More than likely, if you are a Cary Grant fan, your first introduction came via films like NORTH BY NORTHWEST or another Hitchcock classic, or perhaps one of his earlier films co-starring Kate Hepburn. Less likely, you probably didn’t receive your first glimpse of Old Hollywood’s legendary leading man via his first feature length film, THIS IS THE NIGHT.

As we mentioned in our overview of Cary Grant, when he first came to Hollywood, he was heavily experienced in pantomime, vaudeville, acrobatics, and some Broadway stage experience (mostly musical comedy), as well. But acting in front of a camera would be unchartered territory for Grant, who had only recently changed his name from Archie Leach.

When we examine THIS IS THE NIGHT, let’s do so with an open mind that we are beginning at the beginning. His polished, confident, relaxed, highly skilled acting image would evolve later, gradually over time. We are also very early into the talkies, from a technical threshold. Don’t judge this absurdly silly, sometimes stiff, and awkward film too harshly- just enjoy the charm that reflects this moment in time.

When Cary first arrived in Hollywood, with little acting experience and a very pretty face, fellow actor Jack Haley gave him some tips; such as seeking out a good makeup person because stage makeup won’t be flattering on camera, and to look to the character actors (like Charles Ruggles and Roland Young). “Talk to character people. They’ll teach you the ins and outs.”* According to biographer Scott Eyman,

“His first picture for Paramount was initially called HE MET A FRENCH GIRL, which was providentially changed to THIS IS THE NIGHT, a charming, slavish imitation of Ernst Lubitch. Grant’s first day of movie-making in Hollywood was Thursday, January 21, 1932, on stage 5 at Paramount. Grant played Stephen, a young javelin thrower on his way to the 1932 Olympics who gets sidetracked by romance in Paris and Venice. His co-stars were Charlie Ruggles, Roland Young, and Lily Damita, who would eventually marry Errol Flynn, after which they proceeded to make each other miserable. Grant worked two and a half weeks on the picture, for which he was paid $450 a week- loose change compared to Damita’s $2,500 a week, or, for that matter, Roland Young’s $2,000 a week.”*   

It may not seem all that surprising for Cary Grant to be fifth billed as it’s his first feature. And placing typically character role actors Charles Ruggles and Roland Young in essentially double leads may seem unusual, but studios would occasionally try to expand character actors into roles that straddle the fence between supporting and lead, if it fits and to see if they can make the leap. But it was actress Lily Damita that was intended to be the big star here.

Ironically, to modern audiences today, Cary Grant is the household name and Damita is virtually unknown. Liliane Marie-Madeleine Carre was born in Blaye, France on July 10, 1904. In her youth, she was well-educated and studied ballet/dance and worked as a model. She began working in silent film in Europe in the 1920s as a teenager and in her early twenties. She worked with directors Michael Curtiz (with whom she had a long affair), Robert Weine, GW Pabst, and Graham Cutts before arriving in Hollywood. She came to Hollywood in 1928 under contract to Sam Goldwyn. But she spent the rest of her film career being loaned out to other studios. From 1922 to 1937, she would make 33 films in total before retiring in 1937.   

Lili Damita is more known for her personal life. In 1935, she married actor Errol Flynn before his rise to stardom. They divorced in 1942, but had one son, Sean Flynn, in 1941. Sean was working as a photojournalist for Time magazine in April of 1970 when he went missing in Cambodia. He and fellow journalist Dana Stone were covering the Khmer Rouge reign of the Cambodian civil war conflict and were never found. Damita spent a large fortune over many years attempting to find her son to no avail. Lili and Errol’s rocky relationship was a focus in Errol Flynn’s autobiography, “My Wicked, Wicked Ways,” which was later made into a made-for-television film of the same title, starring Barbara Hershey as Lili Damita.     

Billed right before Cary Grant, Thelma Todd portrays his wandering-eyed, feisty, platinum-haired beautiful wife. She is a personal favorite of mine and a skilled actress in comedy. Like Damita, Thelma Alice Todd (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935) entered Hollywood with talent and through a beauty contest and modeling. Naturally intelligent and educated (initial ambitions of a teacher in her home state of Massachusetts), Todd was also a savvy businesswoman. Todd was considered one of Hollywood’s pioneering celebrity restauranteurs, with her extremely popular “Sidewalk Café,” which opened in the summer of 1934, just off the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades. She partnered with director Roland West for the financial backing to create a fine dining experience with a menu specialized in seafood. Todd worked hard in marketing and to brand herself as the face of the restaurant, which drew countless Hollywood celebrities as patrons. 

Her film career started in uncredited parts in 1926 and she climbed her way into shorts, with a knack for comedy. She was a popular addition to films for Hal Roach, including Laurel and Hardy standards. She was the perfect partner for comic duos with Patsy Kelly and later with Zasu Pitts and co-starred in two Marx Brothers’ films. By 1935, at the age of 29 years old, she had earned 119 acting credits and was gaining meatier roles and her rise to stardom in meteoric motion, when she unexpectantly and tragically died.

