Middle of the Night (1959) is an American drama film directed by Delbert Mann and starring Fredric March and Kim Novak. The supporting cast includes Glenda Farrell, Albert Dekker, Martin Balsam, Lee Philips, and Lee Grant.
Betty Peisser (Novak) a recently divorced and working as a
secretary for a clothing manufacturer. Her boss, Jerry Kingsley, a much older widower who lives with his unmarried sister Evelyn (Edith Meiser) listens to
Betty’s retelling of her loveless marriage to her ex-husband George (Philips).
At first, Jerry’s affection for Betty is fatherly. But as time goes by, the two
begin to fall in love.
Will Jerry and Betty make their relationship work
despite the backlash from their friends and relatives?
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| Kim Novak and Fredric March |
Delbert Mann (1920 – 2007) was an American
television and film director. He won the Best Director Academy Award for his
first film, Marty (1955). Other Mann films include The
Bachelor Party (1957), Separate Tables (1958), Middle
of the Night (1959), Lover Come Back (1961),
and Dear Heart (1964). Mann still worked in television,
directing several movies including Heidi (1968), David
Copperfield (1969), and Jane Eyre (1970).
Kim Novak (1933 - ) is an American film and
television actress. She retired in 1991. Novak was one of the
last “studio-created” stars during a time when the studio system was in
decline. Born Marilyn Pauline Novak in Chicago, her name was changed to Kim
after she signed a long-term contract with Columbia Pictures in 1954. By the
next year, Novak was a major star working opposite the likes of Frank Sinatra
and William Holden. Some of her significant films include Picnic (1955), The
Man with the Golden Arm (1955), The Eddy Duchin Story (1956), Pal
Joey (1957), and Bell, Book and Candle (1958).
Perhaps her most celebrated film is her dual role in Vertigo (1958)
co-starring James Stewart and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In 2012, the
British Film Institute’s Sight & Sound critic’s poll
voted Vertigo as the best film of all time. After retiring
from film, Novak has devoted herself to painting and has exhibited her work
publicly.
Fredric March (1897 - 1975) was an American actor and
two-time Best Actor Academy Award winner. Also a famous stage actor, March won
two Tony Awards as well and is one of a few actors to have won both the Academy
Award and the Tony Award twice. March was an immediate success in films
receiving his first Best Actor nomination in 1930. He won his first Best Actor
Oscar for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) and second
for The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). During the 1930s and
1940s, March was a popular leading man starring opposite Greta Garbo, Joan
Crawford, Janet Gaynor, Norma Shearer, Katharine Hepburn, and Carole Lombard.
March continued acting on stage and in films until 1973, two years before his
death from cancer.
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| Lee Grant and Kim Novak |
Middle of the Night trivia
- Kim Novak considered this her best performance.
- Edward G. Robinson played March’s role on Broadway. Gena Rowlands had the Novak role on stage opposite Robinson.
- James Stewart, Ernest Borgnine, and James Cagney were all considered for the role of Jerry Kingsley.
- Jean Simmons was considered for the role of Betty.
Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.
Click HERE to join the online discussion on January 13,
2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation
with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.
Discussion questions
- Did you find the relationship between Novak and March believable?
- Do you think May-December relationships can be successful in real life?
- Was the chemistry between Novak and March believable?
- Did you find the ending satisfying?
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