They say you should never make a decision when you’re angry or tired or hungry.
Trouble is, people make decisions all the time under these conditions, which may be why the world is in the Mess it’s in.
We were musing about decisions after watching the holiday comedy, Remember the Night (1940), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray.
Stanwyck stars as thief who acts as though she wants to be caught, i.e. she robs a jewellery store then immediately tries to unload the mechandise at a pawn shop without waiting for the goods to cool off.
MacMurray, on the other hand, works for the District Attorney, and he’s been ordered to prosecute Stanwyck. He’s greatly annoyed because this means he must delay his trip to his mother’s Indiana farm where he always spends the holidays.
Now, don’t get the idea MacMurray is a saintly character, because he’s not. He’s a ruthless prosecutor who forces a recess in the case because he thinks the jury won’t convinct a woman just before Christmas.
However, MacMurray does have a heart, and he posts bail for Stanwyck so she won’t have to spend the holidays in the clink. The bondsman, though, likes to have insurance, so he deposits Stanwyck in MacMurray’s care until court resumes in January.
You’ve already guessed this is a film driven by characters’ decision-making. But here it’s the women who decide How Things Are Going To Be.
In particular, it’s Stanwyck’s choices that propel the movie, starting with her decision to rob the jewellery store. The outcome of Everything depends on her acceptance or refusal and, early in the film, we see why she Lives Life as she does.
Here’s the plan: MacMurray will drive Stanwyck to her childhood home – en route to his mother’s farm – then retrieve her after the holidays. Stanwyck is, at first, excited to see her mother after an absence of many years, but she becomes increasingly nervous the closer she gets and, when she arrives, we see her fears have been realized.
Stanwyck’s mother (Georgia Caine) is arguably one of the meanest mothers in classic film. There is no joy, no hint of affection in her cold stare.
When MacMurray indicates she ought to be glad to see her daughter, she snarls, “Glad? Why should I be glad? Good riddance to bad rubbish, I said the day she left.” Then, “Just like her father, she is. Always laughing at serious things, she was. Never doing what she was told till she winds up stealing, as I always said she would.”
Caine can’t be held entirely Responsible for Stanwyck’s criminal bent, of course, but she does show us the results of clinging to bitterness.
Charity is one thing, but family is another. Image: Pinterest
We see a very different person in MacMurray’s mother (Beulah Bondi), another woman who hasn’t shied away from the Tough Decisions in life. But this hasn’t hardened her; in fact, it’s had the opposite effect.
When Stanwyck arrives, unannounced, at the family farm, Bondi doesn’t blink, doesn’t hide the silverware, even though she knows Stanwyck’s Situation.
But when she sees her son falling in love, she moves to secure her investment, and she does so in the gentlest of ways. She explains to Stanwyck that, as a mother, she has a Vested Interest in MacMurray’s future. He’s worked hard to be where he is – and by this we know she means she’s worked hard.
Stanwyck ain’t no dummy and she must Decide: Will she run away again and bring MacMurray with her? Or will she return to New York to Face Justice?
Remember the Night was written by Preston Sturges, the creator of some of the most successful and influential Hollywood comedies of the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Also, notably, this was to be the last of his scripts directed by someone else. Sturges was unhappy with director Mitchell Leisen’s treatment of his screenplay, and from here on, Sturges would direct his own scripts. The following year, for example, he would direct Stanwyck in 1941’s The Lady Eve.
We (yours truly) must respectfully disagree with Sturges’s assessment of Leisen’s direction of this film. Sturges provides sparkling dialogue, but Leisen makes this a romantic, almost moving film, which we appreciate given the characters’ circumstances.
If you haven’t yet seen Remember the Night, we implore you to do so. It might become a new holiday tradition.
♥
This post is part of The HAPPY HOLIDAYS Blogathon, hosted by the Pure Entertainment Preservation Society.
Remember the Night: starring Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi. Directed by Mitchell Leisen. Written by Preston Sturges. Paramount Pictures, 1940, B&W, 94 mins.
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Wow! I love Sturges, Stanwyck and MacMurray and yet I had never heard of this film. Good news it will be on TCM Dec 15. I will definitely check it out.
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I think you’ll like it. Some really great lines.
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Remember the Night had some nice moments, and a few unfortunate ones. I don’t know yet if this will be a tradition, but I am glad I finally saw it.
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So glad you had the chance to see it…and am relieved you didn’t hate it. 😉
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I’d forgotten about this movie until reading your account of it — many thanks for the reminder! I too think Remember the Night‘s a goodie, and may rack it up for a rewatch this Xmas.
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I hope you do see it again this year. It never gets old for me.
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We won’t learn from the past until we respect the past….It’s an inherent flaw in humanity that succeeding generations assume they are “better” than the last. Ancestor worship suddenly makes sense. As your invaluable site demonstrates, so many 1930s to 50s Hollywood movies preempt today’s debates about social and gender equality. Thank you!
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It’s kind of depressing, isn’t it, to see how far movies haven’t come. Thanks for your kind comment. 🙂
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This sounds like a fun romance, Georgia Caine’s character notwithstanding!
