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?

William Holden romances Kim Novak in “Picnic”

Picnic (1955) is an American drama film directed by Joshua Logan and starring William Holden, Kim Novak, and Rosalind Russell. The film is based on the Broadway play of the same name by William Inge. The movie features Susan Strasberg, Cliff Robertson, Betty Field, Arthur O’Connell, and Reta Shaw.

Hal Carter (Holden) arrives by freight train in a small Kansas town on Labor Day morning to visit a fraternity friend, Alan Benson (Robertson). While staying with Helen Potts (Verna Felton), he meets Alan’s girlfriend Madge Owens (Novak), Madge’s younger sister Millie, and their mother Flo (Field). Alan promises Hal a job at his family’s grain elevator operations.

Things don't go well at the Labor Day picnic for Hal. An intoxicated Rosemary Sydney (Russell) forces herself on Hal and creates a scene that makes him look bad in front of Alan and the picnic crowd. Hal flees the party and is followed by Madge. Will Madge trade rich boy Alan for an uncertain life with Hal?

Joshua Logan (1908 – 1988) was an American theater and film director, playwright, and screenwriter. He was also an actor. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the musical South Pacific. During his college years, he was involved with the University Players (an intercollegiate summer stock company) with James Stewart, Henry Fonda, and Margaret Sullavan. During the late-1930s, Logan went to Hollywood where he wrote some of the dialogue for The Garden of Allah (1936), History is Made at Night (1937), and Suez (1938). Logan’s film directing career included Picnic (1955) and Fanny (1961), both were film adaptations of Broadway plays that he directed for the theater. He also directed Bus Stop (1956), Sayonara (1957), Tall Story (1960), Camelot (1967), and Paint Your Wagon (1969).

William Holden (1918 - 1981) was an American actor and major movie star. He was one of the most bankable stars of the 1950s. Holden starred in some of the most popular and beloved films, including Sunset Boulevard, Sabrina, Picnic (1955), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), and Stalag 17, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Holden became a star with his first role in Golden Boy (1939). He had lead roles in other popular films like Our Town (1940), and I Wanted Wings (1941). World War II interrupted his career. Holden was a first lieutenant in the United States Army Air Force. After the war, he made some popular but forgettable films. It wasn’t after he collaborated with director Wilder on Sunset Boulevard that Holden’s popularity and stature in Hollywood grew to superstar status.

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.

Rosalind Russell and Arthur O'Connelll

Rosalind Russell (1907 - 1976) was an American film and stage actress. She was nominated for four Best Actress Academy Awards throughout her career. She won five Golden Globe Awards and a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Ruth in Wonderful Town. Russell was a versatile actress who excelled at both comedy and drama. She was also one of the few actresses of her day to portray lawyers, judges, and psychiatrists. Some of her famous films include The Women (1939), My Sister Eileen (1942), Sister Kenny (1946), Picnic (1955), Auntie Mame (1958), Gypsy (1962), and The Trouble with Angels (1966).

Picnic trivia

• William Holden almost turned down the film role, thinking at 37, he was too old.
• Holden didn’t want to do the dance scene with Kim Novak. “I just don’t know how to dance,” he told co-star Cliff Robertson. To get over his fear, he did the scene intoxicated. Holden danced in only three other movies: Dear Ruth (1947), Sunset Boulevard (1950), and Sabrina (1954).
• Columbia Pictures wanted to promote Rosalind Russell for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Russell refused because she didn’t want to be considered a supporting actress.
• Arthur O’Connell, Reta Shaw, and Elizabeth Wilson recreated their Broadway roles for the film version.
• Kim Novak’s hair was dyed a reddish auburn color, rather than her usual platinum-blonde look, to give her a more innocent and youthful look.

To watch the film on YouTube, click here.

 

To join the discussion on September 18, 2023, at 6 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation along with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1.      1. William Holden thought he was too old for the role of Hal Carter. Do you agree?

2. This film made Kim Novak a superstar. Was she believable as Madge Owens?

3. Do you think Rosalind Russell would have won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar if she allowed Columbia Pictures to campaign on her behalf? What did you think of her performance as Rosemary?

4. The film’s supporting cast is impressive; do you have a favorite?

5. Was the film relatable?

6. Do you think Hal and Made have a chance at happiness?

7. Does the film hold up in 2023 or is it a relic of its time?

Frank Sinatra is “The Man with the Golden Arm”

The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) is an American film drama directed by Otto Preminger and starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, and Kim Novak. It is based on the novel of the same name by Nelson Algren, although not a completely faithful adaptation. The movie features a jazz-inspired film score composed, arranged, and conducted by Elmer Bernstein.

The movie centers around Frankie Machine (Sinatra), a former card dealer, recently released from a drug rehab center who tries to start his life over as a musician specializing in the drums. When he returns to his old dilapidated neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, all the old demons start to pull at him including his clinging wife Zosh (Parker) who may or may not be an invalid, Zero Schwiefka (Robert Strauss) his former boss running illegal card games, and “Nifty Louie” Fomorowski (Darren McGavin) his former drug-dealer who is trying to hook him on drugs once again.

