but Blackie and Betty manage to escape aided by a citywide wartime blackout. The blackout helps them slip away amid the chaos.

Herschel murdered; Walsh's move

Walsh realizes Herschel is acting for himself and cannot produce the diamonds. He shoots Herschel, and Blackie witnesses the murder. The balance of power shifts as Blackie stakes a claim on the diamonds.

Plot to locate Barnaby's body

Blackie offers to give the jewels to Walsh in exchange for the location of Barnaby's body. The police close in, forcing Blackie and Walsh to flee and steal Inspector Farraday's car. The stakes rise as the chase approaches a climax.

Confession via radio; Walsh arrested

Blackie rigs the car radio to transmit Walsh's confession to the police listening in. He coaxes Walsh into talking, then turns the tables and hands him over to the authorities. The plan squeezes the criminals into custody.