Blues in the Night (1941)

Director:

Anatole Litvak

Writers:

Edwin Gilbert (play)
Robert Rossen
(more)

Release Date:

15 November 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

2 GRAND BANDS! JIMMY LUNCEFORD'S and WILL OSBORNE'S! MUSIC GALORE! (original print media ad - mostly caps)

Plot:

"Jigger' Lane forms a band that includes singer Ginger 'Character' Powell, wife of the trumpeter Leo Powelll...

Plot Keywords:

Band | Roadhouse | Boxcar | Singer | Trumpeter

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Priscilla Lane	...	Ginger 'Character' Powell
Betty Field	...	Kay Grant
Richard Whorf	...	Jigger Pine
Lloyd Nolan	...	Del Davis
Jack Carson	...	Leo Powell
Wallace Ford	...	Brad Ames (as Wally Ford)
Elia Kazan	...	Nickie Haroyen
Peter Whitney	...	Pete Bossett
Billy Halop	...	Peppi
Howard Da Silva	...	Sam Paryas
Joyce Compton	...	Blonde dancing with drunk
Herbert Heywood	...	Brakeman
George Lloyd	...	Joe (St. Louis cafe owner)
Charles C. Wilson	...	Barney (as Charles Wilson)
Matt McHugh	...	Drunk
Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra	...	A Barnstorming Band (as Jimmy Lunceford and His Band)
Will Osborne's Orchestra	...	Guy Heiser's Band (as Will Osborne and His Band)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William 'Bill' Phillips	...	(scenes deleted)
Jean Ames	...	Jitterbug (uncredited)
Leah Baird	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Brooks Benedict	...	Gambler at Dice Table (uncredited)
Wade Boteler	...	Policeman in Patrol Car (uncredited)
Hal K. Dawson	...	Man #2 Sitting with Kay (uncredited)
Dudley Dickerson	...	Black Prisoner #3 in Cell (uncredited)
John Dilson	...	Dr. Morse (uncredited)
Faith Domergue	...	Jitterbug (uncredited)
Roland Drew	...	Gambler Letting Kay Throw Dice (uncredited)
Ann Edmonds	...	Woman Waiting for Telephone Booth (uncredited)
Faye Emerson	...	Dr. Morse's Nurse (uncredited)
William Gillespie	...	Baritone Singer in Jail Cell (uncredited)
David Gorcey	...	Jitterbug (uncredited)
Sol Gorss	...	Del's Henchman #2 (uncredited)
Eddie Graham	...	Gambler at Dice Table (uncredited)
Harrison Greene	...	Drunk Saying, 'OK, Here's Five' (uncredited)
Creighton Hale	...	Gambler at Dice Table (uncredited)
John Hamilton	...	Doctor Treating Jigger (uncredited)
Robert Homans	...	Bill - Bartender (uncredited)
William Hopper	...	Billiard Player (uncredited)
Charles Irwin	...	Man #1 Sitting with Kay (uncredited)
Edward Keane	...	Drunk Saying, 'It's a Scream' (uncredited)
Fred Kelsey	...	Bartender at The Jungle (uncredited)
Jimmie Lunceford	...	Barnstorming Band Leader (uncredited)
Hank Mann	...	Prisoner Saying, 'Pipe Down' (uncredited)
Frank Mayo	...	Gambler Watching Kay Throw Dice (uncredited)
Patrick McVey	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Jack Mower	...	Booking Sergeant (uncredited)
Louis Natheaux	...	Croupier (uncredited)
George Offerman Jr.	...	Jitterbug (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Guard at Police Station (uncredited)
John J. Richardson	...	Gambler at Dice Table (uncredited)
Cyril Ring	...	Gambler at Dice Table (uncredited)
Cliff Saum	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Napoleon Simpson	...	Black Prisoner #2 (uncredited)
Juanita Stark	...	Jitterbug (uncredited)
Elliott Sullivan	...	Waiter #2 at The Jungle (uncredited)
Mabel Todd	...	Baby Beth Barton - Singer (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan	...	Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Anthony Warde	...	Del's Henchman #1 (uncredited)
Billy Wayne	...	Waiter #1 at The Jungle (uncredited)
Ernest Whitman	...	Black Prisoner #1 (uncredited)

Directed by
Anatole Litvak

Writing credits
Edwin Gilbert		(play "Hot Nocturne")
Robert Rossen
Elia Kazan		play "Hot Nocturne" (uncredited)

Produced by
Henry Blanke	....	associate producer
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Heinz Roemheld		(as H. Roemheld)

Cinematography by
Ernest Haller		(as Ernie Haller)

Film Editing by
Owen Marks

Art Direction by
Max Parker

Costume Design by
Damon Giffard		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lee Katz	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Everett Alton Brown	....	sound

Stunts
Buster Wiles	....	stunts (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Don Siegel	....	montage

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Ray Heindorf	....	orchestrator
Ray Heindorf	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Archie Rosate	....	musician: clarinet solos (uncredited)

Other crew
Harold Winston	....	dialogue director
Edwin Gilbert	....	screenplay constructor (uncredited)
'Snookie' Young	....	dubbing trumpet: Jack Carson (uncredited)
Frankie Zinzer	....	dubbing trumpet: Jack Carson (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1941) (USA) (theatrical)
• Darker Images Video (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Nothing's New Video (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Jimmy Lunceford and His Band  group cast members
• Will Osborne's Orchestra  group cast members

Also Known As:

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #7503) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

John Garfield turned down the role of Jigger Pine. In Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), Mr. Garfield would parody the already classic, Oscar-nominated song for 1941, "Blues in the Night" (music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by Johnny Mercer).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Brad and Kay crash their car toward the end of the movie, The car looks like a '40 or '41 Buick. The car in the crash is an much older car.

Soundtrack:

Hang on to Your Lids, Kids

Almost perfect drama

A band lead by Jigger (Richard Whorf) has trouble landing a job. They get involved with gangster Dell (Lloyd Nolan) who gives them a job at his club. His jealous girlfriend Kay (Betty Field) sets out to destroy the band. Will she?

I'm only giving this a 9 because of the overly familiar story. That aside this is incredible. Nobody in the cast was a name at the time, but they're all very good actors. Field has a fun time in her bad girl role. Nolan is just great as Dell. Whorf is OK as Jigger. Also in the cast (and band) is Jack Carson, future director Elia Kazan and Priscilla Lane (who does wonders with the thankless 'good girl' role). The film is beautifully directed in gorgeous black and white by Anatole Litvak--he makes good use of his low budget and has some very nice sequences using light and shadows. Also there are a few truly bizarre (but fun) montages--they're unlike ANYTHING you'll see in a 1940s film. Also there's some really great music in here.

So...great music, good acting, beautiful photography...and just an OK story.

Still, well worth seeing.

Strange thing about this film--everybody seems to know about it, but it's almost never shown! Try catching it on TCM--their print isn't that great (the image kept shaking) but it's still worth seeing.