User reviews

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 !

William Powell and Ginger Rogers are a neat screen team in "Star of Midnight," a 1935 comedy-drama that concerns the disappearance of a woman named "Alice." Alice's hapless boyfriend spots her starring in a show under another name and wearing a mask. He stands up in the audience and screams "Alice" - and by the time he gets backstage, Alice has left the building. Shortly after this, a newspaper columnist is murdered in Powell's apartment. That's just the beginning. When Alice fades from view, it signals a web that connects a couple of crimes and an old girlfriend of Powell's.

Powell plays a lawyer who often doubles as a detective, and Rogers is a young woman who decided as a child that she was going to marry him. They make a good-looking and fun couple. Both handle the dialogue beautifully and play off each other well. It always amazes me how quickly people spoke in the early films. It really gives witty dialogue a nice crackle. This is also a good film to see to get a grasp on the '30s styles of design and fashions. Lots of time is spent in Powell's impressive apartment, and the slim Rogers shows off a beautiful wardrobe. There is also some footage of New York in the '30s which is marvelous.

"Star of Midnight" has a somewhat colorless supporting cast, the exception being Paul Kelly, with most of the focus being on Powell and Rogers. This is a familiar role for Powell, but I could watch him forever. He was a true master of this genre. A very enjoyable movie -I wish Powell and Rogers had been paired together more.

STAR OF MIDNIGHT could easily be mistaken for a Nick and Nora mystery, so similar are the central characters played by WILLIAM POWELL and GINGER ROGERS. Powell is his usual debonair self as a lawyer who sets about to solve a murder he becomes mixed up in and Ginger is her charming self as the girl who wants to marry him some day. The police even suspect Powell may have committed the murder of a gossip columnist.

The mystery is full of suspicious looking characters who might be at the bottom of the crime, but a quick look at the cast and I guessed who the murderer was before the plot even unraveled. From then on, I concentrated on the art deco settings for Powell's pad, especially that modern looking bathroom shower.

PAUL KELLY has a good tough supporting role and RALPH MORGAN is a distinguished looking gentleman (a more serious version of his brother, Frank Morgan), and LESLIE FENTON does what he can with the role of another suspect. GENE LOCKHART is amusing as Powell's butler.

Typical murder mystery from the '30s combining screwball comedy and the usual twists and turns.

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!!!

I'm sure that Louis B. Mayer got a good price to loan out William Powell to RKO for Star Of Midnight. No doubt he was thinking of the sequel to the immensely popular The Thin Man that was already on the boards at MGM.

Over at MGM Nick Charles was a reluctant detective who liked his new bride, martinis, and mysteries in that order. In Star Of Midnight Clay Dalzell is a reluctant detective who likes the legal profession, Ginger Rogers, martinis, and mysteries in that order. The new star of a late night revue in Manhattan walks off the stage and just disappears.

Powell's playboy friend Leslie Fenton who has been looking for her says she's a girl from Chicago he knew and when she saw him in the audience she took off. Gossip columnist Russell Hopton says he knows why and is about to tell Powell when he's bumped off and Powell wounded in the same attack.

Of course that gives Powell a nice reason to sleuth. He has to do it with the help of Ginger Rogers who just wants to get him to the altar.

RKO got Powell a little later in the decade as another amateur detective in The Ex-Mrs. Bradford. Similar story with Jean Arthur as a former wife who can't stay away.

A cast of familiar players make up the suspect list. The eventual murderer, all I can say is that it was one original disguise that was used.

Fans of The Thin Man will enjoy Star Of Midnight.

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.

'Star of Midnight' did have a few things going for it. When reading the plot synopsis, being a fan of this type of story and the genre, it really intrigued me. William Powell always impressed me as an actor and bad performances were rare, here in a role that suited him to the ground. Also like Ginger Rogers, if more as a dancer than as an actress (though she doesn't fare too shabbily at all in this regard, when it comes to dancing on film she's a legend), especially when partnered with Fred Astaire.

