"ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORK" (1961) Review
"ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORK" (1961) Review
Sixty-one years ago, Paramount Pictures released a quirky romantic comedy directed by a journeyman director named Joseph Anthony. The movie had been released during a period in Hollywood that saw the release of a good number of films known as "bedroom comedies". The most famous of these movies featured the Doris Day/Rock Hudson screen team from Universal Pictures. But one of the most unlikely bedroom comedies I have come across was Anthony's 1961 flick, "ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORK".
The movie begins with the death of a wealthy magazine publisher inside a Palms Beach, Florida hotel. The dead man's playboy nephew, Tony Ryder, inherits the company; but is left with a board of directors whose members believe he is unsuited for the task of managing it. Even worse, the Palm Beach hotel's detective, Mr. Lasker, informs Tony and the board of the young woman he had spotted running away from his uncle's hotel room, wearing nothing but a Turkish towel and an earring, on the night of Colonel Ryder's death. Both Tony and Lasker discover that the young woman in question is Katie Robbins, a Ryder employee who works for the magazine's research department. Anticipating a bank loan, Tony and the Board members fear Katie might blackmail the company or expose the Colonel's promiscuous past. They, along with Lasker, resort to learning the truth about Katie's encounter with Colonel Ryder or ensure her marriage to her strait-laced veterinarian fiancé in order to silence her about the Colonel's death at all costs.
That is correct folks. "ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORK" is basically a comedy about mistaken identity. You see, Tony Ryder and the Board members mistakenly believe she may have been the Colonel's past mistress. The reality is that Katie had found herself in the magnate's hotel room by mistake and under different circumstances. She had been fleeing from a drunken millionaire whom she had saved from drowning in the hotel's swimming pool . . . and who had repaid her Good Samaritan act with an aggressive attempt at seduction. So much for good deeds. Because Tony and the Board need funds to finance the magazine's expansion, they view Katie's encounter with the dead Colonel as a potential threat.
Superficially, "ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORK" seemed like one of those typical sex comedies that Hollywood studios made by the dozens from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s. I certainly would not describe the 1961 comedy as the best of the bunch. Its portrayal of Midwesterners struck me as bit one-dimensional. And modern-day filmgoers might find some of its attitude toward women slightly offensive. I refer to one scene in which Tony not only admire Katie for her brains, but also admire her ability to hide her brains. Like . . . what the hell? Regardless of those little peccadilloes and the fact that I do not regard it as one of the best mid-century sex comedies I have seen . . . I rather enjoyed "ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORK". In fact, I more than enjoyed it. I found it slightly unusual from the usual flicks of its genre.
What was it about "ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORK" that I found unusual? For me, the real humor stemmed from the corruption that reeked in the film's narrative. Whether that corruption came from the countless men who try to proposition Katie - including Tony, to the Board and Lasker's assumption that Katie was the Colonel's mistress without really knowing her story. In one funny sequence, Katie has a disastrous evening on the town with her fiancé Dr. Warren Kingsley, Jr. and his visiting Kansas parents, thanks to Tony's interference at two nightclubs and Mrs. Kingsley's negative judgmental attitude toward her. Yet, the most hilarious example of the corruption that permeated the film came from the topic of greed in the form of the Board of Directors. Desperate to acquire the bank loan to expand the magazine, they not only bemoaned the possibility of Katie blackmailing them but discussed various ways to silence her and ensure that loan. They were absolutely hilarious. The only other sex comedy that I believe permeated with corruption in the form of business survival was the 1961 Doris Day/Rock Hudson film, "LOVER COME BACK". Nineteen sixty-one was an interesting year.
Am much as I had enjoyed the movie's narrative, what I really enjoyed about "ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORK" was its cast. The movie featured first-rate performances from supporting cast members like Norma Crane, Rosemarie Stack, Ian Wolfe, John Hudson and a very funny Jack Weston, who portrayed the Palm Beach hotel detective who had first spotted Katie leaving Colonel Ryder's suite. Cliff Robertson gave solid support as Katie's upright fiancé Dr. Warren Kingsley Jr. Mable Albertson was appropriately prim and oppressive as young Warren's priggish mother. On the other hand, Charles Ruggles gave a very charming performance as Dr. Warren Kinglsey Sr., the only member of the Kingsley family who knew how to enjoy a good time.
However, there were at least five performances that I truly enjoyed. Three of them came from Gale Gordon, Jerome Cowan and Ralph Dumke; who portrayed the senior members of the Board Members. Watching them bemoaned over the possibility of Katie being Colonel Ryder's mistress and plot to find ways to keep her silent were among the true highlights of the film. And then we have our two leads - Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine. I just realized the pair had made six films together. Six. I suppose I should not have been surprised. Martin and MacLaine had great screen chemistry. And this was apparent in their scenes together. Martin's smooth charm and subtle sense of humor contrasted perfectly with MacLaine's more nervous and kinetic performance as the much put upon Katie. I also enjoyed Martin's subtle, yet sly reactions to the Board Members' bombastic plotting against the movie's leading lady. And what I also enjoyed about MacLaine's performance is how she managed to convey Katie's worldliness beneath a seemingly naive persona - especially when dealing with over amorous men.
Earlier, I had stated that I did not consider "ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORK" as one of the best sex comedies from the mid-20th century. Perhaps it is not one of the best. But I now believe it is one of the most original I have ever come across. It might also be one of my favorites from that particular era in Hollywood history, thanks to Joseph Anthony's solid direction; a first-rate screenplay written by Edmund Beloin, Maurice Richlin and the legendary Sidney Sheldon; and superb comedic performances from a cast led by Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine. What else can I say?