The Night Is Young (1935)

Austrian Emperor Franz Josef has arranged a marriage for his nephew, the Archduke Paul Gustave - nicknamed Gustl - to the suitable Princess Matilda, a woman Gustl can't even remember. He is... See full summary »

Director:

Dudley Murphy

Writers:

Edgar Allan Woolf (screen play), Franz Schulz (screen play),

Stars:

Ramon Novarro, Evelyn Laye, Charles Butterworth

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ramon Novarro	...	Archduke Paul 'Gustl' Gustave
Evelyn Laye	...	Elizabeth Katherine Anne 'Lisl' Gluck
Charles Butterworth	...	Willy Fitch
Una Merkel	...	Fanni Kerner
Edward Everett Horton	...	Baron Szereny
Donald Cook	...	Toni Berngruber
Henry Stephenson	...	Emperor Franz Josef
Rosalind Russell	...	Countess Zarika Rafay
Herman Bing	...	Nepomuk
Mitzi	...	Mitzi - A Horse

Storyline

Austrian Emperor Franz Josef has arranged a marriage for his nephew, the Archduke Paul Gustave - nicknamed Gustl - to the suitable Princess Matilda, a woman Gustl can't even remember. He is instead in love with the Hungarian Countess Zarika Rafay, which Gustl can't tell his uncle since he disapproves of her family. The Emperor will allow Gustl to sow his wild oats before getting married, but that woman needs to be someone "harmless" outside of the royal circle. Since they discuss this situation while at the ballet, Gustl instead tells the Emperor that he is in love with one of the ballerinas, and the one he has chosen somewhat at random is the always distracted Lisl Gluck, who is considered the worst dancer in the company since she is always staring at the man she intends to marry, the ballet company's piano accompanist Toni Berngruber. When Gustl summons Lisl, she is relieved to learn his true intentions - that she is just a front while he cavorts secretly with the Countess (although...

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Plot Keywords:

nobility | dinner | deception | vienna austria | patriotism | 

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Genres:

Romance | Musical | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 January 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

La noche azul

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The following actors are listed in studio records as appearing in this film, but were not seen in the print: Josef Swickard as the doctor, Billy Gilbert and Cecilia Parker. 'Stuart Erwin (I)' was listed as an actor in a Hollywood Reporter production chart, but he was not seen in the film either.

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Quotes

Elizabeth Katherine Anne 'Lisl' Gluck: [reading a newspaper] It says here there's a terrible famine in Tibet. And a riot in Havana.
Archduke Paul 'Gustl' Gustave: [playing idly at the piano] There's a riot in Havana.
Elizabeth Katherine Anne 'Lisl' Gluck: Hmm. A riot in the streets.
Archduke Paul 'Gustl' Gustave: [singing] There's a riot in Havana...
[exclaiming]
Archduke Paul 'Gustl' Gustave: Look! It fits!
[resumes singing]
Archduke Paul 'Gustl' Gustave: There's a riot in Havana and a famine in Tibet...
Elizabeth Katherine Anne 'Lisl' Gluck: There's a drought in Indiana...
Archduke Paul 'Gustl' Gustave: [singing] It won't get wet... There is fighting in the Balkans-
[...]

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Soundtracks

"When I Grow Too Old to Dream"
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Sigmund Romberg
Libretto by Oscar Hammerstein II
Played on a music box
Sung by Evelyn Laye
Reprised by the band at the restaurant and sung by Evelyn Laye with Ramon Novarro
Played as background music often

User Reviews

Dated even then, but a treat

Wistful, bittersweet operetta seemingly belonging to a time considerably earlier than 1935; it has elements of "Maytime," "The Student Prince," and, yes, "Bitter Sweet" in its plotting and sentimentality. (And leading lady Evelyn Laye, who is extraordinary, had in fact starred in "Bitter Sweet" on Broadway.) But Romberg and Hammerstein, whether au courant at the time or not, chose to write sincerely and with feeling, and MGM trotted out some good screenwriters and excellent production values to realize their vision. The result is an operetta familiar in its doomed-love-among-different-classes plotting, but integrated in a then-modern way, with characters subtly switching into song on the flimsiest of excuses. It's really charming, and Novarro, in his MGM farewell, is dashing and gentlemanly. Charles Butterworth, who had played this sort of part for Hammerstein on the stage in "Sweet Adeline," is a delightful underplaying buffoon, and his vis-a-vis, Una Merkel, gets more screen time than she was generally allowed. Rosalind Russell, as the well-bred woman Novarro must marry (like I said, it's very like "The Student Prince") isn't interesting at this point in her career, but Edward Everett Horton had by now perfected his fussy-major-domo characterization and does it to a T. Well directed by the nearly unknown Dudley Murphy, and lovely to look at.