Remember The Night (1940)

 

Remember The Night - 1942

Coming up next is 1940's "Remember The Night", the story of a thief who spends the Christmas holidays with a down to earth family who make her question everything she's ever known.

The film's cast includes Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson, Willard Robertson, Sterling Holloway, and Virginia Brissac.

Jewelry thief Lee Leander is on trial after being caught stealing and trying to sell the stolen merchandise.

Nearly Christmastime, the prosecutor asks for a recess until after Christmas in order to give him an edge.  Lee is devastated that she'll have to spend the Christmas period in jail.  She can't post bail because she has no money.

The prosecutor, John Sargent, overhears Lee's conversation with her lawyer.  Feeling badly, he decides to put up the bail money himself so that she can spend Christmas with her family.

At first, Lee is a little apprehensive about John's motives.  He tells her that she deserves to have Christmas with her family no matter what she's done.  They can resume their mutual animosity when the holiday is over.

He takes her for dinner and dancing to begin the holiday right.  There, Lee's defenses begin to drop.  John agrees to drive Lee to her mother's home in Indiana.  He's going the same way, just a little further, so it will be no trouble.  He will pick her up when he's on his way back.

They get a little lost on the way and have to spend the night in a field.  When they wake up in the morning, they realize that they are in the middle of a field of cows who are very curious about the strange object in their pasture.

When they finally get to Lee's mother's house, they find that the woman wants absolutely nothing to do with her daughter and turns them from the house.

Feeling terrible about the situation, John decides to take Lee home with him for the holidays.  His family is overjoyed and welcomes her with open arms.  Lee is overwhelmed by their generosity.

They whisk Lee right into the living room, where they start trimming the tree and singing while John plays the piano.  Lee even gets in a little piano playing of her own.  The next day, which is Christmas, Lee happily watches the family open the gifts they've gotten for each other.

And she gets overwhelmed once again by their generosity when one by one they each give her something for Christmas.

Christmas night, the entire family and Lee attend a charity bazaar and dress-up dance.  John gets a look at Lee and sparks fly!

They spend the evening dancing.  His family watches with joy on their faces.

On the way back to New York, John decides to go by way of Canada, and they stop at Niagara Falls.  John tells Lee he loves her and wants to marry her.  He also hopes that she'll skip bail.  Lee feels the same way about John, but she doesn't want to skip out on her bail.

Back in New York, Lee now says that she never loved John.  She wants to put some distance between them as she knows she will be headed for jail.  John mentions to her that he thought it was all settled.  Lee replies, "That was in Niagara Falls!  People aren’t responsible for what they say in Niagara Falls!"

Lee tells the judge that she's guilty, despite the protests of John.  She says that when a person makes a mistake they've got to pay for it, otherwise they might never learn the lesson.  She also tells John that they can get married once she's out of jail.

Cast rundown:

   Barbara Stanwyck................................Lee Leander

   Fred MacMurray...................................John Sargent

   Beulah Bondi.......................................Mrs. Lucy Sargent

   Elizabeth Patterson..............................Aunt Emma

   Willard Robertson.................................Francis X. O'Leary

   Sterling Holloway.................................Willie Simms

   Virginia Brissac....................................Mrs. Emory

And that's it for Remember The Night.  Barbara Stanwyck so impressed screenwriter Preston Sturges that he told her that he was going to write her a  screwball comedy film.  That film eventually became "The Lady Eve".  Stanwyck initially didn't believe him, because she was primarily known for playing dramatic roles, such as femme fatales and fallen women.  This movie was completed ahead of schedule and came in way under budget.  The director attributed this to Stanwyck professionalism.  "She never blew one line through the whole picture.  She set that kind of pace and everybody worked harder, trying to outdo her," he said.

A little while after the film's release, the Lux Radio Theater adapted the script for use on the radio.  Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray reprised their roles for the one hour production.  You can hear it in its entirety here.

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My Sister Eileen (1942)

 

My Sister Eileen - 1942

Coming up next is 1942's "My Sister Eileen", the story of two sisters who move to New York City in the hopes of launching their respective careers.  Before they can make the big time, they've got to sort out a place to live.  The cast of characters that comes through their new abode is unbelievable!

The film's cast includes Rosalind Russell, Brian Aherne, Janet Blair, George Tobias, Allyn Joslyn, Grant Mitchell, Elizabeth Patterson, June Havoc, Donald MacBride, and Jeff Donnell.

