J'étais une call-girl

GIRL OF THE NIGHT is amazing in that it was produced at a time when such themes as are involved remained taboo. Yet, here it is...and it is a formidable film, with an exquisitely modulated performance by Anne Francis, whose beauty probably prevented her from being considered for some of the powerful roles she could have done easily.John Kerr is excellent as well, especially due to the fact that such a role is played against accepted thought of the period. Who could have envisioned a pimp so good looking. Kerr was a far better actor than his credits indicate -- he had proved his ability on stage AND screen in Tea and Sympathy. Lloyd Nolan, whose abilities grew stronger as he moved away from leads into supporting roles, is superior as the analyst (though his office hours in the same building are slightly askew). Dark and brooding and often brutal, this film would have been an award contender in later years. Now, it remains a wonderful artifact of an era when not everyone was holding back against the formulaic look at the world.

It took me a moment or so before I could remember this film - and then it came to me. At the time this film came out, I was 20 years old and living in a hotel on 44th Street, just off Broadway in New York City. Right around the corner, playing in a movie theater (located just below the then famous "Camels" smoking man display) was this film.

Outside they had hooked up a series of telephones near the lobby entrance, so that you could talk (pre-recorded) to a "Call Girl." The voice you heard was that of actress Anne Francis as the film's central character.

At the time I thought it was quite hokey and, at first, didn't spend my scarce funds on the film. But some days later a friend treated me to the film, and I was quite surprised and very impressed.

This was a damn good film for its time. The theme was hardly ever touched upon in films in those days. In fact, in most, at best hinted at briefly in the dialog.

This film, however, was well scripted and laid the subject bare with well written dialog. In my opinion, had it been produced some two or so decades later, Ms. Francic would have been deservedly nominated for an Academy Award.

Despite the titillating title, the movie's close to a sleeper. More surprisingly, the production concentrates on the human aspect rather than the sleaze of the title. As the conflicted call girl, Francis turns in an exquisite performance, hitting the right notes without excess. She's neither too sympathetic nor too sappy. Also excellent are the other three principals, especially old pro Nolan as the low-key psychologist. Bobbie (Francis) would like to quit the trade, but is enamored of pimp Larry (Kerr) who's exploiting her with promises of marriage. The Madame, Rowena (Medford), has seen it all and grown understandably cynical, but can't quite quit. She too is tied to her gigolo, the classy Swagger. Thus the movie's about entrapment and how to break the destructive emotional hold.

That opening scene is a grabber, along with the gentleman client who turns out to be something else. We root for Bobbie to break out of the life, develop a sense of own worth and start a new life. Dr, Mitchell is trying to help, but how much he's helping is in doubt since Bobbie bounces back and forth. At times, his counseling seems too low-key to make an impression on the emotional girl. I like the way New York locations are worked tellingly into the storyline, as when Bobbie and her beau experience the liberating openness of Central Park. The ending too is well calibrated to what's gone before.

I recall wandering into the theater in 1960, seduced by the title and the gorgeous Francis. What I got was cutting edge honesty adapted from an actual case history. I expected cheap exploitation; instead I got solid drama, more honest than many an A-production. The 80- minutes may no longer be cutting edge, but the affecting drama remains.

A beautiful call girl. Bobbie (Anne Francis) seeks help from a psychiatrist (Lloyd Nolan) for her on-again-off-again relationship with her pimp (John Kerr) whom she wants to marry.

Kay Medford plays the head of the call girl agency, and Kerr, an alcoholic, keeps pushing her, saying they need money to be married.

When tragedy strikes, Bobbie wants out of the business and tries a regular job. But there's always the lure of her pimp, a man she loves in spite of herself.

This is a pretty wild topic for 1960, and it is well handled. It's a dark and absorbing film as Bobbie works with her doctor to confront her past and figure out why she is so self-destructive.

The film introduces Eileen Fulton as another call girl. She went on to become a huge soap opera star.

Well worth watching. Francis does an excellent job of portraying the vulnerability of Bobbie, as well as her tough outer shell. Kerr plays against type, and Medford is great, particularly in her drunk scene.

This is one of the most perceptive and realistic depictions of psychology in film. The psychological aspects and the psychologist as portrayed by Lloyd Nolan are absolutely spot on. Anne Francis is perfectly cast as a woman truly in need and seeking out some internal insight, and believe me this is a realistic search by her character and not just an overblown cinematic exploitation. Kay Medford gives us quite a screen acting demonstration- she shows you how to act for the movies, she is that good. John Kerr portrays a total louse but the psychologist also endeavors to figure him out for the sake of his patient, Ms. Francis. Major childhood incidents and issues of the two lead characters are explored in a very frank manner, way ahead of the time frame of c1960 era film-making. And its not exploitative- it is all realistic and highly dramatic. Kerr was master of the psychological side of screen acting (we have seen examples of his work in "Tea and Sympathy" and "The Cobweb") and this film showcases Kerr as an even more well-rounded and impactful character.

"Girl of the Night" should be viewed whenever you are ready for a heavy, serious cinematic experience. Not frivolous or titillating, it is just a well conceived, well written and well acted movie.