History Is Made At Night (1937)

 

History Is Made At Night - 1937

Coming up next is 1937's "History Is Made At Night", a story about a woman trapped in a loveless marriage and the man she meets who encapsulates all she's ever hoped for in a relationship.

The film's cast includes Charles Boyer, Jean Arthur, Leo Carrillo, Colin Clive, Dora Clement, and Tim Holt.

Shipping magnate Bruce Vail is not happy.  His marriage to his wife Irene has crumbled, and she has decided to file for divorce.  They are completely incompatible.  Being a proud and jealous man, Bruce can't let the divorce go through.  They arrive in Paris, where the scene is set.

Bruce hires his chauffeur to compromise Irene so that any divorce she is seeking will not be successful.  There is a struggle, and Irene screams.

She is overheard by a mysterious man in a coat and hat.  The chauffeur is knocked out.  Bruce comes into the room and finds himself being pushed into a closet and the door locked.  Then, Irene and the man make their exit.

Irene is naturally very nervous about this man's intentions.  However, he turns out to be a good guy and just wanted to save her from a potentially nasty situation.  His name is Paul.

Paul takes Irene to a café, and, with a little help from his friend Cesare and the orchestra, he provides her with an unforgettable evening.

They spend the entire night dancing and talking, telling each other things that they've never told anybody else before.  Before they realize it, they are in love.  They make plans to marry once Irene can obtain her divorce from Bruce.

Bruce, however, is very unhappy with the events that have transpired.  He decides to kill his chauffeur and pin it on the man who "abducted" Irene.

Bruce lets Irene believe that Paul killed the chauffeur once she returns.  However, he has no clue as to who Paul even is, having only seen him in the shadows.  Bruce tells Irene that he will not pursue charges against the murderer if she will return to New York with him.  Reluctantly, she agrees, thinking he knows who Paul is.

It turns out that Paul is the most famous head waiter in all of Paris, and Cesare is the most famous chef.  They work together as a team.  Paul is devastated when Irene is not at their rendezvous point and finds out that she is sailing to New York.  He calls the ship and asks to speak with Irene.

With tears in her eyes, Irene tells Paul that she can't be with him and that he must never speak with her again.  Then, she hangs up the telephone.

Paul figures that Irene is in trouble.  He quits his job, and, along with Cesare, travels to New York to find her.  "Look at them skywipers!" exclaims Cesare as he surveys the New York skyline for the first time.

Paul and Cesare get jobs at a second rate French restaurant.  They eventually turn it into THE place to eat.  Paul knows that it's only a matter of time until Irene hears of the restaurants fame and decides to try it out.  Then, the two will be reunited.

Meanwhile, Bruce is playing cruelly with Irene's feelings.  He informs her that the man who kidnapped her and murdered the chauffeur in Paris has been found and is facing the guillotine.  She must return with him for the trial.  He also wants to be in Paris on the day his brand new ocean liner, the Princess Irene, docks.  The plan is to leave for Europe that very night about the Hindenburg.

Before they go, they have dinner at Paul's restaurant, and Irene realizes that Paul is in no danger of the guillotine.  She breaks all her plans with an irate Bruce and she and Paul pick up where they left off.

To keep an innocent man from facing the guillotine, Paul and Irene head to Europe on the maiden voyage of the Princess Irene.  They spend as much all their time together.  However, a thick fog has eerily shrouded the ship.

Like another famous ship, the Princess Irene collides with an iceberg and begins to take on water fast.

Because of the inability to communicate with the ship, various new outlets report that the ship has probably gone to the bottom of the ocean and that the loss of life is probably even greater than the Titanic.  Listening to the reports from his Paris office, Bruce Vail writes a note in which he acknowledges murdering his chauffeur, and shoots himself in front of a portrait of Irene.

Happily, the ship's watertight doors hold, and there is no danger of sinking.  Paul and Irene rejoice with the other passengers in their second chance at life.

Cast rundown:

   Charles Boyer................................Paul Dumond

   Jean Arthur...................................Irene Vail

   Leo Carrillo...................................Cesare

   Colin Clive....................................Bruce Vail

   Dora Clement................................Dowager

   Tim Holt........................................S.O.S. Radio Operator

And that's it for History Is Made At Night.  This movie has also made it on the list of my favorite films.  Actress Dana Delany seems to agree.  She announced on Twitter that she watches this movie every Valentine's Day.  In 1940, Charles Boyer reprised his role for a 40-minute radio adaptation of the movie.

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The Girl From 10th Avenue (1935)

The Girl From 10th Avenue - 1935

Our next film is 1935's "The Girl From 10th Avenue", a movie in which a man and woman are married after an evening of drinking, and come to realize how much they mean to each other.

