Midnight Lace
Encyclopedia
Midnight Lace is a 1960 American mystery
-thriller film starring Doris Day
and Rex Harrison
, directed by David Miller
. The screenplay by Ivan Goff
and Ben Roberts
is based on the play Matilda Shouted Fire by Janet Green.
The film was remade as a television movie
by Universal Television for NBC
in 1981.
in London
. One night, as she is returning home in a dense fog, Kit is startled by an eerie, electronic-like voice threatening to kill her. Tony tries to convince her she has been the victim of a practical joke
r and suggests they take a trip to Venice
for the honeymoon
they never had.
The following day, business matters force Tony to cancel a lunch date with his wife at the last minute. As she returns home, a falling girder from the construction site adjacent to her building nearly hits her, but she is pushed to safety by contractor
Brian Younger, who startles her when he addresses her by name. Inside she encounters Malcolm Stanley, the shiftless son of her maid Nora, who annoys her with his unctuous behavior.
Soon after he departs, the person who threatened her the night before calls and repeats his intention to kill her. Neighbor Peggy Thompson urges Tony to bring Kit to Scotland Yard
to discuss the situation. After questioning her, Inspector Byrnes suggests to Tony he suspects Kit is merely a lonely wife in need of attention.
Tony must cancel the trip to Italy due to continuing problems at work. Kit receives another call, but before Tony can take the phone to hear the voice, she hysterically hangs up. The couple meet Kit's aunt Bea Coleman and Bea's former beau Charles Manning at a nightclub, where Bea questions Tony about her niece's nervous behavior. When Tony repeats the inspector's suspicions, Bea wonders if he may be right.
The next day, Kit is trapped in her apartment building elevator when the power goes out. She begins to panic when she hears footsteps ominously approaching in the dark, and is relieved to discover it is Brian, who has come to rescue her. He takes her to a local pub, where he relates an experience he had in a burning tank during World War II
. Kit is disturbed by his intense manner and returns home.
Kit, Tony and Aunt Bea are at the ballet when Tony's assistant Daniel Graham calls him away to tell him it appears £1 million has been embezzled
from the firm. Daniel knows company treasurer Manning has large gambling debts and suggests he is responsible for the loss. Meanwhile, Malcolm confronts Kit at the ballet and asks for money. When she hesitates, he vaguely threatens her.
As time passes, Kit becomes increasingly paranoid. Her reports of more calls and a visit from a mysterious stranger no one else sees are met with scepticism by everyone. She sees the man she had claimed came to the apartment in the street, and soon she is pushed in front of an approaching bus. Now frantic, Kit begs Peggy to lie and say she heard the voice on the phone, but her plan backfires when Tony reveals their phone has been out of order.
Now certain that Kit is delusion
al, Tony and Bea take her to a physician who suggests that she may be suffering from a split personality and that she should be taken to a psychiatrist. After consulting further with the doctor, Tony decides to take Kit to Venice immediately and asks Bea to help her pack while he attends a board meeting.
Before he leaves, the phone rings and Tony hears the voice. He calls Inspector Byrnes and asks him to come to the apartment, then tells Kit he will pretend to leave the building, secretly return, and hopefully catch the man who has been stalking her.
As soon as Tony leaves, the caller phones to announce he is coming to kill Kit. A man with a gun enters the apartment. Tony tackles him and knocks him unconscious.
Much to Kit's astonishment, Tony then confesses he and Peggy are responsible for everything that has transpired. They plan to kill Kit and make her death appear to be a suicide prompted by her mental illness so Tony can collect her inheritance and repay the money he stole from his business.
The man with the gun regains consciousness. He turns out to be Peggy's husband Roy, who planned to murder Peggy after learning about her affair with Tony.
Inspector Byrnes arrives and reveals he had tapped Kit's phone and knew she was in trouble when Tony pretended to call the police. Brian and Bea give comfort to Kit while the inspector arrests her husband and his mistress.
critic called the film "another of those recurrent thrillers (Sorry, Wrong Number
, Gaslight
, The Two Mrs. Carrolls
, Julie) in which a dear, sweet, innocent girl is pursued by a shadowy figure of evil who threatens her with all sorts of insidious molestation . . . Like its predecessors, Midnight Lace is not very interesting in itself, but it is uncomfortably fascinating when considered as one of the persistent fantasies of a monogamous society . . . False leads trail off in at least seven directions, but the climax of the film will come to most mystery buffs as no surprise . . . Doris Day wears a lot of expensive clothes, and in attempting to portray the all-American missus behaves like such a silly, spoiled, hysterical, middle-aged Lolita that many customers may find themselves less in sympathy with her plight than with the villain's murderous intentions."
but lost to Greer Garson
in Sunrise at Campobello
. Irene
was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Color Costume Design but lost to Arlington Valles
for Spartacus
.
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
-thriller film starring Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
and Rex Harrison
Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey “Rex” Harrison was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.-Youth and stage career:...
, directed by David Miller
David Miller (director)
David Miller was an American movie director who directed such varied films as Billy the Kid with Robert Taylor and Brian Donlevy, Flying Tigers with John Wayne, and Love Happy with the Marx Brothers.-Filmography:* Bittersweet Love * Executive Action * Hail, Hero! * Hammerhead...
