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 sou, 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mary Astor refers to a reference book called the Almanac de Gotha, which is an actual reference tracking the lineage of middle European nobility. It is similar to the better known Burke's Peerage, which serves the same function in Great Britain.

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Goofs

When Eve attends the concert (c. 15 minutes) she is completely dry despite her roaming the streets in the rain previously.

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Quotes

Judge: It's a confounded nuisance, but it's the law.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Comedy Movies: 1930s (2014)

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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

The perfect comedy

"Midnight" is superb in every way - cast, direction, script are all perfection. It's like Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" in the way its plot adds complication upon complication and just as "Figaro" is a perfect opera, so this is a perfect comedy - witty, sophisticated, warm and laugh-out-loud funny. Don Ameche and Claudette Colbert are ideally cast. This should have featured in the AFI's top 100 comedies and its top 100 films - its the epitome of the golden age of Hollywood comedy.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

24 March 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Midnight

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,513

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