Although it is not the best that either Powell and Rogers, the latter in a very Myrna Loy sort of role, ever did (both did many great films and performances in other things before and since), 'Star of Midnight' is hardly a waste of their talents. It was far from a perfect film and a couple of components were executed very unevenly, but it was a fun and intriguing one that serves its purpose to entertain and perhaps in a way challenge very well.

Lets start with 'Star of Midnight's' good things. It looks very slick and stylish. Count me in as another person who is so envious of that bathroom. The type of script here is my personal favourite type, the sophisticated and witty kind, sorry for throwing around those words a lot recently but it is hard not to when so many films at that time had those qualities in their writing and did them well and even superbly. Much of the dialogue really crackles.

The story is mostly tight, engaging with a generally solid and atmospherically suspenseful mystery that didn't get too convoluted. Coherence was not a problem for me here. The direction was well judged. Powell is wonderfully debonair and witty, traits that suited him perfectly and at that time he was one of the best on film in doing that. Rogers fares very admirably in the Myrna Loy-type role and the chemistry between the two is difficult to resist. The supporting cast are very uneven, but Gene Lockhart, J Farroll MacDonald and particularly Paul Kelly are good.

Others didn't make the grade however. The worst offenders agreed are Leslie Fenton, who fails to inject much personality into a colourless part, and Robert Emmett O'Connor who is irritating beyond belief and overdoes the character's dumbness.

Did feel that the identity of the killer was too obvious too early, again a problem for others. Also that the ending was rather far-fetched.

In a nutshell, fun but didn't blow me away. 7/10

As previous commenters have said, this is a slight but fun reworking of The Thin Man. It's a fun way to spend a couple of hours. There's plenty of sizzle between Powell and Rogers (of course, Ginger's no Myrna, though). The plot is slight, but who really cares?

Check out the set design for Powell's apartment -- it's classic 30's luxury. The bathroom alone is worth watching for. It could fit in to any modern McMansion easily. This is an RKO picture, but I thought the sets were every bit as good as the ones that Cedric Gibbons and Edwin Willis were doing over at MGM during the same period.

Kudos also to the costume design. Ginger Rogers changes outfits more times than I could count. Powell, of course, looks elegant even in a bathrobe, but surely no star ever looked as good as he did in white tie.

This is an obvious attempt to recreate the chemistry of Powell and Loy in the big hit The Thin Man of the previous year. But RKO was only going to get Powell out of MGM, so Ginger Rogers is the leading lady here. Don't get me wrong. I love Ginger Rogers, but there is just something indescribable in the chemistry of The Thin Man films between Powell and Loy. If it was describable, it would have not been worth so much money.

Clay Dalzell (William Powell) is a lawyer of means at midlife. Donna Mantin (Ginger Rogers) is a woman in her early twenties who has had a crush on Clay since childhood and has always said she wanted to marry him. Clay likes the bachelor life. Maybe he sees down the road where Donna doesn't as to how this May December romance could have some bumps in the road ten to fifteen years from now, but I digress.

Clay gets wrapped up in a disappearance/murder case when his friend Tim Winthrop (Leslie Fenton) comes to Clay and says he wants him to help him find a girl he wanted to marry who disappeared without a trace the year before. Tim thinks he recognizes the star of Midnight - a Broadway show - as his long lost girlfriend and cries out her name in the middle of the show. The titular "star of Midnight" then runs off the stage and disappears. A local reporter comes to Clay and says that he has solved the case of the disappearance of the "star of Midnight", but before he can tell Clay anything somebody shoots and kills the reporter and wounds Clay.

At this point the plot gets very muddled and you have to both pay close attention and just know when to jettison certain questions and contradictions in the plot or else you will be lost. All the while Rogers is playing a part very much like Myrna Loy in the Thin Man films by inserting herself into the investigation, invited or not.

It is odd to see Leslie Fenton playing a nice guy for a change. Paul Kelly makes an appearance as a suave gangster who has a good head on his shoulders. Gene Lockhart, who usually pays cowardly and dastardly or at least pig headed characters is pretty good as Powell's gentleman's gentleman. But then if Eric Blore had played the butler this would have looked too much like an Astaire/Rogers film and people would have expected William Powell to perform at least one dance number.

