| Photos (see all 2 | slideshow) |
| Jack Benny | ... | Athanael | |
| Alexis Smith | ... | Elizabeth | |
| Dolores Moran | ... | Violinist / Fran Blackstone | |
| Allyn Joslyn | ... | Second Trumpeter / Osidro | |
| Reginald Gardiner | ... | Composer / Archie Dexter | |
| Guy Kibbee | ... | Radio Director / The Chief | |
| John Alexander | ... | First trumpeter / Doremus | |
| Franklin Pangborn | ... | Radio Engineer / Sloan | |
| Margaret Dumont | ... | Mme. Traviata / Miss Rodholder | |
| Robert Blake | ... | Junior Pulplinsky (as Bobby Blake) | |
| Ethel Griffies | ... | Lady Stover | |
| Paul Harvey | ... | Hotel Manager Thompson | |
| Mike Mazurki | ... | Bass Player / Humphrey Rafferty | |
| Truman Bradley | ... | Radio Announcer | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Betty Alexander | ... | Angel (uncredited) | |
| Murray Alper | ... | Tony, the Hotel Bell Captain (uncredited) | |
| John Alvin | ... | Angel (uncredited) | |
| Jimmy Ames | ... | Rocket Man (uncredited) | |
| Joy Barlow | ... | Angel (uncredited) | |
| Oliver Blake | ... | Heavenly photographer (uncredited) | |
| Monte Blue | ... | The Chef (uncredited) | |
| John Brown | ... | Lew Pulplinski, Waiter (uncredited) | |
| Tom Brown | ... | Boy (uncredited) | |
| James Burke | ... | Cliffside Park Policeman (uncredited) | |
| Frank Craven | ... | Narrator (uncredited) | |
| Cecil Cunningham | ... | Judge Cavendish (uncredited) | |
| Dudley Dickerson | ... | Porter (uncredited) | |
| Johnny Duncan | ... | Jitterbug Dancer (uncredited) | |
| Richard Erdman | ... | Joe Smith (uncredited) | |
| Jack J. Ford | ... | Orchestra Leader (uncredited) | |
| Jack George | ... | Trumpet Player (uncredited) | |
| Carl Harbaugh | ... | Tipsy Gent (uncredited) | |
| Marjorie Henshaw | ... | Telephone Operator (uncredited) | |
| Joe Herrera | ... | Doorman (uncredited) | |
| Earle Hodgins | ... | Barker (uncredited) | |
| Pat Hogan | ... | Girl in Concession (uncredited) | |
| Gene Holland | ... | Kid (uncredited) | |
| Sondra Johnson | ... | Nurse (uncredited) | |
| Charles Jordan | ... | Dirty Angel (uncredited) | |
| Fred Kelsey | ... | Bailiff (uncredited) | |
| Richard Lane | ... | Radio Announcer (uncredited) | |
| Jimmy Luke | ... | Tubby (uncredited) | |
| Sidney Miller | ... | Trumpet Player (uncredited) | |
| Jack Mower | ... | Head Hotel Clerk (uncredited) | |
| Jack Norton | ... | Drunk in Hotel Room (uncredited) | |
| Patrick O'Moore | ... | Hotel Clerk (uncredited) | |
| Tommy O'Neill | ... | Messenger (uncredited) | |
| Virginia Patton | ... | Party Girl (uncredited) | |
| Francis Pierlot | ... | Heavenly personnel manager Mercurius (uncredited) | |
| Larry Rio | ... | Slippy (uncredited) | |
| Harry Rosenthal | ... | Sherman Starr (uncredited) | |
| Harry Seymour | ... | Ticket Taker (uncredited) | |
| Eddie Small | ... | Skinny (uncredited) | |
| Red Stanley | ... | Trombonist in Swing Band (uncredited) | |
| Mark Stevens | ... | Angel (uncredited) | |
| Buddy Swan | ... | Kid (uncredited) | |
| Dink Trout | ... | Trumpet Player (uncredited) | |
| Sailor Vincent | ... | Clerk (uncredited) | |
| Joan Winfield | ... | Party Girl (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Raoul Walsh | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Sam Hellman | writer | |
| James V. Kern | writer | |
| Aubrey Wisberg | story | |
Produced by | |||
| Mark Hellinger | .... | producer | |
| Jack L. Warner | .... | executive producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Franz Waxman | |||
| William Lava | (uncredited) | ||
| Carl W. Stalling | (uncredited) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Sidney Hickox | (as Sid Hickox) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Irene Morra | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Hugh Reticker | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Clarence Steensen | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Milo Anderson | (gowns) | ||
Makeup Department | |||
| Perc Westmore | .... | makeup artist | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| James McMahon | .... | assistant director | |
Sound Department | |||
| Gerald W. Alexander | .... | sound | |
| Charles David Forrest | .... | sound | |
| Stanley Jones | .... | sound (as Stanley S. Jones) | |
| Robert G. Wayne | .... | sound | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Robert Burks | .... | special effects | |
| Lawrence W. Butler | .... | special effects (as Lawrence Butler) | |
| Paul Detlefsen | .... | matte paintings | |
| Hans F. Koenekamp | .... | miniatures | |
| Warren Lynch | .... | special effects | |
| William C. McGann | .... | special effects | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Chesley Bonestell | .... | matte artist (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Michael P. Joyce | .... | second camera operator | |
Music Department | |||
| Leo F. Forbstein | .... | musical director | |
| Leonid Raab | .... | orchestrator | |
Other crew | |||
| Hugh Cummings | .... | dialogue director | |
| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Why no awards for cinematography + special effects? | Gavno |
| Box Office? | junk-307 |
| Where's the DVD? | loopydloop |
| Who was that actor? | poncho765 |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Fantasy section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
In his long running radio and television show, Jack Benny often built jokes around THE HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT--a movie described as so awful that it put an end to his movie career. These jokes always got a laugh, but rumors of the film's failure were really only comic exaggeration; true, it had not been a major hit, but neither was it a major failure. And if Benny's film appearances were few and far between after 1945, this was more a matter of his incredibly popular radio and television series than with a lack of offers.
THE HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT is not a great film, but it is a very interesting one and quite often a very entertaining one. The story concerns a trumpet player (Benny) in love with a harpist (Alexis Smith)--who gets him a radio job on the "Paradise Coffee Program," which advertises a coffee that promises a gentle sleep and sweet dreams. And dream he does, but one would not call it sweet: he dreams he is an angel sent to earth to blow the trumpet that will destroy the world.
Although the script is a bit weak, it has some really great concepts. Heaven is a bureaucracy beset by an endless orchestra and a shortage of angel-power. Elevators take angels to earth, right to the lobby of a New York hotel--and tie up elevator traffic, much to the annoyance of guests. And fallen angels lie in wait to trip Ethanael up! The art direction is extremely fine, dribbling comic surrealism with tremendous flair. In perhaps the film's most memorable scene, Ethanael finds himself drowning in a gigantic cup of coffee. Paradise Coffee, no doubt! Benny, co-star Alexis Smith, and such memorable characters as Franklin Pangborn, Margaret Dumont, and Guy Kibbe perform the show with as much energy as they can muster, and at it's best the movie is hilariously over-the-top. The script lets them down once too often for comfort, but even so the whole thing makes for an entertaining show. Recommended as imaginative, often extremely clever fluff.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer