Star Of Midnight (1935)

Star Of Midnight - 1935

Our next film is 1935's "Star Of Midnight", starring William Powell and Ginger Rogers.  A lawyer helps tries to help a friend find his missing girlfriend, but stumbles upon a murder in his own home.  He must now try and figure out how the two events are connected.

The film's supporting cast includes Paul Kelly, Gene Lockhart, Ralph Morgan, Leslie Fenton, J. Farrell McDonald, Russell Hopton, Vivien Oakland, Robert Emmett O'Connor, and George Chandler.

The film begins with a man named Tim who asks his lawyer friend Dal (Powell) for help in locating his missing girlfriend.  She disappeared without a trace.  There are no clues to go on.  Dal says he'll keep his ear to the ground and let him know if he hears anything.

Dal's girlfriend Donna (Rogers), who wants to marry him very badly, arrives for an evening out with Dal.  They have plans to go to the theater, and Tim goes with them.

They go to see a sold-out show with a very intriguing actress named Mary Smith, who is famous for never taking off a mask, even when she isn't performing.  During the show, Dal has to leave to run an errand for Donna.  While he's gone, Tim recognizes Mary Smith as Alice.  He shouts her name and she disappears again.

Tim goes to see Dal, who is now at home.  He tells him what happened at the theater.  While he's talking, a knock is heard at the door.  Dal tells Tim to go and wait in the study while he sees who it is.

The door opens to reveal reporter Tommy Tennant.  He asks Dal a few questions, and then also tells him his version of events of what happened in the theater.  As he was following the man who shouted out Alice's name, he came across a huge story.

Just as Tommy is about to tell the story, a gun appears from behind the study door.  Two shots ring out.  Tommy is instantly killed, while Dal is grazed in the hip.  The shooter throws his gun at the two bodies and flees the scene.  Dal goes to the study to see if he can find Tim, whom he sent in after the knock at the door.  He can't find Tim, but there is an open window.

Policemen come to the apartment and question Dal about events at his apartment.  One of them becomes suspicious of Dal and blames the whole murder on him, saying he grazed himself in the hip to deflect attention.

They come back to ask more questions the next morning, following him into the bathroom so Dal's girlfriend Donna can't hear what's being said.

Wanting to get himself out from under suspicion, Dal decides to investigate the murder.  He enlists the help of Donna and his butler, Swayne.

His investigations lead him to the apartment of Mary Smith (Alice, who ran away from the theater).  The police, who have been trailing Dal, also arrive at the apartment.  Dal tells them that he now thinks the disappearance of Alice and the murder of Tommy Tennant are connected.  The police are very interested in that possibility.

Dal's sleuthing eventually leads him to the mob and a powerful mob boss named Jim Kinland.

A former girlfriend even shows up at Dal's apartment late one night to discuss the case with him.

Of course, Donna (who pretends to be Dal's wife) is having none of that, and the old girlfriend quickly leaves.

The old girlfriend's husband even talks with Dal about the case.  With so many suspects, including Dal's own butler, things quickly get more and more baffling.

One night after being mistaken as a suspect in the murder by a theater usher, Dal decides to stop investigating.  "When I’ve got to pay a reward to a correspondence school detective to find out that the most promising suspect in a murder case I’m investigating is myself, I’d better quit," says Dal.

After he's made the decision to quit, Donna finds that a picture on Dal's wall is crooked.  He removes the picture and discovers a listening device.  He's suddenly interested in investigating again.

To compound matters, Tim (the man who was in the study who had disappeared when the shots were fired at Dal) appears at his apartment and is badly beat up.

When Dal is out of the room, Tim is attacked.  Dal asks Tim who it was.  All Tim can say is that it was a woman.

Piecing more and more of the puzzle together, Dal decides to set a trap and entice the killer to come to Alice's apartment.  Donna bravely goes with him.

Low and behold, a woman appears in the doorway of Alice's apartment.  Dal tries to hold her off by talking until the police can get there.

