Lady for a Night

Plot synopsis:
Social climber Jenny Blake owns of the casino steam boat Memphis Belle, together with the influential Jack Morgan. Most of the customers are from the upper layers of the city's social life, but they have little respect for Jenny and her - in their opinion - vulgar occupation. Jack is secretly in love with Jenny. To show her what it really is she aspires for he arranges for her to be queen of the high society ball at the Mardi Gras festivities. Her crowning angers many of the established members of society and she is mocked in public. However, she doesn't give up her dream.
She decides to use one of the old plantation owners, Alan Alderson, as a leverage. Alan is burdened with debt and manages to lose his plantation, "The Shadows" when gambling at the casino. Jenny makes Alan an offer, to strike his debts at the casino if he agrees to marry her.
Alan sees no other alternative than to agree to the proposition, and Jenny is secured a respectable position in society. They marry in a hurry, and Jack is informed of the bond soon after.
Jack is devastated by Jenny's marriage to Alan, and doesn't try to save the Memphis Belle when it catches fire. Everyone in Alan's family has a hard time accepting Jenny, except his aunt Katherine, who is suffering from mental illness.
Jack goes on to sabotage the relationship between Jenny and Alan. He gets help from Alan's aunt Julia, who goes to lengths to ruin the marriage. Julia starts off with insinuations that Jenny has an improper relation with Jack, and goes on to ruining a ball Jenny is hosting.
Jack saves Jenny and the ball by using his political influence to make the guests attend even though Julia has tried to keep them away. Jenny is almost killed when Julia goes on to let her ride in a carriage pulled by a blind horse.
Jenny retaliates by ordering Julia to leave the plantation. The infuriated Julia then mixes a poisoned drink meant for Jenny, but Alan beats her to it and dies from drinking it. Jenny is accused of murdering her husband, and there is a criminal trial. Aunt Katherine is the only person who knows that Julia mixed the drink, but she is forced by her sister to testify against Jenny in court.
Jenny is convicted of murder, but Katherine soon confesses that it was Julia who mixed the drink, and a few years earlier also killed Katherine's fiancée in a fit of jealousy. Jenny is released and cleared of all charges. She meets Jack and they start working together again. She finally gives up her dream to climb the social ladder and accepts Jack's proposal to marry him.

Tags: melodrama, satire, murder, historical fiction

Review:
Lady for a Night is a Joan Blondell film with John Wayne as her leading man.
When Ray Middleton gambles away the title to the old Alderson family estate, Blondell offers to marry him to save the good gentry from being thrown out on their duffs.
It's a marriage she has soon cause to regret.Blondell sings a nice number entitled Up In a Balloon on the riverboat stage and I bet she was looking around for Busby Berkeley.
Hattie Noel plays Blondell's black maid and it's a total ripoff of Hattie McDaniel from Gone With the Wind.
Edith Barrett copied Patricia Collinge as Birdie Bagtry Hubbard from The Little Foxes and Yurka is another Mrs. Danvers from Rebecca.Still it does mix well and while it's not a great film, Lady for a Night is a passably decent one, though it's far from the usual Duke..
John Wayne was young and good looking, standing straight and tall.
Old man time sure beats the heck out of all of us.Some people will raise and eyebrow at the plantation type scenes with the blacks dancing and singing.
Hattie Noel played the maid (Chloe) of Joan Blondell (Jenny).
Hattie Noel may not have had the good fortune to be in Gone With The Wind, but she would have done quite nicely.The best acting came from Edith Barrett who played the kinder Alderson sister Katherine.
She gave a terrorized, impassioned performance.Also enjoyable was John Blondell's singing performances as the part owner of the riverboat.
In fact, she was so good that I wondered if a professional singer had dubbed her voice, even though I was aware of her own musical talents.Blanche Yurka played the evil sister Julia, and how she could ooze evilness, with those eyes boring into anyone who crossed her.
She hadn't changed much from her earlier days as Madame Defarge in A Tale of Two Cities.Leonid Kinskey played John Wayne's bodyguard.
Although Mr. Kinskey was always a good character actor (remember him as the funny bartender in Casablanca?), the reason for the part in the movie escapes me.
I guess John Wayne needed a sidekick.The rest of the cast was adequate, but nothing noteworthy that I can remember.
