Star of Midnight

I love this movie!!! Although it is a rip-off of the repartee between the main characters of "The Thin Man" (and even has William Powell in the lead), it is absolutely a delight. The title song,"Midnight in Manhattan" which is heard in bits and pieces throughout and in full toward the end of the film,seems to grow on you after a while (I found myself humming it and trying to remember the words). Some of the supporting actors are a little weak.....Leslie Fenton, who is not a particularly appealing actor to begin with (although he was effective as Nails Nathan in "Public Enemy")....nor did I appreciate the bumbling policeman of Robert Emmett O'Conner. J. Farrell MacDonald is a joy as the Inspector and Paul Kelly, surprisingly handsome in his early career, is good as the local crook. Ralph Morgan is what you would expect and good at it. The leads are great, of course. Nobody beats Powell as the suave lawyer and Ginger Rogers is a wonderful light comedienne. They play very well together. All in all, this is one super little film. Plus, Powell's apartment is an art deco dream and what about that bathroom!!!

So, how does Ginger Rogers stand up against Myrna Loy? Rogers has the comedy chops. She's shown that in movies like The Major and the Minor. She trades quips with Powell much like Loy. She snoops like Loy. She drinks like Loy. But, she isn't Myrna Loy...

If the Thin Man series had never been, I would've enjoyed Rogers' performance more. It was a fun movie: An incomprehensible mystery where the murderer seems like a name drawn out of a hat at the last minute. The judge from Miracle on 34th Street plays Swain the Butler. The man who played Inspector Henderson in Night at the Opera plays a cop in this movie as well.

There is a nice chemistry between Rogers and Powell, but it just doesn't rise to the chemistry between Powell and Loy. Powell's detective character needs the stern eye of a sophisticated woman like Mrs. Charles to keep him humble. Makes for better comedy...

All in all, though...a good movie...

By the sheer brilliance of his charismatic on screen presence, William Powell raises this picture out of the commonplace to something special. His grace and bearing made him the picture of dapper sophistication, and no one, save for Fred Astaire, looked better in white tie and tails than William Powell.

Here he co-stars with Ginger Rogers, and speaking for myself, I did not miss Myrna Loy. Ginger Rogers was more attractive and energetic, and was a breath of fresh air. And he was not playing Nick Charles or Philo Vance. Your regard for Ms. Loy may be the key to your appreciation of "Star Of Midnight".

It sounds like a rare jewel, but the Star of Midnight of the title is about the star of a Broadway show called "Midnight". She is missing, and in fact, never appears in the movie, despite a screen credit. The mystery is to find out who kidnapped her and who killed some of the guys looking for her. The plot is confusing, but if you are a William Powell fan, it won't matter; go with it.

The plot was a bit loose and incredulous, but no movie with William Powell and Ginger Rogers can be bad. It slightly resembles the much better film, The Thin Man (1934), but it was fun nevertheless. Powell and Rogers have good chemistry together and provide some of the comedy with their antics, with other comedy supplied by inept police officer, Robert Emmett O'Connor. I guessed who the murderer was early, but couldn't provide the motive until it was explained.

Yes, "Star of Midnight" is a bit of RKO Radio Pictures reworking, or ripping off, MGM's "The Thin Man," but so what? It's good in it's own right. William Powell plays rich and debonair lawyer, Clay Dalzell, who gets involved in a murder, and is himself, a suspect. At his side, Ginger Rogers, co-starring as Powell's romantic companion. This pairing of Powell and Rogers is not as perfect as was Powell and Loy, it's a good match up, never-the-less . The mystery centers around the disappearance of of an actress -- the star of a play entitled "Midnight" -- hence from which the film get its title. All this mystery is wrapped with over- the - top elegance, and sophisticated humor, that was so typical of Hollywood films of the 1930's . You may guess who the murderer is, but the motive should come as a surprise -- and neat one it is !