Star of Midnight (1935)

A dancer disappears from a theather and then William Powell and society beauty Ginger Rogers solve the murder.

Director:

Stephen Roberts

Writers:

Howard J. Green (screenplay), Anthony Veiller (screenplay),

Stars:

William Powell, Ginger Rogers, Paul Kelly

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Powell	...	Clay 'Dal' Dalzell
Ginger Rogers	...	Donna Mantin
Paul Kelly	...	Jimmy 'Jim' Kinland
Gene Lockhart	...	Horatio Swayne
Ralph Morgan	...	Roger Classon
Leslie Fenton	...	Tim Winthrop
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Police Inspector Doremus
Russell Hopton	...	Tommy Tennant
Vivien Oakland	...	Jerry Classon
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Police Sgt. Cleary

Storyline

Friend Tim Winthrop asks criminal lawyer and amateur detective Clay Dalzell to find his girl, Alice, who disappeared a year earlier without a trace. When they go to the theater with Clay's would-be fiancée, Donna Mantin, Tim recognizes the star, Mary Smith, as his girl, and yells "Alice," after which she bolts from the stage and disappears once again. Reporter Tommy Tennant knows why she bolted, but before he can tell Clay the reason, he is shot dead and Clay is wounded slightly in Clay's apartment. The many suspects include Roger Classon and his wife, Jerry, who are looking for Alice to testify and save Roger's friend from the electric chair for a murder he didn't commit; Abe Ohlman, the producer of Mary's show; and gangster Jimmy Kinland who seems to know more than he's telling. It's up to Clay, with the help of Donna, to trap the murderer and find Alice.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | new york | law | attempted murder | missing person | 

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Taglines:

The titian-haired star of "Gay Divorcee" and "Roberta" joins hands with the master of all screen sleuths in a sparkling, mystery drama breathless with thrills...

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Genres:

Romance | Comedy | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Estrella de medianoche

Box Office

Budget:

$280,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Early in the film, William Powell's character says that people consider him "Charlie Chan, Philo Vance and the Saint all rolled into one." Powell previously played Philo Vance on four occasions.

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Soundtracks

"The Sidewalks of New York"
(uncredited)
Music by Charles Lawlor (1894)
Played as part of the music score

User Reviews

Very entertaining

Yes, "Star of Midnight" is a bit of RKO Radio Pictures reworking, or ripping off, MGM's "The Thin Man," but so what? It's good in it's own right. William Powell plays rich and debonair lawyer, Clay Dalzell, who gets involved in a murder, and is himself, a suspect. At his side, Ginger Rogers, co-starring as Powell's romantic companion. This pairing of Powell and Rogers is not as perfect as was Powell and Loy, it's a good match up, never-the-less . The mystery centers around the disappearance of of an actress -- the star of a play entitled "Midnight" -- hence from which the film get its title. All this mystery is wrapped with over- the - top elegance, and sophisticated humor, that was so typical of Hollywood films of the 1930's . You may guess who the murderer is, but the motive should come as a surprise -- and neat one it is !