Kim Novak and Fredric March meet in the “Middle of the Night”

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?

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.

 

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

1. Did you find the relationship between Novak and March believable?
2. Do you think May-December relationships can be successful in real life?
3. Was the chemistry between Novak and March believable?
4. Did you find the ending satisfying?

Cary Grant and Doris Day star in “That Touch of Mink”

That Touch of Mink (1962) is an American romantic comedy film directed by Delbert Mann and starring Cary Grant, Doris Day, Gig Young, and Audrey Meadows. Also in the cast are John Astin, Richard Deacon, and Richard (Dick) Sargent. And as themselves, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Roger Maris.

Cathy Timberlake (Day) is an unemployed New York City career woman. One day when she goes to the unemployment office she is harassed by Beasley (Astin), the clerk who tries to get her into bed. After she leaves the unemployment office, Philip Shayne (Grant) drives by in his chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce splashing her dress with mud while she’s on her way to a job interview.

Philip wants to make it up to Cathy so he proposes that he become her lover, an offer she wasn’t expecting since she was holding out for marriage. What will Cathy do? And how will Philip react?

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).

Cary Grant (1904 – 1986) was an English-born American actor who became one of the most popular leading men in film history. Grant started his career in vaudeville before heading to Hollywood. He became a superstar in the late 1930s in a series of screwball comedies including The Awful Truth (1937) with Irene Dunne. He was a memorable C. K. Dexter Haven in The Philadelphia Story (1940) opposite Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart. He received two Best Actor nominations for Penny Serenade (1941) and None but the Lonely Hearts (1944). Other classic Grant films include Gunga Din (1939), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). He made four popular films with Alfred Hitchcock: Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955), and North by Northwest (1959). He was presented with an Honorary Oscar at the 42nd Academy Awards in 1970.

Doris Day (1922 – 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer. With Les Brown and His Band of Renown, she had two number one hits with “Sentimental Journey” and “My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time.” She made her film debut in 1948 with her role in Romance on the High Seas (1948). Day became one of the biggest box office stars of all time starring in films like Calamity Jane (1953), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), and Pillow Talk (1959) for which she received her only Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Pillow Talk with Rock Hudson was such a hit that they co-starred in two other successful comedies: Lover Come Back (1961) and Send Me No Flowers (1964). Other Day movies include Love Me or Leave Me (1955), The Pajama Game (1957), The Thrill of it All (1962) and Move Over Darling (1962).

 

That Touch of Mink trivia

• Cary Grant was a big fan of The Honeymooners and Audrey Meadows in particular. He was responsible for her getting the role of Connie.
• Cary Grant was involved with many details of the film’s production including set design and some of Doris Day’s wardrobe.
• Rock Hudson thought he was going to be cast as Philip, but director Mann wanted Grant.
• Doris Day was 39 at the time of filming. Her character was supposed to be in her twenties. Grant was older than his character was supposed to be as well. Grant was 57.
• Day said that Grant was professional and courteous but remote.
• This was the fourth highest grossing film of 1962.

 

To watch the film on YouTube, click here.

 

 To join the discussion on October 9, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. This was the only pairing between Grant and Day; do you think they had good chemistry together?
2. This film was made in the early 1960s. Do you think a film like this could be made today? Who would you cast in the leads?
3. Was Day believable as an out-of-work career woman?
4. What advice would you have given Day’s character regarding her relationship with Grant?
5. Do you think the film would have been different or better with Rock Hudson?
6. Did you have a favorite scene or piece of dialogue?

 

 

 

Ernest Borgnine is “Marty”

Marty (1955) is an American drama directed by Delbert Mann and starring Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. Esther Minciotti, Augusta Ciolli, Karen Steele, Jerry Paris, and Joe Mantell round out the cast.

Marty (Borgnine) is an Italian-American butcher who lives in the Bronx with his mother (Minciotti). As a 34-year-old bachelor, Marty is constantly badgered by friends and family about his still being single. They even point out that all his siblings are married, some with children. Marty would like to get married but he’s been disappointed by his dwindling prospects.

One night, Marty meets Clara (Blair) a plain high school teacher who is crying because she was just dumped by her blind date. The two spend the evening together dancing, walking, and talking in a diner. Marty really enjoys being with Clara but his friends and family discourage the relationship, including his mother who fears she will be abandoned once Marty gets married.

Will Marty ignore the opinions of his friends and family and find happiness with Clara?

Betsy Blair and Ernest Borgnine

Marty trivia

• Rod Steiger, who created the role in the TV production of Marty turned down the role in the film because the producers wanted him to sign a multi-film contract.
• This director Delbert Mann’s first movie. For his efforts, he won the Academy Award for Best Director.
• The film was made in 16 days with an additional 3 days for reshoots.
• Nancy Marchand was set to repeat her television performance until Betsy Blair, with the help of her then husband, Gene Kelly, campaigned for the role.
• Made for only $343,000, Marty went on to make $3 million in the U.S., making it a box-office hit.

 

To watch the movie on YouTube, click on the link here.

To join the discussion on July 3, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. Do you think Marty’s dating life has changed all that much in the 21^st century?
2. Did you find Marty a realistic portrayal of life in 1950s New York City with all its family and friendship dynamics?
3. What did you think of Ernest Borgnine’s portrayal? Betsy Blair’s?
4. Were there any supporting character performances that were especially good?