MovieChat Forums > Midnight (1939) Discussion > A hidden gem....

A hidden gem....

posted 17 years ago by ssweet6
10 replies | jump to latest

This movie is too easily missed and not often shown....

It is one of the funniest and most cleverly written movies of this era....if you want a wonderful example of a well done comedy of the 30's/40's do not miss this one....surprised there aren't more comments about it......I am pretty hard to please. It is very similar to The Palm Beach Story but really much better! You always hear about The Palm Beach Story though....

I love Don Ameche in this and wished he had made more of these types of movies....what talent. I just thought it sad the John Barrymore spent so much time reading his lines....he is still great though.

[–] jon5000_66 17 years ago

Don Ameche was the IT guy, as far as I'm concerned. So handsome and brimming with life. I can't wait to see this - I'll try not to think about the sparks he might have made with Barbara Stanwyk.

"It's as if God created the Devil...and gave him...JAWS"

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] HarlowMGM 17 years ago

Now I dearly love Barbara Stanwyck but there is no way she would have been better in this than Claudette Colbert. Claudette is perfection in the role!!

Barbara would have played the role more cynical and plotting like her great parts in THE LADY EVE and BALL OF FIRE. Whereas the femme role here kind of has things fall into her lap over and over which makes the liess predatory Claudette perfect for the part.

I don't know why anyone would complain about John Barrymore here - I think it's his greatest "supporting" role in films (1937-42), he is absolutely a riot. I remember reading somewhere where Drew Barrymore said it was her favorite movie performance of her grandfather's.

[–] ssweet6 17 years ago

I also love John Barrymore and he is wonderful with Claudette Colbert ... she is perfection in this role. You can tell the Billy Wilder is connected with the movie ... the dialog is so crisp and clever.

I did read it somewhere and if you watch closely -- when John Barrymore is in a scene with someone else, many times he is reading his lines off to the side somewhere ... pretty obvious. But....its still a great, great performance. No complaints...

Not to be missed.....see this one folks.....it is clearly the best of its type.....and my word is Ameche a funny, attractive fellow!

[–] mathmaniac 8 years ago

I cannot count on liking a Billy Wilder script - he wasn't THAT good. But the line about the shoe covered with Thousand Island dressing cracked me up because it was so unexpected. I don't know if he wrote that line but it is memorable to me.

[–] WhoDo-YouDo 13 years ago

Agree. Really. This is just one great film. Really.

Claudette does a fine job like no other actress could. Agree. John Barrymore is also great here. Agree.

Ironically, while Claudette plays an American stranded in Paris, she's the only cast member actually born in France, while the French supporting cast is all American. Really.

[–] bugzzy 17 years ago

I can't agree with you more, Ssweet6, this is a great movie, one of the best comedies I ever had the pleasure to watch.
Don Ameche is in fact great as so John Barrymore and Claudette Colbert, b ut the script is even better, very inteligent.
Not to be missed.

[–] pedro4300 16 years ago

Barrymore stole the show! Ameche was fun and Colbert is always a gem, but like always, Mitchell Liesen is the weak link here, but, at least he did a better job than usual. Easily Mitch's best film.

[–] johnlsullivan 15 years ago

I think Mitchell Leisen is a very underrated director. Midnight is a classic. So is Easy Living. Remember the Night, To Each His Own, So Proudly We Hail. He made a lot of wonderful movies.

[–] eden_echo 12 years ago

I love screwballs and this is one of the best!

I'm a sucker for plots like this (lovestruck guy after the girl especially) and John Barrymore's telephone scene was awesome!

“If you're gonna be two-faced at least make one of them pretty.”