Kein Platz für feine Damen

Not quite a comedy, a drama or a musical but something of all three, "This Could Be the Night" is one of the Robert Wise movies that seems to have slipped off the radar which is a pity as it's actually very entertaining. It's certainly got a great cast. Jean Simmons is the schoolteacher who gets a part-time job as secretary to nightclub ower Paul Douglas but doesn't hit it off with his partner, Anthony Franciosa...at least initially. Five minutes in and you can see exactly where this movie is headed but a first-rate supporting cast, (Joan Blondell, the great Julie Wilson, Neile Adams, J. Carrol Naish, Rafael Campos), ensure a pleasant ride. Throw in Ray Anthony and his orchestra and some good musical numbers and what's not to like.

The handsome wide-screen, black-and-white cinematography and '50s-nitery milieu will remind you of "Sweet Smell of Success" -- there's even a nasty Broadway gossip columnist lurking about -- and this uneven MGM musical-comedy-drama plays kind of like a defanged version of that classic. Had it been filmed on location, it might have gotten by on atmosphere, but this is strictly a soundstage Times Square hangout, and there's not much kick to the proceedings. The central quandary: Should "nice girl" Jean Simmons be taking a part-time job as a secretary in a seedy nightclub? It's not an earth-shaking issue, nor are the subplots -- a cooch dancer wants to win a bake-off, a busboy is failing algebra, etc. The denizens of the club are a raffish and likable bunch, and the point, if there is one, is about how all kinds of New Yorkers can coexist. But the Franciosa/ Simmons romance is unconvincing -- it's one of those why-don't-you-grab-her-and-kiss-her affairs, messily and predictably set up -- and the ending feels arbitrary. The main compensation: legendary chanteuse Julie Wilson, with more curves than the B&O, growling out "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die." If this club has such classy entertainment, how come it's populated by so many lowlifes?

I happen to catch "This Could Be The Night" on TCM and loved it. I've never seen it before and wasn't disappointed in the least. It's charmingly quirky with its colorful cast of characters who inhabit the nightclub. Jean Simmons and Anthony Franciosa definitely had incredible chemistry together. The cast of characters around them held their own and were equally appealing. Unfortunately, I was called away during the last ten minutes of the movie and didn't see how it ended. Talk about bad timing! If they don't show it on TCM again, I'll have to buy it. Yes, I liked it that much. I look forward to seeing this one again very soon.

It's perfect casting in This Could Be the Night, with Jean Simmons as the prudish schoolteacher who wants to learn about life, Anthony Franciosa as the bad boy with good intentions, and Paul Douglas as the big softie who's just asking for a broken heart. That should be enough to sell you on the movie, but just in case it isn't, I'll continue.

Looking to pick up some extra cash, Jean gets a job in a hot nightclub as a bookkeeper. Paul Douglas instantly takes "Baby" under his wing, but Tony Franciosa thinks she doesn't fit in with their world. He tries to get her to go back to her nice, proper world, but clearly he never saw Guys and Dolls. Jean likes living on the edge!

The story is good enough on its own, but the acting really makes this movie special. All three are wonderful in their stock parts, and even though you can probably guess what'll happen in the story, you still manage to sit on the edge of your seat while it's happening. Tony and Paul have a believable chemistry together, and the screen sizzles whenever Tony and Jean share a scene. He has such a great balance of restraint and heightened emotions-if you're a fan, you need to rent this movie. If you've never seen him in a movie, this is a great one to start with; you just might get a new favorite screen couple out of it.

Jean Simmons is a school teacher who has just moved to New York City from New England. To make ends meet, she takes a second job as a secretary at a nightclub owned by Paul Douglas and Anthony Franciosa (in his film debut). Douglas, who hired her, is quite taken with her, but Franciosa thinks she has no business working in a nightclub and tries to get rid of her. She gradually charms her way into the fabric of the place, so by the time she and Franciosa realize they're in love, he can't get rid of her.

This is a pretty damn delightful movie. All three leads are charming and amusing, and it has a pretty wonderful supporting cast including J. Carrol Naish, Joan Blondell and Broadway star Neile Adams (the future Mrs. Steve McQueen) as a stripper who loves cooking. It's almost a semi-musical with Ray Anthony and His Orchestra playing the house band and his regular singer Julie Wilson playing a major role and singing several songs (including the title one).