Post by kijii on Sept 11, 2019 18:16:30 GMT
My review copied from another thread:
This Could Be the Night (1957) / Robert Wise
Rented for streaming from Amazon Prime
This movie seems VERY disjointed in the beginning when Anne Leeds (Jean Simmons), responds to a newspaper ad for a secretary. The ad was placed in the paper by Rocco (Paul Douglas), the part-owner of a very busy NYC nightclub, The Tonic. The The Tonic's co-owner, Tony Armotti (Anthony Franciosa), is against hiring Leeds, a recent graduate from Smith College who teaches grade school part time. However, the easy-going Rocco is won over by her flexibility and ability to adapt to a variety of situations. After getting to know her better, Tony is won over too.
Rocco (Paul Douglas): You know who she [Anne Leeds] reminds me of? My ex.
Tony Armotti (Anthony Franciosa) : Oh, that must make you happy. How much was it Tina took you for?
As the movie proceeds, we find that the variety of people who "inhabit the nightclub" encompass all types of characters--both men and woman. It's not hard to imagine that this movie was derived from a series of short stories (by Cornelia Baird Gross and Isobel Lennart ), something like a Damon Runyon movie. (Jean Simmons had just made such a movie, Guys and Dolls.)
As the movie proceeds, the characters of "The Tonic" form a rich (but TOTALLY unlikely) tapestry of stories which DO come together in the end. And, a movie that frustrated you at the beginning makes you want to cheer at the end, but, you have to wonder how.
The movie also presents several solo nightclub acts:
---Ray Anthony and his orchestra play at the Tonic and serve as accompaniment for the singers and dancers.The Tonic
---Julie Wilson (as Ivy Corlane) sings several torch songs.
---Rafael Campos (as Hussein Mohammed) seems to have been "adopted" by The Tonic at some point in the past.
---Neile Adams (as Patsy St. Clair) is a stripper at The Tonic, but she only strips so far with her mother, Joan Blondell (as Crystal St. Clair), looking on proudly. (One gets the idea that Patsy is being groomed to take her mother's old place).
---Patsy's dream is to win a cooking contest, the first prize is an oven and range.
This is a movie that has to be experienced in order to enjoy its genius; there is no other way to say it..
Anne Leeds (Jean Simmons): Oh, you must hate doing this so conventionally. What a pity you can't hit me like you did that man in the alley.
Tony Armotti (Anthony Franciosa): Don't kid yourself, honey. If I caught you dipping your fingers in the till, I'd clip you, too. But him I didn't fire because he's good at his job, which you're not. Is that nice and clear?
Anne Leeds : Perfectly. If you're a thief or a liar, you belong at the Tonic. Otherwise, you don't.
Tony Armotti : Yeah, you tell 'em, sister. Get a soapbox and tell 'em.
Here it the trailer for the movie: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fl8jW4VmGY
Rented for streaming from Amazon Prime
This movie seems VERY disjointed in the beginning when Anne Leeds (Jean Simmons), responds to a newspaper ad for a secretary. The ad was placed in the paper by Rocco (Paul Douglas), the part-owner of a very busy NYC nightclub, The Tonic. The The Tonic's co-owner, Tony Armotti (Anthony Franciosa), is against hiring Leeds, a recent graduate from Smith College who teaches grade school part time. However, the easy-going Rocco is won over by her flexibility and ability to adapt to a variety of situations. After getting to know her better, Tony is won over too.
Rocco (Paul Douglas): You know who she [Anne Leeds] reminds me of? My ex.
Tony Armotti (Anthony Franciosa) : Oh, that must make you happy. How much was it Tina took you for?
As the movie proceeds, we find that the variety of people who "inhabit the nightclub" encompass all types of characters--both men and woman. It's not hard to imagine that this movie was derived from a series of short stories (by Cornelia Baird Gross and Isobel Lennart ), something like a Damon Runyon movie. (Jean Simmons had just made such a movie, Guys and Dolls.)
As the movie proceeds, the characters of "The Tonic" form a rich (but TOTALLY unlikely) tapestry of stories which DO come together in the end. And, a movie that frustrated you at the beginning makes you want to cheer at the end, but, you have to wonder how.
The movie also presents several solo nightclub acts:
---Ray Anthony and his orchestra play at the Tonic and serve as accompaniment for the singers and dancers.The Tonic
---Julie Wilson (as Ivy Corlane) sings several torch songs.
---Rafael Campos (as Hussein Mohammed) seems to have been "adopted" by The Tonic at some point in the past.
---Neile Adams (as Patsy St. Clair) is a stripper at The Tonic, but she only strips so far with her mother, Joan Blondell (as Crystal St. Clair), looking on proudly. (One gets the idea that Patsy is being groomed to take her mother's old place).
---Patsy's dream is to win a cooking contest, the first prize is an oven and range.
This is a movie that has to be experienced in order to enjoy its genius; there is no other way to say it..
Anne Leeds (Jean Simmons): Oh, you must hate doing this so conventionally. What a pity you can't hit me like you did that man in the alley.
Tony Armotti (Anthony Franciosa): Don't kid yourself, honey. If I caught you dipping your fingers in the till, I'd clip you, too. But him I didn't fire because he's good at his job, which you're not. Is that nice and clear?
Anne Leeds : Perfectly. If you're a thief or a liar, you belong at the Tonic. Otherwise, you don't.
Tony Armotti : Yeah, you tell 'em, sister. Get a soapbox and tell 'em.
Here it the trailer for the movie: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fl8jW4VmGY