Midnight (1939)

A chorus girl stranded in Paris is set up by a millionaire to break up his wife's affair with another man, while being romantically pursued by a cab driver.

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writers:

Charles Brackett (screenplay), Billy Wilder (screenplay)

Stars:

Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, John Barrymore

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Claudette Colbert	...	Eve Peabody
Don Ameche	...	Tibor Czerny
John Barrymore	...	Georges Flammarion
Francis Lederer	...	Jacques Picot
Mary Astor	...	Helene Flammarion
Elaine Barrie	...	Simone
Hedda Hopper	...	Stephanie
Rex O'Malley	...	Marcel
Monty Woolley	...	The Judge
Armand Kaliz	...	Lebon

Storyline

Showgirl Eve, stranded in Paris without a soul, befriends taxi driver Tibor Czerny, then gives him the slip to crash a party. There she meets Helene Flammarion and her gigolo Picot, who's attracted to Eve. Helene's scheming husband Georges enlists Eve's aid in taking Picot away from his wife. It works well - at first. Meanwhile, lovestruck Tibor searches for Eve. But then he learns she's calling herself Baroness Czerny.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | taxi | taxi driver | party | screwball comedy | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

24 March 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

La baronne de minuit

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After Wilder and Brackett fought with director Mitchell Leisen to make sure as much of their work made on the screen as possible, Wilder was convinced he had to direct the scripts they wrote and Brackett was convinced he had to produce.

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Goofs

When Eve dances in the bar the night she meets Tibor Czerny her nails are painted, but when she wakes up in the hotel the next morning she doesn't have any nail polish on, even though she didn't have a chance to remove it, and her nails look completely different in length and shape.

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Quotes

Jacques Picot: You're wonderful.
Eve Peabody: You're magnificent.
Helene Flammarion: You're talking across the board.

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Connections

Remade as Masquerade in Mexico (1945)

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Soundtracks

Étude No.12 in C minor Op.10-12: Revolutionary
(1829-32) (uncredited)
Written by Frédéric Chopin
Played on piano at Stephanie's party

User Reviews

A sophisticated comedy classic

Although languishing in obscurity in comparison to other great films of 1939, Midnight is a classic that deserves to be ranked among the best comedies. In this sophisticated twist on the Cinderella story, a penniless showgirl (the incomparable Claudette Colbert) passes herself off as a foreign aristocrat to help John Barrymore win back his erring wife from a champagne mogul. If she succeeds in winning this millionaire for herself, she'll have the rich lifestyle--the "tub of butter"--for which she's been scheming, but taxi driver Don Ameche is determined to teach her the age-old lesson that love is better than riches. Not only is the film a delight for fans of Colbert, whose genius for offhand, sophisticated comedy shines here, but viewers are also treated to one of Barrymore's last and funniest performances. Although he is said to have read his lines from cue cards for this film, his performance looks flawless: worldly, cunning, and wildly eccentric. Ameche provides the perfect counterpart for Colbert, holding his own in the dizzying round of deceptions, impersonations, and frivolous lawsuits. This is a sparkling, witty film that should be part of every comedy fan's library.