The 1944 film "Main Street After Dark" is a crime drama set in an American city during World War II. The story is about a family of crooks who live near a military port where there are many sailors and soldiers to victimize. The film was a fictional version of their "Crime Does Not Pay" series of educational short films. The Dibson family is a gang led by the middle-aged Abby "Ma" Dibson. Abby has two sons and a daughter. One of the sons is married and his wife is a member of the gang. Early in the film Abby sells a Japanese coin to Keller, a pawnbroker who acts as a "fence" for the gang. Later a bank courier carrying currency and coins to a bank is robbed and some coins are shown.

Abby Dibson and her family are waiting for her son Lefty to be paroled from prison. Abby's daughter Rosalie and Lefty's wife Jessie Belle are pickpockets who frequent nightclubs, dance with servicemen, and steal wallets and watches. Abby's other son Posey is lazy and spends most of the time at home. Abby visits Keller, a pawnbroker and fence. She sells the watches and other loot the girls have collected and offers a coin to Keller, telling him it is a Japanese coin.

He tells her it is worth five cents as many soldiers are taking coins from dead Japanese soldiers and bringing them back to the US.

So many servicemen were bringing back coins from Europe and the Pacific that some coin dealers published catalogs and buying price lists for coins.

S. Kellogg Stryker's "Premium Catalog of Modern Foreign Coins", published in 1948, is one such book.

The 48-page booklet was published for the use of tourists or returning US World War II service men and women who brought back foreign coins as souvenirs.

The book is now on the Newman Numismatic Portal of St. Louis, MO at the following link: Stryker Catalog

Keller pays Abby for the watches and other goods.

The bills are standard Mexican Revolution motion picture stage or prop bills. For more information on these bills please visit: Mexican Revolution Currency Notes.

Lefty arrives from the prison and there is a family reunion.

Left to right, Posey, Ma, Lefty, Jessie Belle, and Rosalie. There is also a large black cat laying on the sofa who reappears from time to time. The girls head to a nightclub to pick up and rob servicemen.

The city has attracted so many criminals preying on servicemen that the military is threatening to declare the the city "off limits" to servicemen. Police Lieutenant Lorrigan is in charge of the civilian police "Bunco and Pickpocket" division. "Bunco" is a term for confidence games and scams. Lt. Lorrigan and military police officials set up a scheme to trap pickpockets by sending out servicemen with wallets containing currency notes which have been painted with fluorescent dye. A Naval officer explains the work to sailors.

The police mark the bills.

Again, these are standard Mexican Revolution motion picture stage money bills.

Jessie Belle steals a wallet from a serviceman and hands it off to the men. She is arrested and put in the police wagon. Lorrigan searches her purse but finds no money.

Lorrigan then uses an ultraviolet light to examine her hands.

Jessie Belle is arrested. Another pickpocket suspect is searched and the money checked.

Another arrest. Lefty has bought a pistol from Keller and he and Posey head off to rob a courier taking a deposit to a bank.

The courier pulls out a pistol and Lefty shoots him. The police arrive and examine the courier and the money bag he was carrying.

The glowing bills and coins point to the Dibson family. Lt. Lorigan visits the family and stays with Ma and Rosalie. He pets the cat while quietly questioning the women, who are waiting for their men.

Lefty and Posey approach the house and are taken into custody by waiting policemen.

At the house, Ma pulls a gun and accidently shoots her son Posey. Lorrigan and Rosalie wrestle Ma for the gun. The film ends with all of the family members (except Posey) doing time in prisons.

Crime does not pay.

Edward Arnold as Lt. Lorrigan
Selena Royle as 'Ma' Abby Dibson
Tom Trout as Lefty Dibson
Dan Duryea as Posey Dibson
Audrey Totter as Jessie Belle Dibson
Dorothy Morris as Rosalie Dibson
Hume Cronyn as Keller (Pawnbroker)
Director: Edward L. Cahn
Writers: John C. Higgins, Karl Kamb, John C. Higgins