Night After Night was released on October 30, 1932, and is noteworthy as George Raft’s first credit as the lead of a film. This pre-Code, comedic drama is also notable for the debut of Mae West.
George once said, “She stole everything but the cameras.” They had known each other in New York before coming to Hollywood and he had suggested her for the role. They remained friends for life dying only three days apart in 1980.
In Night After Night, George plays a retired boxer who buys a speakeasy that was the former mansion of socialite, Constance Cummings. Having fallen on hard times, she visits the speakeasy nightly and George sets his sights on her hiring a spinster to tutor him in proper speech and etiquette to better appeal to his high-class love interest. Gangsters want to take over the club and trouble ensues.
Night After Nights is bawdy and given its pre-Code release, full of innuendos, sexy scenes, and risqué dialogue. For example, an obviously naked George steps into a bathtub, leaving little to the imagination. No wonder you won’t catch it on broadcast but will have to purchase the DVD to see this film.
In a quintessential scene, a hat-check girl enthuses over Mae West’s jewels, “Goodness, what beautiful diamonds,” and she replies, “Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie.” The diamonds were real and belonged to Mae West.
According to Filmink, “This picture is best remembered today for introducing Mae West to cinema audiences – and she’s brilliant – but Raft was excellent too as a former gangster turned nightclub manager who is having a mid life crisis.”
Night After Night is a classic film of the era and a memorable part of movie history. Many of George’s films have been lost to contemporary audiences, but you can view dozens of them from the movies section of this site. Night After Night is not one of them though you can buy the DVD from Amazon and stream it from many of the usual sources.
