Remember the Night (1940)

Love blooms between a sympathetic attorney and the comely shoplifter he has taken home for the Christmas holiday.

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writer:

Preston Sturges (original screenplay)

Stars:

Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Lee Leander
Fred MacMurray	...	John Sargent
Beulah Bondi	...	Mrs. Sargent
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Aunt Emma
Willard Robertson	...	Francis X. O'Leary
Sterling Holloway	...	Willie
Charles Waldron	...	Judge in New York
Paul Guilfoyle	...	District Attorney
Charles Arnt	...	Tom (as Charlie Arnt)
John Wray	...	Hank
Thomas W. Ross	...	Mr. Emory
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones	...	Rufus (as Snowflake)
Tom Kennedy	...	'Fat' Mike
Georgia Caine	...	Lee's Mother
Virginia Brissac	...	Mrs. Emory

Storyline

Just before Christmas, Lee Leander is caught shoplifting. It is her third offense. She is prosecuted by John Sargent. He postpones the trial because it is hard to get a conviction at Christmas time. However, he feels sorry for her and arranges for her bail; he also ends up taking her home to his mother for Christmas. Surrounded by a loving family (in stark contrast to Lee's own family background), they fall in love. This creates a new problem: how do they handle the upcoming trial?

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Plot Keywords:

smother mother | manipulative mother | jail sentence | screwball comedy | jewelry | 

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Taglines:

BARBARA and FRED in 1940's first great love affair ...!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last of Preston Sturges's scripts that he did not also direct. Sturgis was so upset at the cuts director Mitchell Leisen made to his script for this film, both before and during production, that he vowed to direct his own from then on.

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Goofs

In the nightclub dance scene before they start their trip, Jack tells Lee that he is from Wabash, Indiana. She says that she is from Heltonville, to which he responds "That's only 50 miles outside of Wabash", and she says "Yes, sir". Actually, the distance between Wabash and Heltonville is about 160 miles.

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Quotes

John Sargent: What are you doing here?
Lee Leander: I don't know yet, but I've got a rough idea.
John Sargent: Well, I'm glad you're out...
Lee Leander: Now what do I have to do for it?
John Sargent: Well for one thing, you might say thank you, but if that doesn't fit into your plans let's skip it.

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Connections

Remade as The Big Valley: Judgement in Heaven (1965)

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Soundtracks

(Back Home Again in) Indiana
(1917) (uncredited)
Music by James F. Hanley
Lyrics by Ballard MacDonald
Played by the band and sung by Martha Mears and an unidentified male quartet at the nightclub
Played also at the barn dance and often in the score

User Reviews

An overlooked holiday classic...

A really well done piece from two top notch stars, three years before they would be paired again as one of film noir's classic doomed couples in DOUBLE INDEMNITY. After working on this film, Stanwyck gave Sturges an automatic 'Yes!' when he asked her to be in THE LADY EVE. MacMurray and Stanwyck would be paired in two others, THE MOONLIGHTERS (a western in 3-D, no less) and the soapy THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW, but REMEMBER THE NIGHT is their best romance, both of them bringing a fast patter and no nonsense attitude to their characters that is both winning and believable. There are some charming Christmas scenes when they reach his home - a square dance, a dear gift giving sequence and some great supporting work from Beulah Bondi, Sterling Holloway and Elizabeth Patterson. However, I think the previous comment hit it on the nose - it's as close to a noir holiday comedy as you can get. Highly recommended to get you into the holidaze...MDMPHD

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Remember the Night

Filming Locations:

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Gross USA:

$167,800

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 86 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1