The police do get there in the nick of time and put a slug in the woman.  Only, it turns out it's not a woman at all.  It was just a mask the real killer was wearing. (I won't spoil it and tell you who it was.)

To end things well, Tim and Alice get back together.  Dal and Donna get married, and they have a celebratory drink before retiring to bed.

Cast rundown:

   William Powell....................................Clay "Dal" Dalzell

   Ginger Rogers....................................Donna Mantin

   Paul Kelly...........................................Jim Kinland

   Gene Lockhart....................................Horatio Swayne

   Ralph Morgan.....................................Roger Classon

   Leslie Fenton......................................Tim Winthrop

   J. Farrell McDonald..............................Inspector Doremus

   Russell Hopton....................................Tommy Tennant

   Vivien Oakland....................................Jerry Classon

   Robert Emmett O'Connor......................Police Sgt. Cleary

   George Chandler..................................Witness

And that's all for Star Of Midnight.  If you enjoy whodunits, you'll definitely want to watch this one.  I love Powell and Rogers' witty banter and the way they work so well together.  Ginger Rogers started working on this film immediately after the film Roberta had finished.  After this movie, she jumped into her next project, another Fred Astaire film, Top Hat.

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The Bride Walks Out (1936)

The Bride Walks Out - 1936

Coming up next is 1936's "The Bride Walks Out", starring Barbara Stanwyck.  A working man and woman get married.  When the bride wants to return to work to help with finances, the groom refuses.  She does goes to work on the sly, and when he finds out, he's furious.  When he protests, she walks out.  Will they get back together?

The film's supporting cast includes Gene Raymond, Robert Young, Ned Sparks, Helen Broderick, Hattie McDaniel, Irving Bacon, and Charles Lane.

At the beginning of the film, we meet Michael Martin (Raymond) and his friend Paul.  Paul wants to get married to a lady named Carolyn (Stanwyck).  She wants him to make more than $30 a week.  He's fixed it so he now makes $35 a week as a surveyor.

Carolyn is a model in a dress shop.  Michael goes there to tell her the good news.  He's making more, so now they can be married.

When Carolyn sees Michael and Paul in her dress shop, she's very surprised.  She also refuses to marry Michael, because he insists she quit her job so that he can support her alone.  They get in a big fight, which results in the guys getting thrown out of the shop.

Eventually, Michael wears her down and she agrees to get married.  Unfortunately, they get in a big fight right after the ceremony.  The judge asks Michael to settle down.  Michael gets mad and punches the judge, which results in Michael's getting arrested.

At the courthouse, wealthy and drunk Hugh McKenzie is also appearing before the judge.  He's convicted of the crime he committed, pays the fine, and is set free.

He sees Carolyn sitting in the gallery, and he is immediately attracted to her.  He sits next to her in order to get to know her better.  She resists all his advances.

When Michael's case comes up, the judge tells him he owes $50 or face jail time.  Hugh comes to their rescue and offers to pay the fine.  Michael tells him they'll pay him back.

He even sees them home.  After giving Michael some pointers on how to carry a bride across a threshold, Hugh leaves.  Michael and Carolyn are finally alone.  However, they have to be alone in the dark as the electricity has been turned off due to lack of money.

Three months later, things still aren't any better.  Michael and Carolyn owe money on everything: the milkman, the grocer, the furniture store.  They just can't seem to get ahead.

Their finances aren't helped by the fact that Carolyn likes to shop.  She goes with Paul's wife Mattie to a "dollar day" at a local store.  She also happens to buy a fifty dollar dress.

After going to bed that night, Michael and Carolyn are awakened by a loud noise coming from the street.  It turns out to be a drunk Hugh making a nuisance of himself and annoying the neighbors.

They get him up to their apartment and attempt to sober him up.  When Michael tries to take him home, he finds that Hugh has fallen asleep on their couch.  They let him stay the night.

The next morning, Carolyn helps him with an ice pack for his hangover.  He's grateful to her for letting him stay the night.  As a thank you, he helps her with the day's housework before going home.