The coroner’s report concluded asphyxiation by Carbon Monoxide poisoning. But controversy has followed this heartbreaking conclusion from the start. Was it suicide, accidental, or by murder? Theories include (1) Roland West, her business partner and married lover, because he was angry that she came home late from partying that night, (2) her ex-husband Pat DiCicco, a shady character with rumors of mobster ties and famed as Gloria Vanderbilt’s abusive first husband. Witnesses say they had a fight the night before, or possibly (3) the mob itself, which was not thrilled that Todd’s refused their pressures to bring in their gambling into her place. Another theory is accidental- that to avoid a confrontation with West, after coming home late and drunk, that she slipped into his garage and fell asleep in his car trying to keep warm. Personally, I suspect foul play.   

This is a Pre-Code film. Scenes suggesting sexual themes are fairly tame here compared to films that followed in the next two years, but enough to flag the censors. According to Frank Miller’s review for TCM, “The Production Code Administration objected to the scene in which Todd loses her skirt, with their chief, Jason Joy, complaining about “a vista of legs and thighs about the knees.” He also warned that Young’s reaction to the accident suggested that even more had been exposed. That got through, though pressure from the Italian government led Paramount to cut a few comedy bits featuring an ethnic stereotype of Italian policemen. When stricter Production Code enforcement arrived in 1935, Paramount won permission to re-issue the film after excising a scene in which Damita undressed behind a screen.”**

THIS IS THE NIGHT’s screenplay is based on the play Pouche by René Peter and Henri Falk (Paris, 8 Feb 1923) and the English-language adaptation, Naughty Cinderella, by Avery Hopwood (New York, 9 Nov 1925).  

The director, Frank Tuttle (August 6, 1862 – January 6, 1963), was a writer/director who worked from the silent film era into the late 1950s, including television. He worked across nearly every genre- slapstick, dramas, romance, comedies, film noir, crime drama, mysteries – with some of the biggest stars in the industry – Alan Ladd, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, William Powell…. He may be more known for his part in the 2^nd Red Scare of Hollywood.

In testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), he admitted to being a member of the communist party from 1937 – 1947 and quit when he said the party was advocating for too much violence. During his time as a party member, he hosted parties at his NY home. He ‘named names’ in front of the HUAC including director Jules Dassin, who was blacklisted. Tuttle avoided blacklisting himself by his tattling and was able to continue to work in the industry. His career ended in 1959, the same year the blacklist was broken, thanks to Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger hiring Dalton Trumbo (blacklisted Hollywood 10 screenwriter) for SPARTACUS (1960) and EXODUS (1960).           

What to look for…

Some of the most interesting aspects to THIS IS THE NIGHT are the quirky and colorful visual effects. From the very start, we see color in this black-and-white film and some chaotic Dutch angles, too. A very German Expressionist touch to this European-stylized yet Hollywood film. It wasn’t unheard of for several studio films to be printed on tinted stock or toned, usually sepia. Some Paramount films were tinted entirely or partially such as THE CANARY MURDER CASE (1929). In THIS IS THE NIGHT, we mostly see this technique for night scenes in the blue tint, which was a method more utilized in silent films.   

Music is the dominant force at the onset, with horns replacing dialogue in a comedic tool, reflective of the early talkies/late silent era transition. We don’t hear dialogue for nearly five minutes. When the dialogue does begin, a musical ensemble kicks in. This is not a musical, but it pretends to be one in unexpected moments here and there.   

Cary Grant singing. Not the only film he did so, but a rarity, nonetheless. And with good reason, perhaps. But I’ll let you be the judge.

Pre-Code moments and gags. Sexual Innuendos like javelin spears, naughty French postcards, and remarriage. One of the running Pre-Code gags centers on lady legs. We see this early on and often with Thelma Todd, and an entire scene when Ruggles and Roland get creative as they attempt to see Damita’s legs. Of course, there are ‘undressing’ scenes- whether partially or implied—a peekaboo of a slip, via a silhouette shadow, or behind a dressing screen… and a repeated bit of Todd’s clothes getting accidentally snagged and pulling off her. The perfect touch of slapstick and Thelma Todd is ideal for the job. There’s also a drunken scene with Ruggles and Young that borders on intimacy in a slurred confession of love.  

Precursor to Screwball Comedy. This is not a screwball comedy, but it possesses many, although only a partial list, of the signature elements- remarriage/ love triangles (in this case, it’s a love quadrant of adultery), jealousy, mistaken identity turns into mistaken bedrooms, and wealthy socialites.  

What observations have you made? Who or what stands out? Does Cary Grant leave an impression- and in what way?  

Cast and Crew …
Director: Frank Tuttle

Producer: Benjamin Glazer
Screenplay: George Marion, Jr.
Based on the play Naughty Cinderella by Avery Hopwood, adapted from the play Pouche by Rene Peter, Henri Falk
Cinematography: Victor Milner
Score: Ralph Rainger
Principal Cast: Lili Damita (Germaine), Charlie Ruggles (Bunny West), Roland Young (Gerald Grey), Thelma Todd (Claire), Cary Grant (Stephen), Irving Bacon (Jacques), Claire Dodd (Chou-Chou), Duke Ellington and His Band.
BW-78m

*This piece was part of the Cary Grant Film Study I instructed in the Fall of 2023, as part of my ongoing classic film study series in Lawrence, Kansas.

Sources:

*“Cary Grant, A Brilliant Disguise.” By Scott Eyman. 2020. Simon and Schuster.          

**”This Is The Night.” By Frank Miller. Oct, 20, 2011. TCM.com. Articles and Reviews.

IMDB