To complicate Frankie’s life further, he runs into an old flame, Molly Novotny (Novak). Molly and Frankie have strong feelings for one another but Frankie feels obligated to take care of Zosh.

Will Frankie break free from all the things dragging him back to his old life of drugs and desperation or is he doomed to a life of addiction and hopelessness?

Otto Preminger (1905 -1986) was an American film director who made more than 35 feature films during a five-decade career. Born in Austro-Hungarian into a Jewish family. Preminger was drawn to acting from an early age and became the apprentice of famed stage director Max Reinhardt. In 1935, he was recruited by Twentieth Century-Fox to apprentice as a director at the studio. After a rocky start, Preminger established himself as an A-list director after Rouben Mamoulian was fired from Laura (1944). The film noir classic made stars of Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews and is considered one of the best film noirs of all time. While under contract to Fox, Preminger directed Fallen Angel (1945), Centennial Summer (1946), Forever Amber (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947), the latter starring Joan Crawford, Dana Andrews, and Henry Fonda. After he left Fox, Preminger became a maverick, constantly clashing with members of the Production Code. He released two films without the approval of the Production Code: The Moon is Blue (1953) and The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). Both films were financial successes and helped bring an end to the Code entirely. Later successes for Preminger include Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and Exodus (1960).

Frank Sinatra (1915 - 1998) was an American singer and actor. He is considered one of the greatest musical talents of the 20th century. Sinatra began his career singing with the big bandleaders of the swing era before his film career. He had his first leading film role in Higher and Higher and Step Lively (both 1944) at RKO. In 1945, he starred opposite Gene Kelly and Kathryn Grayson in Anchors Aweigh. The movie was a major hit and Sinatra co-starred again with Kelly in Take Me Out to the Ball Game and On the Town ( both 1949). His movie career slumped in the early 1950s and it looked like his career was over. In 1953, Sinatra won the role of Maggio in From Here to Eternity co-starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, and Donna Reed. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and his movie career was back on track. More hit films followed including Guys and Dolls, The Tender Trap, and Not as a Stranger (all 1955). Perhaps his most famous film that year was The Man with the Golden Arm. For his performance in that film, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Sinatra’s film and recording career continued into the 1980s. Other notable films include High Society (1956), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Come Blow Your Horn (1963), The Detective (1968), and The First Deadly Sin (1980).

Frank Sinatra and Darren McGavin

Eleanor Parker (1922 - 2013) was an American actress in film and a three-time Best Actress Academy Award nominee. She signed a long-term contract with Warner Bros. in 1941. For the next few years she played minor roles in some important films, but her first big role came in Between Two Worlds (1944) opposite John Garfield and Paul Henreid. She was again cast alongside Garfield in Pride of the Marines (1945) and that film made her a star. Some of the films she made after that were not as successful and Parker was more careful choosing film roles, often refusing parts and being put on suspension. Warners cast her (after much lobbying from Parker) in Caged (1950), a film about a woman’s prison. The film was a hit and her performance earned Parker her first Best Actress Academy Award nomination. For her performance, she won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival. After leaving Warners, Parker freelanced for a while with limited success. In 1953, she signed a long-term contract with M-G-M. At her new studio, she co-starred with Clark Gable, Robert Taylor (they made three films together), and Glenn Ford. One of her most celebrated roles was as opera singer Marjorie Lawrence in Interrupted Melody (1955) which earned her third Oscar nomination. In the mid-50s, Parker was one of the most popular female stars in the movies. With all her accomplishments during her prime, she will most likely be remembered for her role as Baroness Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music (1965), one of the most popular and successful films of all time.

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 major films include Picnic (1955), The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), The Eddy Duchin Story (1956), Pal Joey (1957), 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.

The Man with the Golden Arm trivia

• Marlon Brando was offered the role of Frankie Machine.
• The movie poster is considered one of the best of all time; it was voted #14 out of 25 by Premiere.
• Otto Preminger paid Columbia Pictures $100,000 to borrow Kim Novak who was only paid $1,000 a week.
• The entire movie was filmed on a soundstage with a few shots on the RKO backlot.
• Some cross-promotion from the director, the poster for his film Carmen Jones (1954) is featured on a building during the opening scene.

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

Why watch this film?

• It was the first movie to discuss drug addiction.
• The depiction of this subject matter and the film’s release without a Production Code seal contributed to the demise of the Code.
• This was an important film that Frank Sinatra was desperate to do.
• It features Kim Novak in one of her early film roles.
• The first film co-starring Sinatra and Eleanor Parker. They later starred together in Frank Capra’s A Hole in the Head (1959), a much lighter film.
• The film is an early example of director Otto Preminger working without the backing of a studio.

To join the discussion on July 19, 2021, at 6:30 p.m., click here. Once you RSVP, you’ll receive an invitation and link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions:

1. Noir or not?
2. What did you think of Sinatra’s performance?
3. Does the film hold up in 2021?
4. Eleanor Parker and Kim Novak played the two female leads. Did you find them convincing in their roles?
5. Did anything in the film surprise you?
6. The film is set in Chicago. Did the film’s setting evoke the city? Did it matter?