His part was overshadowed by larger parts going to Joan Blondell and the Alderson sisters.
To start, this is not a John Wayne movie.
The primary character is Joan Blondell as Jenny Blake, the owner of a gambling boat on the Mississippi.
Desperate to be accepted into society, Jenny is thrilled when she is announced Queen of the Mardi Gras, not knowing that man-about-town Jack Morgan (Wayne) rigged it.
Aunt Julia (Blanche Yurka), an evil looking woman, starts to scheme almost from the get-go, going out of her way to get rid of her new in-law.
Blondell, a wonderful leading lady at Warners in the 30's, gets to show off her singing and dancing abilities in the "Up in a Balloon" production number.
Later, at Jenny's party, there is a campy rendition of "Ba Ba Ba Boom De Yay!" during which Jenny's lively black maid (Hattie Noel, an obscure character actress, equally as funny as Hattie McDaniel) gets into the act.
It is a camp moment that is still treasured by those who adore over-the-top cinema.Wayne does not have much to do but step in to rescue Blondell in her times of need.
This was not an important film for him, but for the cast playing the evil Alderson clan, it was a chance to show off their acting skills (or at least their hamming ability!).
Phillip Merivale has little to do but disapprove of Jenny as Alan Alderson's elderly father, but his sisters (Yurka and Barrett) have great opportunities to show off their talents.
A stage star in the 1910's and 20's, Yurka is a combination Lady MacBeth and Madame DeFarge as she sets on her sites to make Jenny miserable.
The scene where Barrett accuses her sister of having murdered her fiancée years before is powerful stuff, and makes us realize that underneath her fear of her sister, Katherine has a strong side determined to come out.The less said about Middleton as Steve Alderson, the better.
While Hattie Noel's character may raise some eyebrows in today's society because of stereotypes, she does create many laughs, especially when she arrives at the Alderson house by breaking down the side door when she is rebuffed by the stuffy black butler.
You just have to consider the time that this was set in and accept the fact that it would be many, many decades before the treatments of blacks began to change.Although Leonard Maltin gives the film only two stars, I have to disagree with his review.
And Joan Blondell's character is the one who proposes the marriage, not the other way around.
First off, anyone who watches this film because it's a John Wayne film (like me) may be disappointed because he is really a supporting actor.
This is because he'd only been a regular starring actor in small-budget B-Westerns and in larger budget films he was mostly in secondary roles until the mid-to-late 1940s.
Second, because the Wayne screen persona was not yet solidified, lovers of the Duke might also be shocked to see that for most of the film he plays a love-sick man who loses his woman to another.
The real star of this film is Joan Blondell.
Unlike Wayne, her star was starting to fall, as her prime as a leading lady was definitely the 1930s.
Here she is a bit older and heavier, but this is also perfect for her role as a casino owner and singer.Blondell's ambition is to leave the casino life to Wayne and marry a society man in order to ensure herself a play in polite society.
Ultimately, the plot takes a very dramatic twist near the end until it is all wrapped up nicely in the end.The only serious negative about the film is that the plantation she moves to in Reconstruction-era Memphis is ridiculous and full of racist stereotypes.
No, the Blacks do not eat watermelon or act as bad as Stepin Fetchit, but they play out an even more insidious role--happy Blacks who are content with the good treatment by their White "betters".
Yawner starring Joan Blondell as a woman from the "wrong side of the tracks" who is desperate to get into high society and doesn't care much about what she has to do to make it happen.
John Wayne plays a riverboat operator in love with Joan.
I love John Wayne but this role was just not a good fit for him.
I love Duke and I really like Blondell (in her 1930s films at least) but this just didn't do it for me.
John Wayne is the primary selling point to this but it probably isn't going to appeal to many people who watch it for him.
It is one of several movies that Joan Blondell, a very popular actress of the time, made in that year.I think when you look at a movie of this type, which was an average, run-of-the-mill movie of the time, what you get out of it is a snapshot of what viewers of the day expected to see in a movie.
While this movie is a period piece (looks like it takes place in 1875-1885) it says much about 1942-- what people then would view as acceptable viewpoints for the script to put forth.I think there are two major themes in this movie that can give today's viewers an historical insight as they are entertained --the attitudes that were allowed to be expressed in that day and time about black Americans, and the Lost Cause mythology.