The film's cast includes Bette Davis, Ian Hunter, Colin Clive, Alison Skipworth, John Eldredge, Phillip Reed, Katharine Alexander, and Helen Jerome Eddy.

A high society wedding is happening in New York City.  A large crowd has gathered outside the church to see the happy couple.

An drunken man staggers through the crowd and steps on the foot of a bystander.

The man is Geoffrey Sherwood, who was a former flame of the bride.  The crowd listens to his drunken ramblings with amusement.  The woman whose foot he's stepped on is Miriam Brady, a working girl who is looking to catch a glimpse of the couple while on her lunch break.

Miriam hears talk in the crowd of getting a policeman to take Geoffrey away to a mental hospital so he won't disturb the proceedings.  She gets him away and invites him for a drink, which he gladly accepts.

The bride and groom (John and Valentine Marland) come out of the church.  The first thing Valentine does is ask the groomsmen about Geoffrey.  She then gets into the car that will take her and her new husband to their wedding reception.

The groomsmen, who happen to be friends of Geoffrey's, track him and Miriam to a restaurant.  Seeing what kind of a state Geoffrey is in, they offer Miriam $100 to keep an eye on him so that he doesn't get into trouble.

For the rest of the day they continue drinking, and Geoffrey tells her his life story.  The next day, the two find they have been married by a justice of the peace.

Miriam offers to give Geoffrey back the ring.  But he tells her to keep it.  They agree to stay married, but Miriam says that Geoffrey can leave anytime he wants to.  During the next several weeks, Miriam gets Geoffrey to sober up and stop taking alcohol, making a huge improvement with him.

She also works on herself.  She enlists the help of her landlady, Mrs. Martin, an ex-Florodora showgirl.  With Mrs. Martin's assistance, she transforms herself into being a well-read and well-bred lady.

After several weeks, Valentine comes to Geoffrey's office and tells him that she and her husband have been living apart, and she wants Geoffrey back.

On an outing one day, Miriam runs into Geoffrey's friends, as well as Valentine's husband John.

John tells Miriam that his wife is after Geoffrey, but that Geoffrey hasn't made any advances towards her.

When Miriam confronts Geoffrey about it, he tells her to leave the situation alone.  Finding herself in love, Miriam doesn't know what to do about it.

She tries to figure out what to do.  She tells Mrs. Martin that she's going to confront Valentine.  "I'm going to give that dame a shock!" she announces.  Mrs. Martin advises her to remember her manners and newly acquired good breeding when dealing with Valentine.

The next day, Valentine is at the Waldorf giving a party for a friend and chatting about the poor girl that Geoffrey married.

When Miriam walks in, it surprises Valentine, who can't take her eyes off of her.  Mrs. Martin remarks to Miriam, "Some woman is breaking her neck trying to look at you."  When Valentine quickly turns around, Miriam and Mrs. Martin smile to each other, knowing they are getting under her skin just by being there.

It further annoys Valentine when one of her friends remarks on Miriam.  "She has an interesting look.  She's just the sort of person you want to know," says Valentine's friend.

Miriam gets up and introduces herself to Valentine.  During the course of the conversation, Miriam lets Valentine know that she knows all about how she's after Geoffrey.  She does it in a very polite way.

When Valentine tries to get up to leave, Miriam tells her, "if you do, I'll put this grapefruit right in your face."  She doesn't say it rudely, just firm enough for Valentine to know she means business.

Instead of it being Miriam, Valentine herself causes a scene when she picks up the grapefruit and throws it at Miriam, causing herself great embarrassment.

Valentine is horrified at her own outburst.  Miriam just smiles and says, "Sometimes I do that, but my aim is better."  Afterwards, Miriam and Mrs. Martin walk triumphantly out of the Waldorf together.

Geoffrey hears about the encounter at the Waldorf and is upset with Miriam.  He packs his things and leaves.  Miriam says she never wants to see him again.

He does some thinking before going to see Valentine.  He tells her that it's over between them.

He rushes home to Miriam and presents her with a much better ring than the one he bought from the justice of the peace.  They smile and walk into their apartment together.

Cast rundown:

   Bette Davis.....................................Miriam Brady

   Ian Hunter......................................Geoffrey Sherwood

   Colin Clive.......................................John Marland

   Alison Skipworth..............................Mrs. Martin

   John Eldredge..................................Hugh Brown

   Phillip Reed......................................Tony Hewlett

   Katharine Alexander..........................Valentine Marland

   Helen Jerome Eddy...........................Miss Mansfield

And that's all for The Girl From 10th Avenue.  At just over an hour, this is a relatively short film.  It's well worth watching for the confrontation scene between Miriam and Valentine at the Waldorf.

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