Night of January 16th (1941)

The story revolves around three people; Tycoon Bjorn Faulkner, who is being called upon by his board of directors to explain a missing $20,000,000; Kit Lane, his secretary who also has a ... See full summary »

Director:

William Clemens

Writers:

Delmer Daves, Robert Pirosh,

Stars:

Robert Preston, Ellen Drew, Nils Asther

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Preston	...	Steve Van Ruyle
Ellen Drew	...	Kit Lane
Nils Asther	...	Bjorn Faulkner
Clarence Kolb	...	Tilton
Willard Robertson	...	Inspector Donegan
Cecil Kellaway	...	Oscar, the Drunk
Donald Douglas	...	Attorney Polk
Paul Stanton	...	District Attorney
Margaret Hayes	...	Nancy Wakefield
Alice White	...	Flashy Blonde
Jean Phillips	...	Faulkner's Secretary
Rod Cameron	...	Attrorney Polk's Assistant
Keith Richards	...	Faulkner's Chauffeur
Paul Irving	...	Peters - Little Detective
James Flavin	...	Patrolman Kelly

Storyline

The story revolves around three people; Tycoon Bjorn Faulkner, who is being called upon by his board of directors to explain a missing $20,000,000; Kit Lane, his secretary who also has a personal interest; and Steve Van Ruyle, a sailor who has inherited a position on Faulkner's board of directors. Faulkner is (presumably) murdered, and Kit is falsely accused of the murder. Steve assumes the job of clearing her name.

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Plot Keywords:

tycoon | digit in title | murder trial | philosophy | date in title | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 November 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Private Secretary

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An interesting element to the live play was that the jury was selected from the audience at each performance, and different endings were used according to how the jury voted at the end. (In Rand's reckoning, the heroine on trial technically wasn't guilty of the charge against her, but the evidence presented was evenly balanced; the verdict would be a reflection of the jury's own consciences.)

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Connections

Referenced in Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life (1997)

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