Midnight (1939 film)
Encyclopedia
Midnight is a 1939 romantic comedy (with some elements of screwball comedy) directed by Mitchell Leisen
and written by Charles Brackett
and Billy Wilder
based on a story by Edwin Justus Mayer and Franz Schulz. It starred Claudette Colbert
, Don Ameche
and John Barrymore
.
) is an out-of-work American
showgirl. She arrives in Paris
from Monte Carlo
during a rainstorm with just the clothes on her back (an evening gown). Tibor Czerny (Don Ameche
), a Hungarian
taxi
driver, takes pity on her. He drives her around to the city's nightclubs in a fruitless attempt to get her a job, buys her dinner at the taxi drivers' café, and offers to let her stay overnight at his apartment (he will be out driving all night). However, Eve does not want to impose on Tibor, and besides, she is already feeling attracted to him and doesn't want to begin a relationship with an impoverished taxi driver. When he stops for gas, she slips away.
Eve finds shelter from the rain at a stuffy concert hosted by socialite Stephanie (Hedda Hopper
). She slips in with a group, handing over a pawn ticket (for her suitcase in Monte Carlo) as an invitation card. When the pawn ticket is detected, Stephanie tries to unmask the impostor. Eve tries to slip away, but is intercepted by Marcel (Rex O'Malley), who thinks she's simply bored and recruits her for a game of bridge
in a side room. The other two players are Madame Helene Flammarion (Mary Astor
) and Jacques Picot (Francis Lederer
), a wealthy bachelor and ladies' man. Eve introduces herself as Mrs. Czerny.
Eve partners with Jacques (to Helene's annoyance). While they are playing, the man who was sitting next to her in the concert hall comes in: Helene's wealthy husband Georges Flammarion (John Barrymore
). Georges seems to recognize Eve as the wife of Baron Czerny, and chats with the "Baroness" about life in Budapest
. The "Baroness" and Jacques lose a few thousand franc
s, but Eve has no money to pay - until she finds that ten thousand francs has somehow appeared in her purse.
Jacques insists on seeing her back to her hotel (when asked, Eve simply asks him to guess, and he says the Ritz
). Georges hears this and slips away saying he forgot his gloves. Eve is stunned to find a suite reserved at the Ritz for Baroness Czerny.
Meanwhile, Tibor, who is worried about Eve, searches Paris for her, invoking memories of the First Battle of the Marne
to recruit his fellow taxi drivers.
When Eve awakes the next morning, "her" luggage is delivered - a set of trunks bearing the Czerny monogram and holding a complete new wardrobe. A car and driver are waiting outside for her. Eve is mystified and rather frightened by all this until her mysterious benefactor arrives. It is Georges, and he has a proposition for her. He saw through her the night before, and saw something else. His wife Helene is infatuated with Jacques - but last night, Jacques had eyes only for the "Baroness". Georges loves his wife and wants her back. He wants Eve to flirt with Jacques and break up his affair with Helene. Georges will pay Eve a nice sum if she succeeds, and Jacques might even marry her. He gives her an expense account of fifty thousand francs and invites her to the Flammarion country house for their upcoming week-end house party.
Eve captivates Jacques quite thoroughly. They both go to the Flammarion estate. While she is out and about with Jacques, one of the taxi drivers spots her. Tibor learns where she has gone - and that she is calling herself Baroness Czerny!
At the estate, Marcel, acting for Helene, has used the pawn ticket to retrieve the suitcase from Monte Carlo. In it is a group picture of some showgirls, one of whom looks very like the Baroness. Helene is about to expose Eve in front of all the guests when "Baron Tibor Czerny" is announced. Tibor has come to be with his "wife". Later, in private, Tibor professes his love for Eve. Eve hints that she has similar feelings, but she still thinks she wants financial security with a wealthy husband like Jacques.
The pretense continues the following morning. The "Baron" and "Baroness" have a long-distance telephone conversation with their sick child in Budapest (actually Georges in another room on an extension). Then Tibor reveals his true identity, only to have the "Baroness" explain that the Czerny barons are prone to fits of delusional madness. Jacques presses his suit, and offers to marry the Baroness if she leaves her husband, whom she has described as mentally cruel to her.
That's what Eve thinks she wants. She appears in a French court to get a sham divorce. Tibor is angry, but he accepts payment from Georges to go along. However, in court, Tibor pretends to be insane, knowing that will bar a divorce under French law. Jacques still wants the "Baroness", but Eve tells him gently that he should never marry - it would deprive so many women of his attentions. Helene is cured of her infatuation, and leaves arm-in-arm with Georges. Tibor and Eve go off to the marriage bureau - much to the surprise of the judge who just denied their divorce.
introduction by Robert Osborne
, the role that eventually went to Claudette Colbert was originally slated for Barbara Stanwyck
but scheduling problems prevented her from taking it.
