Somewhere in the Night (1946) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

George decides to hide his amnesia because he fears what he might discover about his true identity. While recovering in the military hospital, he finds an unsigned letter that curses him for some unspecified wrong, which makes him suspicious of who he really is. He chooses to investigate privately rather than reveal his memory loss to authorities or doctors.

• amnesia
• memory loss
• George Taylor
• identity
• hidden past

Larry Cravat is the man George has been searching for throughout the movie. The shocking revelation is that George Taylor IS Larry Cravat. After murdering Steele and stealing the $2 million in Nazi money, Cravat assumed a new identity and enlisted in the Marines to escape justice. He lost his memory after being wounded in the war, allowing him to believe he was someone else.

Foreshadowing: The note in George's briefcase was opened by a man named Larry Cravat, and the clothing found at Terminal Dock bears Cravat's name.

• Larry Cravat
• identity reveal
• Cravat character
• twist ending
• stolen money

A defecting Nazi official sent $2 million in cash to the United States, hidden in large denomination bills that were difficult to spend. The money circulated through several hands in Los Angeles before Cravat stole it from its final carrier, Steele, and murdered him. Cravat hid the cash in a suitcase under Terminal Dock, where George eventually recovers it with Christy's help.

• Nazi money
• two million dollars
• stolen money
• Terminal Dock
• suitcase

Larry Cravat left Mary at the altar shortly before his planned marriage to her. After Cravat vanished with the stolen money, Mary later died in a street accident. The unsigned letter George finds among his belongings was written by Mary, cursing him for abandoning her. Christy confirms the letter's authorship when George shows it to her.

• Mary
• Cravat
• abandoned bride
• wedding
• letter

Larry Cravat killed Steele. After learning about the money from Mel Phillips (who had been laundering it), Cravat posed as Phillips to deceive Steele at Terminal Dock. He murdered Steele, took the $2 million, and fled, later assuming the identity of George Taylor to escape detection.

Foreshadowing: Phillips explains that Cravat pretended to be him to gain access to Steele.

• Steele murder
• Terminal Dock
• killed
• Cravat
• Nazi money

Mel Phillips ordered Michael Conroy's murder to cover up the theft of the Nazi money. Conroy had witnessed Cravat and Steele together at the dock with the money. Phillips orchestrated the killing through a dock gunman who stabbed Conroy, ensuring the witness would never reveal what he saw. Conroy died at a sanatorium before he could name the killer to Taylor.

• Michael Conroy
• murder
• witness
• dock
• cover up

Mel Phillips confesses that he had been laundering the Nazi money for a defecting Nazi official. When Cravat learned of the arrangement, he posed as Phillips, met Steele at the dock, and stole the money after killing him. Phillips explains that he orchestrated the dock gunman to follow Taylor and that Conroy was murdered to silence him. His confession exposes the full conspiracy.

• Mel Phillips
• confession
• laundering
• scheme
• Steele

George discovers his true identity when he and Christy recover the suitcase containing the $2 million from under Terminal Dock. Inside they find clothing bearing Larry Cravat's name. Combined with the fact that a bank account was opened in his name by Cravat, and that he secretly joined the Marines after the murder, George realizes he is Cravat. The unsigned letter from Mary further confirms his dark past.

Foreshadowing: The note in his briefcase and the clothes at the dock both point to Cravat.

• discovery
• identity
• Terminal Dock
• suitcase
• Cravat name

Anzelmo is a gangster who wants to find Cravat to claim the stolen $2 million for himself. Disguising himself as a fortune teller at Terminal Dock, Anzelmo interrogates Taylor, accusing him of being the missing third man connected to the money. He threatens to frame Taylor for crimes he didn't commit unless Cravat is produced.

• Anzelmo
• fortune teller
• Cravat
• money
• gangsters

Christy helps Taylor because he confides his amnesia to her and asks for her aid in finding out who he really is. Moved by his vulnerability and the genuine danger he faces, Christy becomes his ally. She introduces him to Mel Phillips and Lieutenant Kendall, helps him track down clues, and ultimately accompanies him to recover the money. Their partnership evolves into romance.

• Christy Smith
• ally
• help
• romance
• trust

Lieutenant Kendall shoots Mel Phillips to prevent him from posing further danger to Taylor and Christy. Having monitored the situation, Kendall arrives at the soup kitchen during the confrontation and disables Phillips with a gunshot. Phillips is then hospitalized but confesses the full story to police, leading to the resolution of the case and the arrest of Anzelmo's gang.

• Lieutenant Kendall
• Phillips
• shooting
• soup kitchen
• arrest

Larry Cravat joined the Marines to hide from his criminal past after murdering Steele and stealing the $2 million. Assuming the identity of George Taylor, he enlisted to disappear into the military system, thinking his amnesia and deployment would shield him from ever being discovered. The war left him wounded with no memory, allowing his new identity to take hold until the investigation forces the truth to surface.

• Marines
• enlist
• hide
• identity
• war
• escape