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.
Coming up next we have 1940's "Lillian Russell", a highly fictionalized biopic about the legendary singer and actress who electrified audiences just before and at the turn of the 20th century.
The film's cast includes Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Henry Fonda, Edward Arnold, Warren William, Leo Carrillo, Helen Westley, Dorothy Peterson, Ernest Truex, Lynn Bari, Claud Allister, Eddie Foy Jr., Una O'Connor, Joseph Cawthorn, Ferike Boros, and Irving Bacon.
Helen Leonard wants to be a famous singer/actress one day. She delights her family by singing such songs as "Brighten The Corner Where You Are" and "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star".
But it's her rendition of "And The Band Played On" that rockets her to stardom and causes her first theater boss to change her name from Helen Leonard to the ultra chic Lillian Russell.
Lillian has all kinds of success in her new career. Men want to date her, and women want to copy her. At the opening of her first show, she sings "Ma Blushin' Rosie". Later, after she is established on the stage, she performs a full rendition of "After The Ball" for President Grover Cleveland over the telephone with a full orchestra and vocal accompaniment during an intermission.
She is a sensation in both America and Europe. As her career matures, Lillian sings such emotional songs as "Blue Lovebird", but she never loses touch with songs with which she is most often associated, such as "Waltz Is King/After The Ball".
The film also explores Lillian's various relationships, including her longest one with Diamond Jim Brady, who showers her with gifts and is smitten from the moment he first meets her.
Jim is always sending Lillian presents. At one show, she playfully scolds him. "Now, Jim Brady, just look at all these lovely
presents you sent me.A basket of orchids with a diamond necklace
and bracelet, American Beauty roses with
rubies, gardenias with emeralds, violets with pearls, and a jewel
studded bicycle.Jim, have you lost your mind?" she asks. He smiles and says, "No, just my heart."
We also watch Lillian's happiness with her husband, Edward Solomon, who wrote the song "Blue Lovebirds" for her.
And a man who always seems to be there for the important moments in Lillian's life finds a special place in her heart as well.
Cast rundown:
Alice Faye................................Lillian Russell
Don Ameche............................Edward Solomon
Henry Fonda............................Alexander Moore
Edward Arnold.........................Diamond Jim Brady
Eddie Foy Jr.............................Eddie Foy Sr.
Una O'Connor..........................Marie
Joseph Cawthorn......................Leopold Damrosch
Ferike Boros............................Mrs. Rose
Irving Bacon............................Soldier
And that's all for Lillian Russell. Alice Faye absolutely shines in the title role. Originally, MGM was slated to do a film about the famous songstress with Jeanette MacDonald in the lead role. That project fell through and 20th Century Fox picked it up. Henry Fonda was forced to do this film in order for him to play the lead role in "The Grapes of Wrath". He intensely disliked the experience.