The black actors in this movie mug, roll their eyes, and in general follow the degrading norms set for blacks in the entertainment world of 1942, which was dictated by black-face comedy-- an odious farcial comedy common in the south, which was acted out by white men.An arresting black character in this movie is Joe, the Conjure man.
The movie Gone with the Wind was released 6 years prior to Lady for a Night.
The plantation in ruins, with a formerly noble family now fallen on hard times, eking out lives of genteel poverty due to their Confederate sympathies within its crumbling walls, is a scene familiar to anyone who has viewed Gone With the Wind.
The scenes set in Jenny Blake's gambling barge (these probably did exist, I haven't researched it) would be familiar to those who had attended vaudeville shows-- joke telling, elaborate musical numbers, dancing girls, and barbershop style male singing.The costumes in this movie are absolutely first rate, and as a seamstress, I enjoy them each time I watch this movie.
Jenny Blake's costumes had to hold up to a great deal of active movement and yet they always appear graceful and feminine.I find it interesting that John Wayne's character-- a behind the scenes political wheeler/dealer, manipulated the affairs of his little empire from his position as the owner of a gambling house.
I wanted to let other people know why I like this movie.
Jenny Blake is the owner of a river boat for gambling, dancing, drinking and women  suffice to say that she is not really accepted into polite society in the way she always dreamed of being.
So whenever drunken plantation owner Alan Alderson gets into serious debt with the gambling boat Jenny proposes to wipe out the debts in return for his hand in marriage and the fast track into high class society.
These produce a film that just looks to keep you happy for about 90 minutes but not do anything special during that time or have any impact past the end credits.The characters are very simply painted in the script and are simply delivered by the cast.
Wayne is a secondary character who's only purpose is to be a decent man who turns up every 10 minutes to help Blondell in some way.
There are a large amount of black characters, with two main ones in comedy roles  modern audiences may find them hard to watch because they are ethnic stereotypes that are overplayed for comedic effect.
At first I was a bit taken aback by this (although I know it is of its time) but then I thought about modern movies that do the same thing (albeit with a cooler, hip hop, ebonics stereotype) and wondering if, in 50 years, that these films would be viewed as rather racist.
Anyway, it was interesting to see the stereotypes but I must admit to have been a bit caught off guard when John Wayne threatened to send Hattie Noel 'back to Africa'!Overall this is an instantly forgettable movie that only wants to keep you semi-entertained for the running time without doing anything special or making a lasting impression.
Jenny Blake runs the gambling boat Memphis Belle, but she yearns to be accepted by the high society.
Casting off her love interest Jack Morgan, Jenny accepts an offer of marriage from non compos mentis plantation owner Alan Aldredge.
Tho primarily a romantic drama, there is often humour within the script, most often when John Wayne {Jack} and Joan Blondell {Jenny} are sharing the screen together.
Joan Blondell is the real star in this Rebecca-like tense drama.
She outshines John Wayne who has not yet found his relaxed, easy "Duke" acting style.
Although it is set in deep south USA just post civil war in a period when black people were still the servant class, they are portrayed in a very stereotyped, clichéd manner which makes for distinctly uncomfortable viewing nowadays.
Probably best just watched for historical interest for all the reasons set out above and in particular for Joan Blondell's Standout performance..
Unusual roles for John Wayne and Joan Blondell, unusual setting, and unusual drama for Republic, and they all add up to a wonderful movie that offers lots of fun for us, the audience.Blondell and Wayne make a strong pairing, something Hollywood should have considered before and again.
And Wayne, looking good in formal city-slicker attire, plays a character of politics and urban corruption (which, in fact, are so often the same thing) who still is essentially decent.It's a familiar story in some ways, but it's familiar because it seems to happen enough in, as we laughingly call it, real life.Wayne and Blondell should be enough for any movie, but they are backed up by a sterling, by an incredibly varied and tremendously talented cast, even including the amazing The Hall Johnson Choir, with some astonishing soloists.Stealing every scene she's in is Hattie Noel.
She just dominates every shot, with her skill at delivering her lines and an overwhelming personality -- and some brilliant and funny dialogue.Despite his drunken character, Ray Middleton comes close to stealing his scenes, too.