A VHS videotape was released on March 28, 1995; a region 1 DVD was released on April 22, 2008.
(1945) with Dorothy Lamour
.
In 2007, Universal Studios
announced plans for a remake of Midnight to be shot in 2010, with Michael Arndt
as director and Reese Witherspoon
in the lead role. Universal currently owns the rights to the original version. However, as of November 2011, the film has not gone into production.
Mitchell Leisen
Mitchell Leisen was an American director, art director, and costume designer.-Film career:He entered the film industry in the 1920s, beginning in the art and costume departments...
and written by Charles Brackett
Charles Brackett
Charles William Brackett was an American novelist, screenwriter, and film producer.-Biography:Born on November 26, 1892 in Saratoga Springs, New York, Charles William Brackett was the son of New York State Senator, lawyer, and banker Edgar Truman Brackett...
and Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age...
based on a story by Edwin Justus Mayer and Franz Schulz. It starred Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
, Don Ameche
Don Ameche
Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
and John Barrymore
John Barrymore
John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
.
Plot
Eve Peabody (Claudette ColbertClaudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
) is an out-of-work American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
showgirl. She arrives in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
during a rainstorm with just the clothes on her back (an evening gown). Tibor Czerny (Don Ameche
Don Ameche
Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
), a Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver, takes pity on her. He drives her around to the city's nightclubs in a fruitless attempt to get her a job, buys her dinner at the taxi drivers' café, and offers to let her stay overnight at his apartment (he will be out driving all night). However, Eve does not want to impose on Tibor, and besides, she is already feeling attracted to him and doesn't want to begin a relationship with an impoverished taxi driver. When he stops for gas, she slips away.
Eve finds shelter from the rain at a stuffy concert hosted by socialite Stephanie (Hedda Hopper
Hedda Hopper
Hedda Hopper was an American actress and gossip columnist, whose long-running feud with friend turned arch-rival Louella Parsons became at least as notorious as many of Hopper's columns.-Early life:...
). She slips in with a group, handing over a pawn ticket (for her suitcase in Monte Carlo) as an invitation card. When the pawn ticket is detected, Stephanie tries to unmask the impostor. Eve tries to slip away, but is intercepted by Marcel (Rex O'Malley), who thinks she's simply bored and recruits her for a game of bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
in a side room. The other two players are Madame Helene Flammarion (Mary Astor
Mary Astor
Mary Astor was an American actress. Most remembered for her role as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart, Astor began her long motion picture career as a teenager in the silent movies of the early 1920s.She eventually made a successful transition to talkies, but almost...
) and Jacques Picot (Francis Lederer
Francis Lederer
Francis Lederer was a film and stage actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States.-Europe:...
), a wealthy bachelor and ladies' man. Eve introduces herself as Mrs. Czerny.
Eve partners with Jacques (to Helene's annoyance). While they are playing, the man who was sitting next to her in the concert hall comes in: Helene's wealthy husband Georges Flammarion (John Barrymore
John Barrymore
John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
). Georges seems to recognize Eve as the wife of Baron Czerny, and chats with the "Baroness" about life in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. The "Baroness" and Jacques lose a few thousand franc
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
s, but Eve has no money to pay - until she finds that ten thousand francs has somehow appeared in her purse.
Jacques insists on seeing her back to her hotel (when asked, Eve simply asks him to guess, and he says the Ritz
Hôtel Ritz Paris
The Hôtel Ritz is a grand palatial hotel in the heart of Paris, the 1st arrondissement. It overlooks the octagonal border of the Place Vendôme at number 15...
). Georges hears this and slips away saying he forgot his gloves. Eve is stunned to find a suite reserved at the Ritz for Baroness Czerny.
Meanwhile, Tibor, who is worried about Eve, searches Paris for her, invoking memories of the First Battle of the Marne
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
to recruit his fellow taxi drivers.
When Eve awakes the next morning, "her" luggage is delivered - a set of trunks bearing the Czerny monogram and holding a complete new wardrobe. A car and driver are waiting outside for her. Eve is mystified and rather frightened by all this until her mysterious benefactor arrives. It is Georges, and he has a proposition for her. He saw through her the night before, and saw something else. His wife Helene is infatuated with Jacques - but last night, Jacques had eyes only for the "Baroness". Georges loves his wife and wants her back. He wants Eve to flirt with Jacques and break up his affair with Helene. Georges will pay Eve a nice sum if she succeeds, and Jacques might even marry her. He gives her an expense account of fifty thousand francs and invites her to the Flammarion country house for their upcoming week-end house party.