Yes this movie is a rip off of The Thin Man, but that doesn't mean that it's not good at what it does. I for one appreciate that it is more light hearted, silly and goofy. This film quickly became one of my own & my husband's favorite movies. Ginger is adorable, and she & William Powell have great chemistry together.

In Chicago, Tim Winthrop (Leslie Fenton) receives a telegram from girlfriend Alice. She's leaving him. A year later in New York City, he's still looking for her. He tries to recruit his lawyer friend Clay "Dal" Dalzell (William Powell) for the job. Dal is marrying girlfriend Donna Mantin (Ginger Rogers). Winthrop insists that he spotted Alice working as masked leading actress Mary Smith who promptly disappeared. Soon, Dal is caught in the middle of a murder mystery and becomes the prime suspect.

I like the pairing of Powell and Rogers. They have good banter but they don't have enough screen time. In the end, Powell is even better with Myrna Loy and this one does not fare well with the comparison. It's hard to do better than the best. I do like the murder mystery right from the bang up start. I just wish that Rogers could tag along more in the investigation and I don't like the Scooby Doo ending. All in all, this is a fun couple and a fun thriller.

No movie with William Powell can be a complete loss, but he really seems to be sleepwalking through this undernourished RKO mystery. The major problem is a poor screenplay--- apparently a collaborative effort---that never provides Powell with the witty repartee he could so joyfully dispense in better efforts. Even the supporting cast, excellent as they are, seem to be a bit embarrassed by the proceedings.

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...

Before watching this film, I need to mention that the co-star of this film, Ginger Rogers, plays a woman named 'Miss Mantin'. This character is NOT to be confused with the character from "The Mad Miss Manton"--a detective film starring Jean Arthur and William Powell. And, to make it more confusing, "Star of Midnight" is ALSO a detective movie starring William Powell as a hard-drinking gentleman amateur crime-solver!!

William Powell plays a lawyer, 'Dal' Dalzell. A murder is committed in his apartment and he's shot (and only slightly injured) by the killer. When the cops come to investigate, one wants to arrest Powell (which makes no sense--and the cop is a stereotypical idiot cop you find in these sort of films). The other (J. Farrell MacDondald) is MUCH more pragmatic and does something I can't recall any other cop doing in a film--he lets Powell do all the investigating and just waits for Powell to uncover the killer!! This is a GREAT thing about the film, as is the nice repartee between Powell and Rogers. As a result, it's a fun and enjoyable film--in the same tradition as Powell's "Thin Man" movies. The only drawback concerns the crime itself. It seems like some things were missing and the heroes made a few logical jumps in reasoning--like the writer needed to hash out the story just a bit better. Still, it's enjoyable and worth a look.

What do a disappearing Broadway actress, Myrna Loy, and Ginger Rogers have in common? William Powell of course. In this screwball-tinged mystery directed by Stephen Roberts, Powell is the amateur sleuth, lawyer and bon vivant, with Miss Rogers in hot pursuit, caught up in a murder with his fingers on the murder weapon.

A fine cast, including Paul Kelly, Gene Lockhart, J. Farrell MacDonald, and Vivien Oakland offer a lot of fun. If it isn't well known, it's because Roberts died the next year, and what could compare with Powell's turn in THE THIN MAN, still in theaters when this was released.

I have nothing new to add to the other reviews of Star of Midnight. It is a competent entertainment that closely resembles a Thin Man comedy mystery.

However, I would like to point out examples of casual racism that are contained in the movie. Not that I expect any changes to be made or aspersions to be cast, but simply to point them out as historical examples of the casual racism of the times.

Toward the end of the story the action converges on the apartment of the mysterious missing woman but the only person there is the Maid, who is African American, of course. Played by Libby Taylor, her lines consist of the usual tropes of Black language: "Ain't nobody here..."; "Yah, sir."; and "Ain't no HE in dare. He's a SHE." The lines are delivered with wide eyes and a flat affect.