He endows his character with an undeniable and innate decency, despite the drunkenness.Middleton doesn't sing in "Lady for a Night" although he was a trained singer with a beautiful voice, beautiful even in speaking.Perhaps the climax is just what we expect, but it is also what we want.
And the ending, the final scene, is also what we want.Wayne again proves he is an actor capable of many different roles, and Blondell again is so adorable, and so beautiful, their presence alone would make any movie worth watching just for them, but "Lady for a Night" is well-nigh perfect for its entire cast and its excellent script.I have no hesitation rating it a ten and recommending it highly.It's available at YouTube..
Jackson Morgan(John Wayne) was sure right.
Jenny Blake(Joan Blondell): his partner in running the casino steamboat Memphis Belle, was crazy to encourage the fire she accidentally started on her boat("I'm burning my boats behind me" she remarked).
Joan and her maid, played by Hattie Noel, were certainly the most dynamic characters.
Joan was first billed over Wayne, and the most seen character.
I had never seen her in a film before(and probably won't again), but she steals every scene she's in, and made me laugh various times.
She danced a bit here to the song played at Jenny's ball.
The second is at her plantation ball, where she had invited a French dancing troupe to do the Can-Can. Of course, the guests where uniformly shocked, but Wayne voiced his approval by clapping his hands, followed by the others.
Another important player is Blanch Yurka, who played the evil Aunt Julia, who vehemently opposed the arrival of Jenny to the Alderson's, and, long ago had poisoned the fiancé of her sister: Aunt Katherine, who cowered in her shadow, probably afraid she would be poisoned if she got out of line.
Doloros Gray sings "Has Anybody Seen my Man", at The King's Club, which Wayne built after the Memphis Belle burned, and will eventually be co-owned by Jenny.
Like a lot of actresses I've run across since then, I never realized how good looking she was until I caught some of her earlier work in pictures.
I don't think I've ever seen Blondell looking this glamorous before, and if you want to make that before and after comparison yourself, get hold of the fifth season Twilight Zone episode 'What's in the Box' and you'll see what I mean.One of the interesting things here is that Blondell is actually top billed over John Wayne, who got his start in pictures before the actress but who's fortunes didn't start to rise until that big breakout in 1939's "Stagecoach".
They start out as a couple in the story before Blondell's character Jenny Blake decides to short cut her way into society by marrying an alcoholic playboy portrayed by Ray Middleton.
However when she moves into the family mansion 'The Shadows', she quickly realizes that she's an intruder in a world in which she doesn't belong, and the rest of the upper crust around town let her know it.Through it all, Jackson Morgan's (Wayne) a pretty good sport about it, and maneuvers things behind the scenes to soften Jenny's hard landing when she learns what rotten characters her in-laws are.
What might put off potential viewers if you haven't seen pictures of the era like this, are the way some scenes are handled concerning black characters.
In particular, Morgan delivers a sit up and take notice line when he chides Jenny's black maid Chloe (Hattie Noel) with "...get out, or I'll ship you back to Africa"!
With the time frame of the story taking place shortly following Reconstruction days, the treatment of blacks in the story is still fairly subservient, but Chloe and fellow Alderson domestic Napoleon (Lew Payton) handle things with humor and relative good cheer.Speaking of which, I couldn't get over how closely Chloe came to just about perfectly describing what it felt like to get drunk, following a lively party at the Alderson's - "Every time I lays down, the floor rears up, looks me in the eye and sneers".
The reason I bring it up is one time I had a bit much myself and I recall feeling pretty much the same way as Chloe.
"Lady for a night"(pun intentional?)set in Memphis during Mardi Gras with a cast of several,most of whom are masters of hyperbole.There are truly terrible songs,some dancing from Miss J.Blondell whose thighs are just a tad thick for such extreme exposure,a rather fey performance from Mr J.Wayne (and you don't see that very often) and an opening crowd scene that rapidly accelerates out of the control of director Leigh Jason - a man who was to gratefully grasp at the straw later offered to him by the nascent TV industry.
Full of Southern stereotypes with dodgy accents,"Lady for a night" satisfies all the criteria for a Camp Masterpiece.Miss Blondell's Gaming House looks as if it might fall down if someone leaned against a wall,Mr Wayne with a top hat is a sight to see indeed and the evil female relative is a dead ringer for Mrs Danvers.