Ruth Sherwood, a writer from Columbus, Ohio, is looking to broaden her horizons.  For her, this means a move to New York City, where things are really happening.  She's won her grandmother over to her side, much to the consternation of her father.

Ruth's younger sister, aspiring actress Eileen, invites herself along.  Ruth knows that Eileen needs just as much of a chance as she does, so she lets her.

They arrive in New York City and are instantly beset with the problem of where to live.  They spend the entire day scouring the city for a residence and come up short at each location.

They are talked into renting a below-street apartment by a fast-talking landlord.  It has much to be desired, but the two sisters know they've got to have a roof over their heads.

It's completely unfortunate for them that their window is right at street level, allowing everything from animals to drunk and disorderly men a front row seat to their lives.  Even a street cleaner sprays water in the open window, thoroughly soaking the girls.

And Eileen starts meeting people who want to drop in all the time.  They include a married couple who don't want the woman's mother to know their married.  The mother is visiting and so the man (a wrestler and football player) wants to stay in the girls' cozy kitchenette.  A bonus for them is that he does laundry.

A boy who works at the local drugstore and a theater reporter both have the hots for Eileen.  The two guys come over and vie for her attentions, not one paying much attention to Ruth.

A former tenant of the apartment, who happens to be a psychic at a Russian nightclub, is brought to the girls, who've got to let her stay until she wakes up.  Will the intrusions ever end?

There is someone for Ruth, however.  An editor named Bob Baker takes an interest in Ruth AND her work.  Ruth is thrilled, though she can't seem to get a word in edgewise during their conversations.

While waiting for steady jobs to come through, Ruth and Eileen have to be creative with their meals.  They eat spaghetti and meatballs for as long as it will last them.  And Eileen gets a bunch of free samples of a product called "Nature's Broom".  Ruth isn't too sure about it.

While on assignment one day, a group of Portuguese Merchant Marines follow Ruth home.  When they arrive, the guys quickly toss her aside in favor of Eileen.

They cause quite a stir.  No matter what the girls do, they can't get the guys to leave.  The guys start a conga line and eventually a sort of riot breaks out in the neighborhood.

And Eileen has to spend a night in jail because of it.  Eileen is actually quite comfortable there.  She's got the policemen eating out of the palm of her hand.

Matters come to a head when Grandma and Dad make a surprise visit and find out exactly what's been going on.  Grandma seems to be cool with it, but Dad isn't so happy.

The icing on the cake is when Eileen is escorted home from jail by the Portuguese Merchant Marines and their captain, who is very sorry.  He pins a medal on Eileen (second class) for all the trouble she's gone through.  "I wonder what you have to go through to get first class?" wonders Ruth.

Dad blows his top and orders the girls back to Columbus.  He takes Grandma with him to buy the tickets and leaves the girls to pack.

While they're gone, things start to look up.  Bob Baker comes in and announces that he's published a story of Ruth's entitled "My Sister Eileen".  The story talks about all the things that have happened since arriving in New York.  It also comes with a big check.  Bob also professes his love for Ruth, who reciprocates.

Everything seems to be settled.  The girls are going to stay in New York, and everyone is going out for a celebratory dinner.  As they leave, a commotion stops everyone in their tracks.  Diggers for the new subway have taken a wrong turn and have landed right in the middle of the girls' apartment.

Cast rundown:

   Rosalind Russell.....................................Ruth Sherwood

   Brian Aherne.........................................Robert Baker

   Janet Blair.............................................Eileen Sherwood

   George Tobias........................................Appopolous

   Allyn Joslyn...........................................Chic Clark

   Grant Mitchell........................................Walter Sherwood

   Elizabeth Patterson.................................Grandma Sherwood

   June Havoc............................................Effie Shelton

   Donald MacBride.....................................Officer Lonigan

   Jeff Donnell............................................Helen Loomis

And that's it for My Sister Eileen.  Rosalind Russell was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Ruth Sherwood.  It was the first of four nominations for the legendary star.  To get the starring role, Russell had to sign a five-year contract with Columbia Pictures, which guaranteed that she would make two films a year for them.

The Three Stooges make a surprise cameo at the end of the film as the bumbling subway workers who make a wrong turn and end up drilling into the Sherwood girls' apartment.

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