Carolyn and Michael still can't scrape together the necessary money to keep their furniture from being repossessed.  On New Year's Eve, the furniture store sends some workmen to collect the furniture, leaving their apartment empty.  Carolyn has kept the fact that they are behind in their bills from Michael, who thinks she's managing splendidly on $35 a week.

Who should come to the apartment as it is being emptied but Hugh, bringing two very large bottles of champagne.

Carolyn and Mattie invite him to stay for a drink.  While there, Hugh quietly surmises what's going on.  He tells Carolyn he has a hugely successful store and wishes he could give money away.  She asks him if he's offering her money, and tells him not to do it again.

They get a bit drunk and even have a sing-a-long session with the furniture movers.  It doesn't last long, though, as Carolyn and Mattie have to meet their husbands for a New Year's Eve celebration.  Carolyn isn't looking forward to it, as she has to break the news about their furniture situation.

At dinner that night, Carolyn brings up the possibility of her returning to work.  Michael very emphatically says no.  They argue and Michael leaves before the clock strikes twelve.  Carolyn didn't even have a chance to talk to him about the furniture or their bills.

She catches him before he can get into their apartment.  They kiss and make up, then make their way to their door.

When they walk in, Carolyn is shocked to see that all their furniture has been returned.  Michael finds a bottle of champagne with a note attached.  It's from Hugh, who stopped by and felt that the place was a little empty, so he left something to make it a little more homey.  Later on, Carolyn decides to go to work for Hugh's company so she won't have to live in fear of bill collectors again.

She does so well that she hires a cook/maid.  The maid cooks the dinners before Michael gets home so Carolyn can present them as her own home-cooked meals.  One day, Carolyn runs late and Michael gets home before her.  Finding the maid and not knowing how they can afford her, Michael starts asking questions.

When Carolyn does make it home, Michael confronts her.  She tells him how hard it was living on $35 a week when it took $85 a week.  He asks her if she intends to go on working.  When she says yes, he packs a bag and starts to leave.  She grabs her hat and coat and says she's walking out on him instead.

After he gets a summons for divorce, Michael goes to confront Hugh, whom he assumes is dating Carolyn.  Hugh says yes he does love her, but he had nothing to do with the divorce papers.  Michael decides to let her go.

Hugh introduces Carolyn to his father, who is very grateful to Carolyn for getting his son to stop drinking and getting him back on track.  He advises Hugh to marry her just as soon as he can.

Michael decides to go to South America on a dangerous surveying job.  Paul tells him not to do it, but Michael ignores him.  The job pays very well, and he wants Carolyn to have it.  It's more than likely that he will be killed there, but that doesn't stop him from accepting the job.

Paul and Mattie track down Carolyn and tell her what's going on.  She realizes she still has feelings for Michael, and she asks Hugh to lend him his car so they can get to him before his boat sails.  Knowing he will lose her if he goes along with it, Hugh gallantly agrees.

Once they see Michael, they do their best to get him to stay.  They even tell the police some phony stories about him just so they can stop him from getting on the boat.  They are successful, but Michael is very angry.

When Carolyn tells the police she made up the stories, they let Michael go and arrest her instead.  As they are taking her away in the police wagon, she tells Michael that she wants to quit her job to help him start his own surveyor's business.  He kisses her as the wagon makes its way to the police station.

Cast rundown:

   Barbara Stanwyck...................................Carolyn Martin

   Gene Raymond.......................................Michael Martin

   Robert Young..........................................M. Hugh McKenzie

   Ned Sparks............................................Paul Dodson

   Helen Broderick......................................Mattie Dodson

   Hattie McDaniel......................................Mamie

   Irving Bacon...........................................Chauffeur

   Charles Lane..........................................Judge

And that's all for The Bride Walks Out.  An interesting note: the dress in the window that Carolyn buys for $49.50 in 1936 would cost her $918.67 in 2020.  Also, Ned Sparks and Helen Broderick are absolutely hilarious and not to be missed as a verbally sparring couple who continue to spat to show their love to one another.

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