Eve captivates Jacques quite thoroughly. They both go to the Flammarion estate. While she is out and about with Jacques, one of the taxi drivers spots her. Tibor learns where she has gone - and that she is calling herself Baroness Czerny!
At the estate, Marcel, acting for Helene, has used the pawn ticket to retrieve the suitcase from Monte Carlo. In it is a group picture of some showgirls, one of whom looks very like the Baroness. Helene is about to expose Eve in front of all the guests when "Baron Tibor Czerny" is announced. Tibor has come to be with his "wife". Later, in private, Tibor professes his love for Eve. Eve hints that she has similar feelings, but she still thinks she wants financial security with a wealthy husband like Jacques.
The pretense continues the following morning. The "Baron" and "Baroness" have a long-distance telephone conversation with their sick child in Budapest (actually Georges in another room on an extension). Then Tibor reveals his true identity, only to have the "Baroness" explain that the Czerny barons are prone to fits of delusional madness. Jacques presses his suit, and offers to marry the Baroness if she leaves her husband, whom she has described as mentally cruel to her.
That's what Eve thinks she wants. She appears in a French court to get a sham divorce. Tibor is angry, but he accepts payment from Georges to go along. However, in court, Tibor pretends to be insane, knowing that will bar a divorce under French law. Jacques still wants the "Baroness", but Eve tells him gently that he should never marry - it would deprive so many women of his attentions. Helene is cured of her infatuation, and leaves arm-in-arm with Georges. Tibor and Eve go off to the marriage bureau - much to the surprise of the judge who just denied their divorce.
Production notes
According to a Turner Classic MoviesTurner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
introduction by Robert Osborne
Robert Osborne
Robert Jolin Osborne is an American actor and film historian best known as the primary host for Turner Classic Movies, and previously a host of The Movie Channel.-Life and career:...
, the role that eventually went to Claudette Colbert was originally slated for Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
but scheduling problems prevented her from taking it.
Releases
The film was released to theaters in the United States on March 15, 1939.A VHS videotape was released on March 28, 1995; a region 1 DVD was released on April 22, 2008.
American Film Institute
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs - Nominated
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions - Nominated
Cast
- Claudette ColbertClaudette ColbertClaudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
as Eve Peabody / "Baroness Czerny" - Don AmecheDon AmecheDon Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor with a career spanning almost sixty years.-Personal life:...
as Tibor Czerny / "Baron Czerny" - John BarrymoreJohn BarrymoreJohn Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
as Georges Flammarion - Francis LedererFrancis LedererFrancis Lederer was a film and stage actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States.-Europe:...
as Jacques Picot - Mary AstorMary AstorMary Astor was an American actress. Most remembered for her role as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart, Astor began her long motion picture career as a teenager in the silent movies of the early 1920s.She eventually made a successful transition to talkies, but almost...
as Helene Flammarion - Elaine BarrieElaine BarrieElaine Barrie was an American actress who appeared in several films and one Broadway play...
as Simone - Hedda HopperHedda HopperHedda Hopper was an American actress and gossip columnist, whose long-running feud with friend turned arch-rival Louella Parsons became at least as notorious as many of Hopper's columns.-Early life:...
as Stephanie - Rex O'Malley as Marcel Renaud
- Monty WoolleyMonty WoolleyMonty Woolley was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor. At the age of 50, he achieved a measure of stardom for his best-known role in the stage play and 1942 film The Man Who Came to Dinner...
as Judge - Armand KalizArmand KalizArmand Kaliz was a French born American film actor of the silent film and early sound period of the 1930s.Born in Paris, Kaliz began his career in vaudeville...
as Lebon
Remake
The film was remade as Masquerade in MexicoMasquerade in Mexico
Masquerade in Mexico is a 1945 comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen. It stars Dorothy Lamour and Arturo de Córdova.-Cast:*Dorothy Lamour as Angel O'Reilly*Arturo de Córdova as Manolo Sergovia*Patric Knowles as Thomas Grant*Ann Dvorak as Helen Grant...
(1945) with Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour was an American film actress. She is best remembered for appearing in the Road to... movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope .-Early life:Lamour was born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton in New Orleans, Louisiana, the daughter of Carmen Louise Dorothy...
.
In 2007, Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
announced plans for a remake of Midnight to be shot in 2010, with Michael Arndt
Michael Arndt
Michael Arndt is an American screenwriter.After graduating from New York University, Arndt was a script reader for some time before choosing to write screenplays instead...
as director and Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
in the lead role. Universal currently owns the rights to the original version. However, as of November 2011, the film has not gone into production.