The Longest Night (1936 film)

The Longest Night is a 1936 American mystery film directed by Errol Taggart and written by Robert Hardy Andrews. The film stars Robert Young, Florence Rice, Ted Healy, Julie Haydon, Catherine Doucet and Janet Beecher. The film was released on October 2, 1936, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.^[1][2] Running a mere 51 minutes, it is believed to be the shortest feature ever produced by MGM, lending a certain irony to the title.

The Longest Night
Directed by	Errol Taggart
Screenplay by	Robert Hardy Andrews
Based on	The Whispering Window 1936 novel by Cortland Fitzsimmons
Produced by	Lucien Hubbard Samuel Marx
Starring	Robert Young Florence Rice Ted Healy Julie Haydon Catherine Doucet Janet Beecher
Cinematography	Lester White
Edited by	Robert J. Kern
Music by	Edward Ward
Production company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	October 2, 1936 (1936-10-02)
Running time	51 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Elements of the plot were later reworked into the 1941 Marx Bros. comedy The Big Store.

Plot

A department store where she works is robbed by Eve Sutton and an accomplice, Carl Briggs. A wristwatch they stole is recognized by Eve's sister Joan, who reports her suspicions to Mrs. Briggs, who is Eve's boss at the store.

Joan bumps into Charley Phelps, the store owner's son, who develops a personal interest in her. As an investigation into the robbery begins, Carl Briggs is shot and killed, his mother's body is also found, and Eve and a co-worker, Mr. Grover, are taken hostage.

To bring help, Joan starts a fire that sets off the store's sprinkler system. Firemen and police race to the scene as Joan and a crew of cleaning ladies fend off the gang, while Charley fights and overcomes the scheme's mastermind and killer, Grover.

Cast

• Robert Young as Charley Phelps
• Florence Rice as Joan Sutton
• Ted Healy as Police Sergeant Magee
• Julie Haydon as Eve Sutton
• Catherine Doucet as Mrs. Wilson G. Wilson
• Janet Beecher as Mrs. Briggs
• Leslie Fenton as Carl Briggs
• Sidney Toler as Captain Holt
• Paul Stanton as Mr. Grover
• Etienne Girardot as Kendrick Kinney
• Tommy Bupp as Albert Wilson
• Samuel S. Hinds as Hastings
• Minor Watson as Hardy
• Kitty McHugh as Midge Riley
• Olin Howland as Smythe
• Gertrude Sutton as Miss Ashforth
• John Hyams as Mr. Fergus

References

1. "The Longest Night (1936) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
2. "The Longest Night". TV Guide. Retrieved 23 November 2014.

External links

• The Longest Night at IMDb
• The Longest Night at the TCM Movie Database
• The Longest Night at AllMovie
• The Longest Night at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films