Sunday, November 29, 2009

Remember the Night (1940): Unsung Christmas Classic


Classic movie lovers know Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck (complete with blonde wig) as Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson, the adulterous murderous duo in the noir classic Double Indemnity (1944), but four years before they became the duplicitous pair of nasty doings, the stars made a little remembered Christmas film ironically called Remember the Night. Each brought their own brand of star power and persona to their roles in the Preston Sturges written flick, MacMurray as a strong and low key hero caught up in the whirlwind that is Stanwyck in a jam.


Set on Christmas Eve in New York City, MacMurray plays a prosecuting attorney who feels sorry for shoplifting Stanwyck (and what a piece she nabs!) after he requests a continuance for her case, causing her to be faced with jail time over the holiday. Softhearted Fred (who I'm sure noticed Barbara's gams in court) works it out with a bail bondsman to get the comely crook out until after the new year. Mistaking the attorney's intentions, the bondsman ~ accurately called 'Fat Mike' ~ gets Stanwyck out of jail and hauls her over to MacMurray's digs. Having been up this street before, the hard boiled dame plays along but the attorney on his way to his mother's farm for Christmas, is flustered and bumbling (as MacMurray does so well). Realizing Fred isn't the wolf she assumed, Babs wants to stay with him and with no where else to go, tags along with him to experience the down home, warm spirit of the season she'd never known before.

Made at Paramount Studio and directed by Mitchell Leisen, the film has alot going for it creatively. Leisen, one of the studio's top directors during this period, had a background in set and art direction and his attention to detail always showed in his films. The leisurely pace of some of the scenes allows for the viewer to linger over the scenario and take it all in to its full effect without being rushed. A fine example is the exchange between Stanwyck's Lee and MacMurray's Aunt Emma (Elizabeth Patterson) while dressing for a holiday barn dance. There isn't alot of dialogue between the two actors as Patterson helps Stanwyck into a corset and reminisces over her lost love of more than a quarter of a century, but the feeling is there and the pathos and sentiment is powerfully felt. One scene to which the pace is an extreme detriment in this blogger's eyes at least, is one played out by Stanwyck's defense attorney. His tirade of comic courtroom defense seems to go on as endlessly as a wedding toast given by the groom's boorish and long winded second cousin, once removed! This performance aside, the film is both charming and touching.


One noteworthy outcome of Remember the Night is the emergence of Preston Sturges as a writer/director. Upset that his script for the film was cut and jumbled about by director Leisen, he was determined to go out on his own to direct his own scripts. When Paramount gave him the chance later the same year, he did just that with The Great McGinty, winning an Oscar for his screenplay and establishing himself as a top talent in Hollywood. He was so impressed with Barbara Stanwyck that he told her that he would write a screwball comedy just for her and the following year did so with The Lady Eve. Leisen was also impressed with the ultra professional Miss Stanwyck and in one account claimed by the director, Stanwyck stayed tied up in all the tight fitting garb for the corset scene for over an hour just in case she was needed before her performance was required.


Along with Patterson's Aunt Emma, Beulah Bondi adds a homespun touch as MacMurray's loving and supportive mother. Always the eternal maternal (unless she played the eternal spinster, of course), Bondi is lighthearted and lays the groundwork for her portrayal of Ma Bailey in Capra's classic It's a Wonderful Life (1946). Sterling Holloway is a bit irritating as Willie, the lazy/hyperactive (depending on the circumstances) farm hand to the elder femmes, but taken into context, Bondi and Patterson help him carry his scenes to completion. MacMurray and Stanwyck, two personal favorites, make the film glide with charm, both of the humorous and sentimental variety. Among the numerous holiday films, both modern and classic, on exhibition this season, my hope is that Remember the Night is added to the must see repertoire of classic movie fans.

16 comments:

  1. Wow, thanks for pointing this movie out! I've never seen it but I plan on checking it out soon!

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  2. Fantastic post! I actually drove three hours down to Maryland to see this for Barbara Stanwyck's centennial at the Silver Springs AFI Theater in 2007! It was the first time I ever saw it, and I adore it!! I was so glad TCM played it that Christmas, so now I have it on dvd :D

    It's so good that I made my Christmas movie trilogy include four films now (originally it was just the Alastair Sim Christmas Carol, Christmas in Connecticut and The Man Who Came to Dinner!)

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    1. Love your choices! 2 traditional Christmas movies and 2 offbeat Christmas movies. I love both The Man Who Came to Dinner and Remember the Night.

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    2. Love your choices! 2 traditional Christmas movies and 2 offbeat Christmas movies. I love The Man Who Came to Dinner and Remember the Night!

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  3. A great pick to review, and as you rightly point out, it's most significant for pushing Preston Sturges into directing. But, I have to completely disagree with Sturges for how upset he was with the finished product. This is an outstanding film, and in all honesty Leisen made other fine comedies as well (Easy Living comes to mind).

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  4. Wow. How has this one slipped under the radar for so long? As you often do, Rupert, you have brought something new to my attention. And being a big Fred MacMurray fan, I've got a fresh new holday movie for this season. Thanks!

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  5. Thanks for writing about this; it's one of my favorite holiday movies. I can't believe it isn't better known! I do think that it has pacing issues--that scene with the cow seems to go on forever. I thought Sterling Holloway was pretty cute, but primarily because I love the way he sings in that lovely family scene.

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  6. I believe I have said before that it's a shame people don't realize that Fred a wonderful film career before "My Three Sons".
    Also, sadly, this film was remade as a Lifetime Channel movie in the late 80's or early 90's with Cynthia Gibb!

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    1. I thought the same thing, but the Lifetime movie was quite different. Nothing compared to the wonderful Remember the Night.

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  7. A great writeup -- I loved this movie the first time I saw it a couple years ago and am looking forward to buying the new copy being released by TCM. I hope others who read your post will try it when it airs on TCM this month.

    Best wishes,
    Laura

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  8. Thanks folks. I agree whole heartedly with you all that this is a swell film and I wish others who haven't had the opportunity could catch it. Might make it part of their holiday watching tradition.

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  9. Thanks for that post! While I have heard of Remember the Night, I've never seen nor read much about it. I'll definitely have to track it down now!

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  10. This is one I'm ALWAYS going to see, and never do. (I've ye tto see Christmas in Connecticut, either. Shame on me.) As usual, wonderful job. I don't thik I should sign this, as I don't know if I want to confess my sins.

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  11. where can it be seen? is it streaming online? thanks!

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  12. Samantha, I haven't seen it streaming anywhere online but TCM has shown it on rare occasions during the Christmas holidays. It is also available at Amazon through the link at the end of the article above.

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  13. This movie will be on at 8:30am on TCM Tuesday morning Dec 17th.

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