Night World (1932)

75% of users liked it
(20 ratings)

Night World is an astonishingly compact 57-minute extravaganza, all of which takes place at the upscale (but somewhat less-than-swank) nightclub owned by good-natured racketeer Happy MacDonald (Boris Karloff) (complete with a winning, grinning smile). In a story arc of no more than a couple of… More Night World is an astonishingly compact 57-minute extravaganza, all of which takes place at the upscale (but somewhat less-than-swank) nightclub owned by good-natured racketeer Happy MacDonald (Boris Karloff) (complete with a winning, grinning smile). In a story arc of no more than a couple of hours, MacDonald is betrayed by his faithless wife (Doris Revier), who has been cavorting with the club's stage producer (Russell Hopton), and who sets her husband up to be killed by a rival; the gentle, articulate African-American doorman (Clarence Muse) learns the fate of his beloved wife, whose stay in the hospital has been a source of worry for him all night; despondent socialite Michael Rand (Lew Ayres), the son of an acquitted murderess, meets chorus girl Ruth Taylor (Mae Clarke), who turns out to have a heart-of-gold; and gets to confront his mother (Hedda Hopper), a viciously self-centered and venal woman. But Michael and Ruth soon find themselves caught in the midst of the mob's attempt on Happy's life, and facing a pair of assassins who would just as soon kill them as look at them. All of these story threads are interspersed between a good deal of backstage banter -- including a tense pair of vignette with tough-guy Ed Powell (George Raft, about as scary as he ever looked on screen) -- and a Busby Berkeley-choreographed dance number that, despite the low-budget and obviously fast shooting schedule of this picture, manages to work in the latter's celebrated overhead camera angles and other requisite visual touches. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr.
Directed By: Hobart Henley
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: May 5, 1932 Wide

No Critic Reviews Found…

No Featured Audience Ratings Found…

Cast

            Lew Ayres as Michael Rand

            Mae Clarke as Ruth Taylor

            Boris Karloff as "Happy" MacDonald

            Dorothy Revier as Mrs. "Mac"

            Russell Hopton as Klauss Show Producer

            Bert Roach as Tommy

            Dorothy Peterson as Edith Blair

            Hedda Hopper as Mrs. Rand

            Clarence Muse as Tim Washington the Doorman

            George Raft as Ed Powell

            Robert E. O'Connor as Policeman

            Alice Adair as Chorine

            Louise Beavers as Maid

            Arletta Duncan as Cigarette Girl

            Charles Giblyn
            
            Huntly Gordon as Jim

            Dorothy Granger
            
            Greta Granstedt as Blonde

            Amo Ingraham as Chorine

            Jack LaRue as Henchman

            Florence Lake as Miss Smith

            Geneva Mitchell as Florabelle

            Gene Morgan as Joe

            Pat Somerset as Guest

            Harry Woods as Gang Leader

            Sammy Blum as Salesman

            Tom Tamarez as Gigolo

            Eddie Phillips as Vaudevillian
See full cast

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

Discover movies your friends are watching
Keep track of what you want to see
Add your reviews to your Timeline

Get Started