Tonight's the Night (1954)

The whole village mourns when General O'Leary, owner of a hunting estate in South Ireland, is killed in an accident. His nephew, Jasper O'Leary, takes over the state and soon has aroused ... See full summary »

Director:

Mario Zampi

Writers:

Jack Davies (screenplay), Jack Davies (story)

Stars:

David Niven, Yvonne De Carlo, Barry Fitzgerald

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Niven	...	Jasper O'Leary
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Serena McGlusky
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Thady O'Heggarty
George Cole	...	Terence
A.E. Matthews	...	General O'Leary
Noelle Middleton	...	Kathy McGlusky
Robert Urquhart	...	Dr. Michael Flynn
Michael Shepley	...	Major McGlusky
Joseph Tomelty	...	Dooley
Eddie Byrne	...	Lannigan
Jimmy Mageean	...	Divarsion
Patrick McAlinney	...	O'Connor
Brian O'Higgins	...	Milligan
Liam Redmond	...	Regan
Patrick Westwood	...	Murphy

Storyline

The whole village mourns when General O'Leary, owner of a hunting estate in South Ireland, is killed in an accident. His nephew, Jasper O'Leary, takes over the state and soon has aroused the displeasure of all, with the exception of Serena McGluskey, as much a schemer as he is a cad. Led by Thady O'Heggarty, the villagers plot to drive Jasper away. They use the occasion of "O'Leary Night", when the ghost of the first O'Leary walks the halls, to create general chaos.

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Plot Keywords:

female sexual predator | manipulative female | romantic rivalry | female jealousy | sister sister relationship | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was hugely popular in the UK when it was released. It was one of the most successful pictures ever made by Associated British Films.

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Quotes

Major McGlusky: Look here, O'Leary, we *must* get this straight.
Jasper O'Leary: All right. Once and for all, I cannot accept responsibility for the deathbed ramblings of an aged lunatic.
Major McGlusky: Lunatic? General? Sanest man I ever met!
Jasper O'Leary: An 82 year-old man with one eye who tries to jump a 10-foot wall on a 20 year-old horse - - "sane"?
Major McGlusky: Ooh, well, he was mad to try it, but he was *not* insane!
Jasper O'Leary: I'm sorry, I've not lived long enough in Ireland to appreciate the logic of that remark.

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Soundtracks

My Heart Is Irish
Written by Michael Carr
Sung over credits by chorus
and in the public bar by Denis Martin (uncredited)

User Reviews

Good Comedy Never Changes

I saw this movie with my family when it came out in 1954. I was 10 yrs old & laughed & cheered with everyone else in the theatre. The next day I described the movie almost scene by scene for my school bus driver who roared with laughter along with me. I have never written an IMDB review before, & this really isn't a review, just memories of the joy a really good comedy could give people. My dad, a bartender, told his customers about this movie, & they laughed & laughed as well. Seeing it again on TCM two days ago, I appreciated the script, the great Irish actors, Niven & DeCarlo giving great performances, but mostly the memory of seeing this comedy & the joy of telling people about it & enjoying it all over again as we did when this movie first came out.

Thanks for letting me share this with you.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 December 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tonight's the Night

Filming Locations:

Associated British Picture Corporation Studios, Elstree, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mario Zampi Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1