MOVIE OF THE DAY: "MIDNIGHT" (1934)

One of the most interesting movies Humphrey Bogart ever appeared in was made before he was a star; underwent a title change several years later; and is virtually unknown today. And Bogart himself is onscreen for roughly 10 minutes. That's the trade-off the greats have to make for getting a mention on this blog.

In the strangest meet-cute ever, Stella Weldon flirts with Gar Boni at the murder trial where her father, Edward, is the foreman. And just to get this out of the way, I have no idea what the hell kind of name Gar Boni is, but he's eventually described as a "foreigner". With a name like that, I'm thinking he's from Jupiter.

Who cares that my father is sending a woman to
the death house? This guy is cute!

Gar never explains his profession to Stella, but judging by the rod he's packing, it doesn't seem like he's a shoe salesman. To Stella's sorrow, after several months of dating, her bf is going to Chicago for a while to acquire some "hard money", which sounds like a sack of silver dollars. 

Stella's father Edward, having asked the woman on trial a question that eventually led to a guilty verdict, has been justifying his actions right up to the evening she's going to the hot squat.  Man, I'm glad juries in New York can't ask questions of the defendants; I'd probably be found in contempt of court. Maybe of humanity, too. 

Nolan promises to doxx Joe if he doesn't let
him snoop on the family.

Distracted by the budding romance between Stella and Gar, Edward doesn't
realize that the friend his layabout son-in-law Joe has brought over the house is Nolan, a reporter who's eavesdropping on what is laughingly considered private conversations. This is why people hate reporters.

Midnight stars O.P. Heggie and
Sidney Fox -- with those 
names, can you tell which is
which?

Meanwhile, relatives have dropped by to play bridge, which is the thing to do when your host is on the verge of a stroke from -- all together now -- sending a woman to her death.  As the midnight execution approaches, Stella sneaks out of the house to meet with Gar in a desperate attempt to run away with him. But he's got other things on his mind, like women not named Stella. Life happens, right? 

Just as the switch is pulled at the prison, Stella returns home to claim that she's killed Gar. Her father, cold and hard as a bag of frozen steak when it came to ordering a woman's life taken in return for her actions, now has to decide if his daughter should face the same consequences.

Thanks to its stage origination, Midnight presents philosophical dilemmas not often seen on the screen. As Edward doubles down on his belief that the death penalty was warranted, he gradually feels the pressure of what he's done -- even as he appears to believe that his daughter should feel the full weight of the law, too. What a dad! But at least he's consistent.

Just one of many moments where Midnight's 
actors are looking right at YOU.

Where Midnight really excels is its look. Clearly adapted from a one-set stage play, director Chester Erskine, only 29, uses every trick at his disposal to jazz things up visually. With rapid edits, tense close-ups, and, especially, cutting back and forth from the Weldon living room to the prison with characters' actions mirroring each other, Midnight doesn't look like the average studio picture of its time. (It was an indie production released by Universal). If it resembles anything at all, it's the remarkable The Sin of Nora Moran, the low-budget drama only recently receiving long-overdue acclaim.

While all the actors are fine, Henry Hull (Nolan) and Lynne Overman (Joe) are standouts, being natural in their delivery and even physical movement. Bogart, of course, creates an impact because he's Bogart, period.

Nothing in this poster
reflects the movie.

In Midnight's 1934 original release, Bogart's name was second to last in the posters. In 1947, fly-by-night outfit Guaranteed Pictures rereleased it as Call it Murder, promoting it as a new movie "starring" Humphrey Bogart with contemporary images on promotional materials. This sham likely confused younger audiences while stirring thoughts of Didn't I see this years ago? in everybody else. The Universal print still exists, though, available on YouTube, and it looks great. Maybe Guaranteed Pictures called it murder, but I think it's fascinating.

Horror movie connection: O.P. Heggie (Edward) played the blind hermit in Bride of Frankenstein, while Henry Hull (Nolan) was the star of Werewolf of London. They don't call them character actors for nothing.

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To read about The Sin of Nora Moran, go here.