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This film is a lot of fun. It successfully blends comedy and drama. I hope you get a chance to see it! 🙂
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Can’t believe I haven’t seen this one…thanks!
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Please do yourself a favor and see this one. It’s a lot of fun.
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Hello there. I’m a big fan of Sturges. Who isn’t? Sullivan’s Travels, The Palm Beach Story, etc. are terrific films.
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Preston Sturges knew how to give an audience their money’s worth!
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The opener of this post got a really good belly laugh from me – I think because all the messy in the news is getting to my head haha. Sounds like another great movie to add to my list – and man that mother sounds mean! 😦
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The mother certainly is mean, but the movie is delightful. I hope you get the chance to see it!
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I’ve seen this movie 3 or 4 times, and there isn’t a thing I’d change about it. Great film.
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Agreed. There isn’t a thing I’d change about it, either
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This was one of those movies that disappeared from television for years before TCM started showing it again a few years ago. It’s a sweet movie and has more drama than I expected. Very nice performances from the two leads…and, uh, pretty different from their future pairing in DOUBLE INDEMNITY.
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Ha! You said it. They could not be more different than their roles in Double Indemnity.
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I’ve seen this one years ago but need a refresher. I’m going to come back and read your article after I’ve watched it again 🙂 Love Stanwyck and MacMurray together!
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I love Stanwyck and MacMurray together, too! They always have terrific chemistry, don’t they? I hope you get the chance to see this wonderful film again soon. 🙂
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Yes!! I just did a quick search to see how many films they made together. Came up with four! Have you seen the rest of them?
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I’ve seen two others – Double Indemnity (fab!) and a melodrama from the 1950s that I can never remember the name of.
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Cool! Double Indemnity is a-mazing! I’ll have to check out the other one.
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I haven’t seen this one as often as I should, especially for someone who call herself a Barbara Stanwyck fan! Your review has inspired me to watch it as part of my Christmas day movie marathon.
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Yay! I hope you’re able to see it this holiday season. I love the wit and compassion in this film.
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I didn’t know Sturges was unhappy with the screenplay – it’s so good and romantic! But he may have been right, as The Lady Eve is a better movie.
I had never thought about this movie in the sense of the many decisions made. Your review was very thought-provoking to me.
Cheers!
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Thanks, Le! The last time I watched this film, it struck me how many of the big decisions were made by the women, and how unusual that was…and still is, even today…
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Where do you find the films to watch? There are so many I would like to see. Nice review!
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Thanks! I love movies and talking about movies. Happily, there are lots to discover. 🙂
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But where do you find them? We ditched cable TV and use antenna’s but have Hulu and Netflix. I never seem to be able to find them.
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YouTube has a lot of them, either free or available for rent. I also have a lot of DVDs and Blu-rays, and I also subscribe to the Criterion channel through Apple TV. Additionally, our local library is a great resource.
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Thank you!
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First, the set-up on the blog is terrific.
Second, I agree wholeheartedly. I don’t know what more Leisen could have done to please Sturges. Remember the Night is a truly memorable movie thanks to all involved.
I like your way of looking at the motivations and outcomes in this charming movie. It will inform my next viewing. There’s always a next viewing, a glass of wine, and a good cry.
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The first time I saw this film, a few years ago, I thought, “Where has this movie been my whole life?”
Thanks for you kind comments. 🙂
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A big fan of Sturges but I’ve not seen this. Would have love to have met him and eaten at his restaurant.
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Oh yes, meeting him would have been a thrill! Can you imagine? It would be something to pick his brain about script writing.
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Oh wonderful. So funny but he also got the heart too. Please do a post one day on Sullivan’s Travels.
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Sounds like it’s also a good reminder on how to parent!
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You raise an interesting point. The movie mentions occasions when both lead characters, as children, stole money from their mothers. But the two mothers handled these similar actions very differently.
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Terrific review of one of my favorite movies, and I am so with you on Leisen’s direction here, only I’ll go even further: it brings me to tears every time, at the end, and threatens to in several other places. So glad it’s become better known. Stanwyck looks fantastic, the style of this era was so becoming to her. I love all the actors, and Sturges’ dialogue with Leisen’s masterful tone shifts really do make this a special film. Christmas-crime-romance, anyone?
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Bahaha! “Christmas-crime-romance” is brilliant.
I agree Stanwyck is almost luminous here. She is so beautiful, even in that ridiculous white dress and giant ribbon she wears to the NYE dance.
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Leisen had a way with showing his leading ladies to their greatest advantage. He lingers on them with long, loving closeups. I think he started as a designer. Whatever it was, he adores his women stars, and I love him for it.
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Both Mothers seem to try and rule the roost, in their own way!! Typical!! Ha!!
Sounds like a beautifully well scripted Romantic Comedy/Christmas Romance!! With a predictable ending (I have a hunch); but it’s the journey that matters, not just the end destination !! I should check i out!! Love Stanwyck, in all genres she’s worked; from Noir to Comedy to tear-jerker Melodrama!!!!!
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I hope you can see this one. Stanwyck and MacMurray have terrific screen chemistry, as you know, and their comic timing is spot on. It’s a gem of a film.
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