Remember the Night (1940)

Don’t (Remember the Night) (1940)

‘Remember the Night’ is a better film then I give it credit for. It has an overall sentimental atmosphere in an otherwise very slow paced film. Too slow paced to stand out in my mind  long after the film is over. It is more dramatic then the comedic promise from the synopsis.  I wanted lots of yucks and I got more drama, which is fine if your watching a dramatic picture. A pretty shoplifter named Lee Leander (Barbara Stanwyck) is caught shoplifting around the Christmas season.  Assistant District Attorney John Sargeant (Fred ‘Absent Minded’ MacMurry (my mother’s favorite actor) gets the trial postponed till after Christmas.  

On his way home for the holidays to Indiana he takes her along for the ride so she can visit her estranged parents.  The family reunion doesn’t go along so well and so she goes  to spend the holidays with the lawyer who is going to have to prosecute her once they return from the Christmas holidays. Slowly and surely the fall in love.  That’s basically the jest of the film.  He brings her to Canada where she has the chance to run off and not  go back to court. Does she go back? Does John prosecute her? Ohh the mystery?

The film slowly gets better as it chugs along.  It still never reaches the level of something rather memorable in the StoryBlazer cinematic film history.  One of the better funny gags in the film  has the couple getting lost driving in the dead of night only to crash a fence and end up in a country field. In the morning they awake to a cow sticking his head in the car window mooing loudly.  They decide to milk the cow for all it’s worth. (Ok that wasn’t funny)  I wish there were more clever and funny gags to brag about then stupid cows but hey Cows are funny.  

More random musings about the film. One of the musical moments of the picture inspired my wife to dance with me. Who says movies are not influential. It was also fun to see Sterling ‘Winnie the Pooh’  Holloway in a supporting role.

Not a bad film. Not a Great Film.  A kinna interesting dull film that is again better then I am giving it credit for.   Once they kissed at Niagara in Canada and declared their love for one another, my wife declared, ‘They fall in love, what more is there to watch. It’s time to play Rummikub.”