A Night with the Boys

As a previous reviewer put it, "At least we don't know where it's going." This is the simple story of an elaborate cover-up by a young man who has been taken to the cleaners by his boss on poker night. The young couple is living hand to mouth and this is a devastating situation. Traveling through a tough part of the city, the young guy pretends he is mugged, hoping to convince his wife that this was how he lost his money. He tears up a really nice suit (another expense in the offing) and dirties himself up. Of course, eventually the police get involved as well as a young delinquent who, obviously, has no inkling why he is being brought in, other than his history. The story is about guilt and life lessons. It's also about love and forgiveness and second chances.

The credit for this delightfully endearing change-of-pace for the usually morbid, mean-spirited shenanigans of Hitchcock's classic 30-minute escapades goes entirely to the stellar performance by John Smith who perfectly embodies the nice-guy decency of a hard-working young husband who foolishly gambles away his weekly salary in a (probably 'fixed') game of poker with his sleazy boss and co-workers. How he manages to retrieve the $92 he desperately needs to pay for the medical bills for his pregnant wife (sweetly played by Joyce Meadows) leads to a deftly presented series of happy accidents, capped by a nifty twist ending the talented young Smith responds to with a perfect mixture of bewilderment and dawning realization that, on rare occasions, nice guys do indeed finish first. The only mystery of "A Night with the Boys" regards John Smith's career. After making an impressive film debut at 23 as the concerned newlywed in John Wayne's blockbuster "The High and the Mighty", Smith seem primed to quickly emerge as one of the top young leading men of the decade. Not only did he have the tall blond All-American good looks (and perfect physique) of a Tab Hunter, but he also was a first-rate trained actor. His obvious sincerity and athletic prowess endeared him to moviegoers of all ages, yet most of his movies were difficult to find on the bottom end of double bills. And on the rare occasion when he landed a part in a mainstream movie of top quality, the filmmakers seemed far less interested in his acting ability than in making sure he doffed his shirt so the camera could explore the topography of his muscular physique (a perfect example was "Friendly Persuasion"; rather than cast him in the lead role of Gary Cooper's Quaker son (a star-making breakthrough for which he was more than capable), he was merely allotted roughly 5 minutes participating in a grueling wrestling scene where the camera once again zoomed in to explore his shirtless physicality). Towards the end of the 1950s, he did achieve lead roles, but such black-and-white quickies as "Island of Lost Women" and "Women of Pitcairn Island" were virtually interchangeable. Ultimately, 2 Western TV series proved to be his career salvation. "Cimarron City", an expensive, critically acclaimed series teaming him with George Montgomery and Audrey Totter, should have been Smith's shining hour and would have been had not the dolts at CBS programmed it opposite the most popular show of its time, NBC's "Bonanza". "City" was therefore cancelled before it had even completed its first season, but at least it led to what John Smith is chiefly remembered for--"Laredo", a ratings smash that ran for 4 seasons and finally made Mr. Smith and his co-star (and best friend) Robert Fuller international stars. A return to theatrical films seemed the next step. But when John Wayne, who had given John Smith his first breakthrough movie a decade earlier (and reportedly signed Smith to a personal contract) cast the still-quite-young Smith as the young male lead opposite Wayne, Rita Hayworth and Claudia Cardinale in the costly blockbuster "Circus World", the film bombed, Smith was relegated to 'guest' stints in mediocre TV shows, retired from acting at 40, and was not heard of until the NYTimes noted his death at age 63. I only bring this up by way of thanking MeTV (and several other cable-TV channels) for airing not only classic but long-forgotten TV series of the past. And by doing so, they remind me of so many actors and actresses I admired during my childhood. My thanks also to IMDB for providing the answers whenever I wonder "Whatever Happened To . . ."? I must have been around 8 or 9 when I had the audacity to write to some of these people I especially liked and requesting that they send me autographed photographs. It didn't take me long to realize that the recipients of my fan mail never even read, much less received, my letters which were instead intercepted and forwarded to the publicity department of whatever studio had the particular movie star under contract. And responded to my letters by sending me a postage-stamped-sized photo and fake thank-you note. Nevertheless, I persisted in explaining to each person exactly what I liked about them and their movies that made me so happy. And to my great surprise, a few of them actually did read my letters and wrote back to me on their personal stationary, using fountain pens (!) and autographing 5x7 photographs. Among them: Kathryn Grayson, Dewey Martin, and John Smith.

Nice young husband (Smith) loses week's paycheck to bullying boss in a poker game. Embarrassed, he fakes a robbery so his pregnant wife (Meadows) won't know his foolish actions. But then the cops (De Santis) bring in a kid they say did it. So what's nice young husband to do now that he's lied to everyone.

It's a slender story with a mildly ironic payoff. The good thing is we can't tell where the story's going. Smith is excellent as the hesitant young guy, and we sympathize, though his sudden misgivings seem a stretch. Buffington's also persuasive as the obnoxious boss. But make-up should have done a better job with the cut that looks like a plastic paste-on. All in all, an average entry, at best.

(In passing— Catch hipster Hitch doing a jive-talking, bearded beatnik, circa 1959. It's a gas, daddy-o.)

A Night With The Boys is a solid little Hitchcock half-hour. It looks cheaper than most, and with its obviously back lot urban setting plays like a B movie of the period in which it was made. The acting of its principal players is good if unexceptional, with Joe De Santis coming off best as a police lieutenant with empathy.

It's the tale of a naive, married young man who still has a lot of growing up to do. He loses his paycheck in a poker game and walks home, too embarrassed to tell his wife when he's literally accosted by a policeman on patrol (yes, they really walked beats in those days) who informs the young fellow that he's strolling around in a dangerous neighborhood, full of young punks and muggers.

The man gets an idea to fake a mugging, messes himself up, even cuts his face, so that he can return home with an excuse for having no money in his pocket, as he had just been paid earlier. Fate intervenes when, at the urging of his wife, he calls the police, and at the station house a teenage boy who more or less matches his faked description of the mugger is brought in with exactly the same amount of money in his pocket that the young man lost playing cards.

Irony figures heavily in the story's ending; and its protagonist learns a lesson. As Hitch shows go, it's a slight tale and doesn't delve too deep, into human nature or urban life. However, in the hands of maestro director John Brahm, it comes off with a nice Film Noir sheen to it, with its atmosphere dark and menacing, it was made with a light enough touch to actually feel comfortable, or as comfortable as Noir can feel, for which the director deserves much of the credit.

A guy sneaks off to play poker with the boys and is the big loser. But instead of telling the wife what happened, he concocts a tale about being mugged in order to explain away losing his paycheck. But when the wife insists he report this to the police, all sorts of unexpected things happen. And, fortunately, it also has a nice twist that I am pretty sure you'll appreciate.

In addition to the nice story, I really enjoyed Alfred Hitchcock's introduction...even more than usual. In this case, he's dressed like a beatnik and you just have to see it to appreciate it!