Lady for a Night (1941)

58% of users liked it
(55 ratings)

The unlikely combination of John Wayne and Joan Blondell adds a bit of vinegar and spice to the so-so costume drama Lady for a Night. Blondell is cast as Jenny Blake, owner of the Memphis Belle-not a WW2 bomber, but a gambling ship moored just outside New Orleans. Jenny's partner and erstwhile… More The unlikely combination of John Wayne and Joan Blondell adds a bit of vinegar and spice to the so-so costume drama Lady for a Night. Blondell is cast as Jenny Blake, owner of the Memphis Belle-not a WW2 bomber, but a gambling ship moored just outside New Orleans. Jenny's partner and erstwhile suitor is local political boss Jack Morgan (Wayne). She loves Morgan, but decides to marry for money and prestige, and to that end weds "black sheep" socialite Alan Alderson (Ray Middleton). Her new in-laws are infuriated by this marriage of convenience, and do everything they can to ruin Jenny in the eyes of society. When Alderson dies suddenly, his vengeful mother Julia (Blanche Yurka) accuses Jenny of poisoning her husband. Throughout the subsequent trial and scandal, Morgan stands loyally by Jenny's side, convincing her at long last that he's been the "right man" for her all along. Hattie Noel, who two years earlier lost the role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind to Hattie McDaniel, essays a neat Mammy-like characterization as Jenny's all-knowing maidservant. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: Leigh Jason
Written By: Boyce DeGaw, Isabel Dawn
Genres: Drama, Romance, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 5, 1942 Wide

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Dull and predictable fare.

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Cast

            Joan Blondell as Jenny Blake

            John Wayne as Jack Morgan

            Ray Middleton as Alan Alderson

            Philip Merivale as Stephen Alderson

            Blanche Yurka as Julia Alderson

            Edith Barrett as Katherine Alderson

            Leonid Kinskey as Boris

            Hattie Noel as Chloe

            Montagu Love as Judge

            Carmel Myers as Mayor's wife

            Dorothy Burgess as Flo

            Guy Usher as Governor

            Ivan Miller as Mayor

            Patricia Knox as Mabel

            Lew Payton as Napoleon

            Marilyn Hare as Mary Lou

            Margaret Armstrong as Governor's Wife

            Gertrude Astor as Woman

            Dudley Dickerson
            
            Dolores Gray as Dolores

            The Hall Johnson Choir
            
            Betty Hill as Governor's Daughter

            Dewey Robinson as Horse Dealer

            Minerva Urecal as Spinster

            Pierre Watkin as Prosecutor

            Paul White as Black Specialty Dancer

            Jack George as Orchestra Leader

            Henry Thomas
            
See full cast

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