History Is Made at Night (1937)

Divorcee Irene Vail falls for a charming Parisian, but her insanely jealous ex-husband will do anything to get her back...

Director:

Frank Borzage

Writers:

Gene Towne (screen play), C. Graham Baker (screen play),

Stars:

Charles Boyer, Jean Arthur, Leo Carrillo

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Boyer	...	Paul Dumond
Jean Arthur	...	Irene Vail
Leo Carrillo	...	Cesare
Colin Clive	...	Bruce Vail
Ivan Lebedeff	...	Michael Browsky
George Meeker	...	Mr. Norton
Lucien Prival	...	Private Detective
George Davis	...	Maestro

Storyline

The obsessive and jealous shipowner Bruce Vail does not accept the divorce his wife Irene Vail achieved in London, and he hires his driver Michael Browsky to forge adultery with Irene in Paris to make the decree null. However, she is rescued by the headwaiter Paul Dumond, who punches Michael and locks Bruce and his private eyes in a locker, and they spend a wonderful night together in the restaurant Chateau Bleu, where Paul and his best friend Chef Cesare work, and they fall in love for each other. Meanwhile, Bruce kills Michael and blackmails Irene, blaming Paul and forcing her to return with him to New York. But Paul does not give up on Irene, and moves to New York with Cesare trying to find her love.

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Plot Keywords:

headwaiter | blackmail | divorce | iceberg | chef | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

5 March 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

...und ewig siegt die Liebe

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walter Wanger Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Hindenburg is mentioned as (successfully) completing a transatlantic trip, with the husband on board. This movie was released (USA) March 5, 1937. The Hindenburg disaster occurred on May 6, 1937. It never made that return flight to Europe.

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Quotes

Irene Vail: You're right, Bruce. This time you're right. This time there *is* another man. You set a trap to catch me with one... and another came instead, to tell me that he loves me, and for me to tell him I love him too. And *you* did it! You did it all by yourself! Isn't that funny? Don't you think that's funny? Before he came, I never even looked at another man. But you wouldn't believe me! So you created one, and you sent him right into my arms...

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Connections

Referenced in Smash: Chemistry (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Nearer My God To Thee"
Music by Lowell Mason (1856)
Lyrics by Sarah F. Adams
Sung by passengers on the ship when it was sinking

User Reviews

This film has been buried because it was not made by a major studio

I saw this on a VHS release here in the 1980's and was one of those films years later I could not forget. How could one forget this memorable title with a equally interesting and unusual combination of love, comedy, drama and disaster that in many other circumstances would simply not work! Boyer and Arthur's romantic moments...pure magic as is Boyer and Leo Carillo's comedic turns. Produced to the tune of over a million dollars (a very generous budget for 1937) independently by Walter Wagner the look of this "A" production certainly reflects this. The deft hand of Borzage could only keep the goings on fluent with the seemingly challenging narrative in a film that easily keeps the viewers attention. To my mind one of the highlights of 30's cinema. I urge anyone interested in this era - see this film!! Available on DVD (mine is a South American copy and OK print quality).