Midnight Mary (1933)

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Anita Loos (story)
Gene Markey (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

30 June 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A young woman is on trial for murder. In flashback, we learn of her struggles to overcome poverty as a teenager...

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Trial | Prison | Murder | Gangster

Cast

Loretta Young	...	Mary Martin
Ricardo Cortez	...	Leo Darcy
Franchot Tone	...	Thomas 'Tom' Mannering Jr.
Andy Devine	...	Samuel 'Sam' / 'Sammy' Travers
Una Merkel	...	Bunny 'Bun'
Frank Conroy	...	District Attorney
Warren Hymer	...	Angelo Ricci
Ivan F. Simpson	...	Mr. Tindle (as Ivan Simpson)
Harold Huber	...	Mr. 'Puggy' Nestle
Sandy Roth	...	Blimp
Martha Sleeper	...	Barbara Loring Mannering
Charley Grapewin	...	Court Clerk (as Charles Grapewin)
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Churchill, Mary's Butler
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Charlie, the Cop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ernie Adams	...	Court Photographer (uncredited)
Reginald Barlow	...	Judge (uncredited)
Louise Beavers	...	Anna, Mary's Maid (uncredited)
Don Brodie	...	Court Photographer (uncredited)
Mike Donlin	...	Casino Doorman (uncredited)
Robert Dudley	...	Mannering's night watchman (uncredited)
Robert Greig	...	Potter, Tom's Butler (uncredited)
Wilfred Lucas	...	Nightclub Bouncer (uncredited)
Charles McAvoy	...	Detective (uncredited)
Nelson McDowell	...	Salvation Army Leader (uncredited)
Miki Morita	...	Chinese Restaurant Owner (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Casino Floor Manager (uncredited)
Phillips Smalley	...	Defense Attorney (uncredited)
Richard Tucker	...	Casino Manager (uncredited)
Kathrin Clare Ward	...	Mrs. Ward, Landlady (uncredited)

Directed by
William A. Wellman		(as William Wellman)

Writing credits
Anita Loos		(story)
Gene Markey		(screenplay) and
Kathryn Scola		(screenplay)

Produced by
Lucien Hubbard	....	associate producer

Original Music by
William Axt		(as Dr. William Axt)

Cinematography by
James Van Trees		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
William S. Gray

Art Direction by
Stan Rogers		(as Stanley Rogers)

Costume Design by
Adrian		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dolph Zimmer	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Hobe Erwin	....	interior decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
James Brock	....	sound mixer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Tom Dowling	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Louis Jennings	....	second camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Charles Maxwell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1933) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Also Known As:

Lady of the Night (USA) (working title)
Midnight Lady (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) | USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening courtroom scene, Mary is reading a different issue of Cosmopolitan than the one she is seen holding seconds before, in the establishing long shot.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Jingle Bells

Essential pre-code viewing

This is a seldom-discussed but highly significant title in the pre-code canon, as it delineates the compromises a pretty and (originally) moral young woman must make to extricate herself from poverty during the depression. Overall, it's a predictable melodrama, very typical of its period, and the fact that Wild Bill Wellman was for some reason working at MGM for this one tends to stultify the brashness that was his trademark in his early years at Warners. Nonetheless, the tricky editing is very Warners-like and keeps the story moving at a rapid pace, particularly in the jaw-dropping montage where the eponymous character loses her virginity. Most importantly, the script is very frank about sex and absolutely cynical about American society at the time. The most notorious scene is all innuendo -- in order to distract her gangster paramour, Mary inaudibly whispers in his ear, obviously relating in quite some detail the pleasures she will endow him with if only he comes to bed with her immediately. Loretta Young is luminous as always and Ricardo Cortez has a nice time with his role as a confident hoodlum who knows he has her on a string. As for Franchot Tone and Grady Sutton...