I just finished watching this movie on TMC, and I really enjoyed it, but I am a tad mystified by the title...perhaps Lee Leander's "night" to remember is the dark part of her life, in order that she may move forward from it to a brighter future?
Could be worse...could be raining!
Could be their night in Niagra Falls...
shareI think it was New Year's Eve and their kiss at the barn dance.
shareI second your thought that the night in question was new year's eve at the barn dance.
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I think it is just a romantic, catch all title that was intended to appeal to women.
It is not a good title and I would not attach any signifigance to it in relation to anything in the film.
Could be reference to Christmas Eve or when they were kissing by Niagara falls..
I think it should have been called "Remember the Nights".
"I promise you, before I die I'll surely come to your doorstep"
Yes, the title is a poor fit because the movie's action is spread out over several days and nights -- the events of the movie span roughly two weeks. There are four nights that could be the "night" in question.
(*POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW*)
1. The first is when John bails Lee out of jail on the night before Christmas Eve. This is the night the two get acquainted, and their dinner/dancing scene and driving sequence sets up what is to come. But is it the night? No, it takes place too early in the narrative to rise to that level.
2. The next night is Christmas Eve, which marks Lee's beginning to turn away from her troubled past. First, going back home to Indiana and being rejected by her mother reminds her of why she had run away and become a scoundrel; then, the contrast of arriving at the Sargent homestead and observing the happiness of a loving family marks the beginning of her transformation. In the evolution of her character in the film, that is a climactic night. This gets my vote for the night to remember. Although...
3. New Year's Eve is also important because the kiss at the barn dance signals the protagonists' heightened attraction for each other. Later, John's mother's not-so-subtle warning to stay away from her son throws Lee in emotional turmoil. This is another turning point in Lee's character, one that accentuates the moral conflict she now faces. As nights go, I would place it second behind Christmas Eve, but it's a close second, and I can see why others would vote for this as the night of the title.
4. As for the night in Niagara Falls (the night of Jan. 1), we see them argue and kiss, and it is implied that more happens later, but I have a hard time making the call based on a single, relatively brief scene (however charged) and some unseen, untold events.
On a tangential note, the title reminds me of a line in the chorus of a popular song:
"I remember the night and the Tennessee Waltz..."
The lyrics were written in the mid-1940s, so the title of the movie did not come from the song. It's possible that the line in the song came from the movie, but the rest of the lyrics don't have anything to do with the movie, so it's hard to argue that case. It's a terrific song, though.
I think that there is a fine chance that you are over analyzing the title which I don't think has any special significance.
And the odds may be very good that it is just spotlighting off the well known romantic song by Irving Berlin - "Remember" - which includes the phrase "remember the night".
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If I overanalyzed, it wouldn't have been the first time. The 1,001st, maybe.
I think that if the film had been given a more distinctive title that was clearly connected to the storyline, then the film would be better remembered today. Ironically, I find the title one of the most forgettable parts of the movie -- I can recall the plot and lead actors easily, but often have trouble recalling the name of the film. Surely someone could have come up with a better title? Maybe something like "Christmas Reprieve" or "Holiday Surprise" or even "My Indiana Home"?
You're probably right about the Berlin song being an influence on the title. Published sources say it was written in 1925 and became a hit for several performers thereafter, so it would have been familiar to most viewers in 1940 when the film was released. I don't think the song was used in the movie, though -- it would have strengthened the connection with the title if it had.
It's not a good title to me. It sounds good, but it has little direct connection to the film.
Oh, well....too late now....
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"Christmas Reprieve" or "Holiday Surprise" or even "My Indiana Home"?
Hahahaha.....awful......especially the first two. Last one - too rustic.
I dont recall the song being in there, either. "Easy Living" from the film of the same name is in there, as in "Back Home Again In Indiana" which everyone knew back then as it was an old tune by 1940.
They would have had to pay Irving Berlin top money to use the tune. EL likely came cheap and BHAIN, too.
