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.

 

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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?

Frank Capra’s “Lady for a Day”

Lady for a Day (1933) is an American pre-Code comedy-drama directed by Frank Capra and starring Warren William, May Robson, Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks, Walter Connolly, Glenda Farrell, and Jean Parker. The screenplay was written by frequent Capra collaborator, Robert Riskin, based on Madame La Gimp by Damon Runyon. The cinematography was by Joseph Walker.

The plot centers on Apple Annie (Robson), an old woman who sells fruit in New York City. She has a daughter named Louise (Parker) who has been raised in a Spanish convent since she was a baby. Louise has been led to believe that her mother is a rich society matron by the name of Mrs. E. Worthington Manville who lives in the Hotel Marberry. Annie’s secret is about to be discovered when she learns that her daughter is sailing to New York with her fiancé Carlos (Barry Norton) and his father, Count Romero (Connolly).

One of Annie’s many customers, Dave the Dude (William), a gangster and gambler who believes her apples bring him good luck helps Annie keep up the charade. The Dude’s girlfriend and nightclub owner Missouri Martin (Farrell) even helps Annie turn from a dirty street peddler to an elegant society matron.

But will all this be enough to fool her daughter, her fiancé, and her fiancé’s father?

Warren William (1894 – 1948) was a star on Broadway and in Hollywood. The Village Voice dubbed him “The King of Pre-Code.” William was a popular leading man during the early 1930s. He starred in Three on a Match (1932), Golddiggers of 1933, and Cleopatra (1934) where he played Julius Caesar opposite Claudette Colbert in the title role. He would play her love interest that same year opposite Colbert again in the original version of Imitation of Life. William starred in several film series, including Perry Mason, The Lone Wolf, and Philo Vance. He starred opposite Mae West in Go West Young Man (1936) and The Wolf Man (1941).

May Robson (1858 – 1942) was an Australian-born American actress. She was a major stage actress during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. She is best remembered for the films she appeared in during the 1930s when she was in her 70s. Some of her movies from this period include, Dinner at Eight (1933), Dancing Lady (1933), Lady by Choice (1934), Anna Karenina (1935), A Star is Born (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), and Four Daughters (1938). She was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in Lady for a Day (1933).

Jean Parker and May Robson

Lady for a Day trivia

• Capra employed a number of beggars from downtown Los Angeles in small roles.
• This was Capra’s first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
• The film premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
• Columbia Pictures had no stars under long-term contracts so most of the film’s players were on loan from Warner Brothers.
• Capra wanted Robert Montgomery to play Dave the Dude and Marie Dressler to play Apple Annie, but M-G-M wouldn’t loan them out. Capra tried to get James Cagney and William Powell too, but no luck.
• This was the first film released by Columbia Pictures to be nominated for Best Picture.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

To join the discussion on February 20, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you'll receive an invitation with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. This film was made pre-Code, before the Production Code did you notice anything that caught your attention, something that you wouldn't see in a film during the Production Code?
2. What did you think of May Robson's performance? Was it worthy of an Academy Award nomination?
3. What about Warren William? Would the film have been better with Robert Montgomery, James Cagney, or William Powell as Dave the Dude?
4. Frank Capra remade this film as Pocket Full of Miracles (1961) starring Glenn Ford as Dave the Dude and Bette Davis as Apple Annie. If you saw the latter, which did you think was the better version?
5. The film is filled with great character actors; did you have a favorite?
6. This was an early Capra success. Does this film remind you of other Capra films?

Publicity photo featuring the major cast