''Night After Night'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

drama film starring

George Raft George Raft (né Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is remembe ...

, Constance Cummings, and

Mae West Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...

in her first movie role. Others in the cast include Wynne Gibson, Alison Skipworth, Roscoe Karns, Louis Calhern, and Bradley Page. Directed by Archie Mayo, it was adapted for the screen by Vincent Lawrence and Kathryn Scola, based on the Cosmopolitan

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

story ''Single Night'' by Louis Bromfield, with West allowed to contribute to her lines of

dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...

. Although ''Night After Night'' is not a

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

, it has many comedic moments, especially with the comic relief of West, who plays a supporting role in her screen debut.

Plot

Joe Anton (Raft) is a speakeasy owner who falls in love with socialite Miss Healy (Cummings). He takes lessons in high-class mannerisms from Mabel Jellyman (Skipworth). Joe does not know that Miss Healy only pays attention to him because he lives in the elegant building that her family lost in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. After a risky encounter with his old flame Iris Dawn (Gibson) involving a gun, Miss Healy kisses him. Joe is ready to marry her, but she's engaged to her friend Mr. Bolton, although admits she's just marrying him for his money. Infuriated at her gold digging, Joe tears into her, and he decides to abandon his upper-class aspirations. Miss Healy follows him back to the speakeasy to tell him off, but she realizes that she has genuinely fallen in love with him. Meanwhile, Maudie Triplett (West) befriends Mrs. Jellyman and offers to hire her as a hostess in one of her elegant beauty parlors.

Cast

as Joe Anton * Constance Cummings as Miss Jerry Healy * Wynne Gibson as Iris Dawn *

as Maudie Triplett * Alison Skipworth as Miss Mabel Jellyman * Roscoe Karns as Leo * Louis Calhern as Dick Bolton * Bradley Page as Frankie Guard * Al Hill as Blainey * Harry Wallace as Jerky * George Templeton as Patsy * Marty Martyn as Malloy * Tom Kennedy as Tom (the bartender)

Production

West portrays a fictionalized version of Texas Guinan. The film is primarily remembered as the launching pad for her career. Raft campaigned to cast his friend and former employer Guinan herself but the studio opted for West since she was nine years younger. Raft believed that the part would have launched a major film career for Guinan (then aged 48), which proved to be the case for West instead. West was reportedly a fan of Guinan and incorporated some of the flamboyant Guinan's ideas into her own acts.Asker, Everett (2013) ''The Films of George Raft'', McFarland & Company. p.30 The film was Raft's first leading role and came about due to response to his work in ''Scarface''. According to ''Filmink'' "this picture is best best remembered today for introducing Mae West to cinema audiences – and she’s brilliant – but Raft was excellent too as a former gangster turned nightclub manager who is having a mid life crisis."

Accolades

The film is recognized by

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

in these lists: * 2005: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes: ** Cloakroom Girl: "Goodness, what beautiful diamonds!" :: Maudie Triplett: "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie." :: – Nominated

References

External links

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Review of film
at Variety {{Archie Mayo 1932 films 1932 romantic drama films American romantic drama films American black-and-white films Films based on short fiction Films based on works by Louis Bromfield Films directed by Archie Mayo Films set in New York City Paramount Pictures films Films with screenplays by Kathryn Scola 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language romantic drama films