This is the Night (1932)
This is the Night (1932)
„This is the Night“ is a 1932 pre-Code comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle. The screenplay by Benjamin Glazer and George Marion Jr. is based on the 1923 play, „Pouche“ by Henri Falk and René Peter, and the 1925 English-language adaptation, „Naughty Cinderella“ written by Avery Hopwood.
When Claire Mathewson’s husband Stephen comes back unexpectedly from the 1932 Summer Olympics, where he was supposed to compete in the javelin throw, he discovers the train tickets for a romantic Venice getaway she has planned with her lover Gerald.
Gerald’s friend, Bunny, lies and says that the tickets are actually for Gerald and his wife. With Stephen still suspicious, Gerald must find a fake wife to go to Venice with him. He tries to hire the actress Chou-Chou, but since her boyfriend is a jealous man, she gives the job to out-of-work Germaine, who needs the 2,000 franc fee to keep from starving. At first, Gerald thinks she is too demure, but she soon convinces him that she can pretend to be a glamorous wife.
The two couples go to Venice. Bunny, attracted to Germaine, decides to join them. On the train, Stephen questions Gerald and Germaine about how they met. When they arrive in Venice, Claire quickly becomes jealous, as both Stephen and Gerald seem fascinated by Germaine. Claire eventually demands that Gerald send Germaine away immediately, so he orders her to leave the next day. Meanwhile, a drunken Bunny climbs a ladder into Germaine’s bedroom and offers to take her away. After she turns down his offer, he falls into a canal on his way out and is apprehended by two policemen. Stephen believes he hears a burglar and goes to her room to investigate. The two are then caught in a seemingly compromising position by Gerald and Claire. However, Bunny reappears and explains what really happened. Her love for her husband rekindled, Claire breaks off her affair with Gerald. Germaine reveals to Gerald that she is not in fact Chou-Chou and decides to return to Paris, but Gerald catches up to her in a gondola and asks her to marry him.
Cast:
- Lili Damita – Germaine
- Charles Ruggles – Bunny West
- Roland Young – Gerald Gray
- Thelma Todd – Claire Mathewson
- Cary Grant – Stephen Mathewson
- Irving Bacon – Sparks
- Davison Clark – Studio Official
- Gino Corrado – Manager of Neopolitan Hotel
- Claire Dodd – Chou-Chou
- Alex Melesh – Porter
- Donald Novis – Singing Gondolier
- Tiny Sandford – Porter
- Rolfe Sedan – Boulevardier
- Harry Semels – Man in the Manhole
„Madame verliert ihr Kleid“ (This is the Night) ist eine Pre-Code-Komödie aus dem Jahr 1932 unter der Regie von Frank Tuttle. Das Drehbuch von Benjamin Glazer und George Marion Jr. basiert auf dem Theaterstück „Pouche“ von Henri Falk und René Peter aus dem Jahr 1923 und der englischsprachigen Adaption „Naughty Cinderella“ von Avery Hopwood aus dem Jahr 1925.
Als Claire Mathewsons Ehemann Stephen unerwartet von den Olympischen Sommerspielen 1932 zurückkehrt, wo er im Speerwurf antreten sollte, entdeckt er die Zugtickets für eine romantische Venedig-Reise, die sie mit ihrem Liebhaber Gerald geplant hat.
Geralds Freund Bunny lügt und behauptet, die Fahrkarten seien eigentlich für Gerald und seine Frau bestimmt. Da Stephen immer noch misstrauisch ist, muss Gerald eine falsche Frau finden, die mit ihm nach Venedig fährt. Er versucht, die Schauspielerin Chou-Chou zu engagieren, aber da ihr Freund ein eifersüchtiger Mann ist, gibt sie den Job der arbeitslosen Germaine, die die 2.000 Francs Honorar braucht, um nicht zu verhungern. Gerald hält sie zunächst für zu sittsam, aber sie überzeugt ihn bald davon, dass sie sich als glamouröse Ehefrau ausgeben kann.