Earlier in the movie two lines of the subtle racism that was a part of our language then were spoken. In one a character tries to thank William Powell's character saying, "You're a White man, Dal, that's nice of you." A few scenes later, Powell tells Ginger Rogers to make up her own mind by saying, "You're free, White, and twenty-one."

I think it bears repeating that I don't mean to suggest banning or de-listing this movie, but I do think it is important to be aware of these instances. Or to even use them teaching examples of how we were once so unthinking in our racism and change it!

This movie is thoroughly enjoyable with just the proper balance of humour, intrigue, and style that only William Powell is capable of . Ginger Rogers gives one of her better acting performances and seems very natural opposite of William Powell. This is as good as any of the Thin Man series.

RANDOM NOTES

Here Powell shows what Nick Charles would be like if he were to move from the lower-upper class to the middle-upper class. The differences are subtle.

Not the best story but Rogers and Powell are both great. The sets, the lighting, and the camera work are all wonderful. Watch when Powell sees the woman in the mirror, just one awesome image after another.

Loved it when the woman with a bucket knocks on the door, sees Powell and says only, "garbage" with hardly a hint that this is meant as a question.

How much do you tip the guy who brings the message penciled on a little piece of paper. He hands this thing to Powell and stands waiting for his tip.

Interesting wipe transitions when he gathers the suspects over the phone. I love it when they use modern technology, the editing technique and the phone,

Powell cradles the head of an injured man and calls out to his man servant. "Some brandy, Swaim." Guy dies. "Never mind, Swaim." If only Swaim could move a little faster.

Powell pronounces Rogers to be "Free, white, and 21." I take this to mean she is able to make her own choices in life. Obviously all three boxes must be checked. This phrase is the perfect example of systemic racism. The racism is so engrained that a top star justifies it as part of his witty Rom/Com banter.

I guess there were no donut shops around, so a cop has it out for the guy who sold him his defective arch supports. Hwah, hwah, hwah.

A. Use a pencil like everybody else.

SMOKING RITUAL

Powell steps to the bar with his nice cigarette case in hand and taps his ciggy longwise on the same end he lights. This is a custom that would adjust to the other, in the mouth, end when filtered cigarette came along. Watching Powell do this with the non-filtered cig made me feel a little unbalanced.

So...I little review (feel free to correct me): Pre-lit filtered cigarettes are tapped on the filter end. Pre-lit non-filtered cigarettes are tapped on the end you will light. My father told me that this tapping made the cig "burn more evenly."

In this scene a cloud of smoke pours out of Powell straight at Rogers' face but makes a mid-air turn to quickly escape toward the bottom left of the screen.

I thought we were going to see Rogers shuffle the cards with cig in place, but Powell takes over. Rare moment when she smokes but not him.

We miss all the lighting at the restaurant, but we get a good look at that case. I suspect it was supposed to make him seem upper class. I wonder how many cigarette cases were sold last year, and in 1935?

Ginger Rogers is the last of the Myrna Loy hopes (producers, studios) as sidekick to the variety of sleuths played by William Powell in the 30s. Entering the decade with his successful Philo Vance series (The Kennel Murder Case) he hit the jackpot when teamed up with Myrna in The Thin Man series but that did not stop producers from testing other couplings such as Jean Arthur in The Ex Mrs.Bradford and Ginger Rogers in Star of Midnight. Adequate at best they go pale with the spirit of Nora hovering over them so much you find yourself wishing she would walk through the door and tell Jean and Ginger to beat it, she'll take it from their.

Clay Dazzle, wealthy dilettante detective (Nick by any other name) does a pal a favor to avoid a scandal and instead gets mixed up in a murder mystery. Flaky society girl Donna Martin with a major crush on Clay tags along for the ride. Sound familiar? Rogers in the midst of partnering in an even greater duo is rather ditsy and passive and like Arthur displays little chemistry with the focused Powell. She is more obstacle than full partner and her verbal chops just not up to sparring with him.

The mystery itself is both convoluted and contrived and with Rogers unable to hold her own with Powell Star of Midnight falls fast.