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I agree with you. I have been watching this movie for close to fifty years and I still cant keep the title straight. This is a great movie and I wonder if it had a more connected title it would be a holiday staple as it deserves.
shareI agree with you. I have been watching this movie for close to fifty years and I still cant keep the title straight. This is a great movie and I wonder if it had a more connected title it would be a holiday staple as it deserves.
shareMy take on the title is probably one of those over-analyzations mentioned. Even in the bright of day, remember the darkness of the night. He tries to get her off at the end on technicalities, but she DOES remember both, and accepts that she has to pay her debt to pass through the night, and get back to the day.
sharea cool title would have been 'holiday moonlight'.
🎄Season's Greetings!🎁🎅🎄
Ok, I just saw the movie and my take is that it refers to the night at Niagara Falls. Remember the dialogue. It goes something like this.....John: "You know where we'll spend our honeymoon?" Lee: "Where?" John: "Niagara Falls." Lee: "Darling, we're here." Yep, it's that night all right!
shareI agree with BonnieCon that the night is her less than respectable past. She was in the dark and has moved into the daylight. Remembering the night will help her to be thankful for the present.
"The same thing we do every day, Pinky, TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!"
A number of the key moments of their romance happen at night, which could also figure into the overall meaning of the title.
shareJumping in on this thread a little late, but I just saw the film.
Whether or not the title is any good, I think the reason for it is this: Lee is going to jail, and remembering their declaration of love and how he wanted to give everything up for her and marry her is what will keep her going during her time in jail, which I imagine won't be for terribly long. Then she'll be "square" and free to have a life with him when she gets out - this part demanded by the Hayes Code. Probably the original script had him manipulating the trial so that she was found not guilty.
Horrible title. Years ago when I recorded this on tape from AMC I labeled the tape "Home in Indiana" because I could never remember the right title.
share[deleted]
I think somebody was trying to cash in on the success of It Happened One Night (Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert). There are many examples of films of the same genre bearing similar titles to those of previous successes.
shareShowing up in the thread so much later because the same issue came to me. Very good title, but what did it mean?
My "take", then, is that the whole film showed a contrast between the lives of the 'haves' and the other folks like petty thieves, especially at the time of Christmas, and especially as in the minds of people who view Christmas movies -- rather than give the Big Happy Ending, it left us wondering and allows us to 'remember' a dark side of Christmas.
Christmas is a big 'family time', and it is great for those with happy childhood memories and families that love them. But others have childhoods and families they are trying to forget, and Christmas is a problem for them. .... pause .... some, however, have found it is better to remember the bad times, after all, and pass through some sort of healing process to the other side.
Also...
Since a title can be multidimensional, it reminds us that, in this film, a lot of good happened during the night and some bad stuff when daylight comes. Sort of like life in general -- you can fool around and relax at night and enjoy things, but then in the light of day see the same things and wonder what you were thinking. Like when your car gets stuck in a pasture, so the two of you sleep in proximity in a car, and the farmer who shows up at dawn likes to indulge his dirty mind as he drags you to the judge. It's one thing to be with a nice established guy who has a good job and resources, but the next day you (and he) are given a refresher course of how it is to be on the wrong side of the law.
There may be two sides to everything in this movie, similar to night and day, and during the night time, these two are a man and a woman who find themselves attracted. How simple that is. But during the day, his job completely clashes with her "profession". (So we get a wierd sort of "time" here, because the whole Christmas Eve to New Years vacation becomes a sort of night during which his prosecuting and her shoplifting take a break.
Also, yes, the title could have been just a last minute add-on, since the 1934 "It Happened One Night" was pretty popular.
And, as I said, once I started thinking about this film I did wonder about the title and was glad to see this thread.
And I'm jumping on later still, but I've had the worst time remembering the title of this film. For some reason I always think it's 'Christmas in Connecticut' - they really ought to have put the word 'Christmas' in there somewhere - and whenever I look for it I always have to look up Stanwyck and/or MacMurray. Ironically, the one movie whose title I never remember has the word 'remember' in it.
shareI simply took it to mean the night when her life, and her outlook on life, changed as she accompanied Sterling Holloway's character on the piano when he sang "A Perfect Day." The lyrics are so appropriate, and one can see her mood change as the song progresses. Great singing by Holloway, and great, wordless acting by Stanwyck.
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