. The screenplay by Ivan Goff
Ivan Goff
Ivan Goff was an Australian screenwriter, best known for his collaborations with Ben Roberts including White Heat , The Man of a Thousand Faces and the pilot for Charlie's Angels .-Biography:...
and Ben Roberts
Ben Roberts (writer)
Ben Roberts, born Benjamin Eisenberg, was a film and television writer, producer and one of the creators of the Charlie's Angels and Time Express television series'. In 1958 he was nominated for an Academy Award for writing the Lon Chaney biopic Man of a Thousand Faces...
is based on the play Matilda Shouted Fire by Janet Green.
The film was remade as a television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
by Universal Television for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in 1981.
Plot
A newlywed, American heiress Kit Preston is living with her financier husband Tony on Grosvenor SquareGrosvenor Square
Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the exclusive Mayfair district of London, England. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from their surname, "Grosvenor".-History:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. One night, as she is returning home in a dense fog, Kit is startled by an eerie, electronic-like voice threatening to kill her. Tony tries to convince her she has been the victim of a practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
r and suggests they take a trip to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
for the honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
they never had.
The following day, business matters force Tony to cancel a lunch date with his wife at the last minute. As she returns home, a falling girder from the construction site adjacent to her building nearly hits her, but she is pushed to safety by contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
Brian Younger, who startles her when he addresses her by name. Inside she encounters Malcolm Stanley, the shiftless son of her maid Nora, who annoys her with his unctuous behavior.
Soon after he departs, the person who threatened her the night before calls and repeats his intention to kill her. Neighbor Peggy Thompson urges Tony to bring Kit to Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
to discuss the situation. After questioning her, Inspector Byrnes suggests to Tony he suspects Kit is merely a lonely wife in need of attention.
Tony must cancel the trip to Italy due to continuing problems at work. Kit receives another call, but before Tony can take the phone to hear the voice, she hysterically hangs up. The couple meet Kit's aunt Bea Coleman and Bea's former beau Charles Manning at a nightclub, where Bea questions Tony about her niece's nervous behavior. When Tony repeats the inspector's suspicions, Bea wonders if he may be right.
The next day, Kit is trapped in her apartment building elevator when the power goes out. She begins to panic when she hears footsteps ominously approaching in the dark, and is relieved to discover it is Brian, who has come to rescue her. He takes her to a local pub, where he relates an experience he had in a burning tank during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Kit is disturbed by his intense manner and returns home.
Kit, Tony and Aunt Bea are at the ballet when Tony's assistant Daniel Graham calls him away to tell him it appears £1 million has been embezzled
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
from the firm. Daniel knows company treasurer Manning has large gambling debts and suggests he is responsible for the loss. Meanwhile, Malcolm confronts Kit at the ballet and asks for money. When she hesitates, he vaguely threatens her.
As time passes, Kit becomes increasingly paranoid. Her reports of more calls and a visit from a mysterious stranger no one else sees are met with scepticism by everyone. She sees the man she had claimed came to the apartment in the street, and soon she is pushed in front of an approaching bus. Now frantic, Kit begs Peggy to lie and say she heard the voice on the phone, but her plan backfires when Tony reveals their phone has been out of order.
Now certain that Kit is delusion
Delusion
A delusion is a false belief held with absolute conviction despite superior evidence. Unlike hallucinations, delusions are always pathological...
al, Tony and Bea take her to a physician who suggests that she may be suffering from a split personality and that she should be taken to a psychiatrist. After consulting further with the doctor, Tony decides to take Kit to Venice immediately and asks Bea to help her pack while he attends a board meeting.
Before he leaves, the phone rings and Tony hears the voice. He calls Inspector Byrnes and asks him to come to the apartment, then tells Kit he will pretend to leave the building, secretly return, and hopefully catch the man who has been stalking her.
As soon as Tony leaves, the caller phones to announce he is coming to kill Kit. A man with a gun enters the apartment. Tony tackles him and knocks him unconscious.
Much to Kit's astonishment, Tony then confesses he and Peggy are responsible for everything that has transpired. They plan to kill Kit and make her death appear to be a suicide prompted by her mental illness so Tony can collect her inheritance and repay the money he stole from his business.
The man with the gun regains consciousness. He turns out to be Peggy's husband Roy, who planned to murder Peggy after learning about her affair with Tony.
Inspector Byrnes arrives and reveals he had tapped Kit's phone and knew she was in trouble when Tony pretended to call the police. Brian and Bea give comfort to Kit while the inspector arrests her husband and his mistress.
Cast
- Doris DayDoris DayDoris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
as Kit Preston - Rex HarrisonRex HarrisonSir Reginald Carey “Rex” Harrison was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.-Youth and stage career:...
as Tony Preston - John GavinJohn GavinJohn Gavin is an American film actor and a former United States Ambassador to Mexico. Gavin is half Mexican and fluent in Spanish....
as Brian Younger - Myrna LoyMyrna LoyMyrna Loy was an American actress. Trained as a dancer, she devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. Originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp or a woman of Asian descent, her career prospects improved following her portrayal of Nora Charles...
as Bea Vorman - Roddy McDowallRoddy McDowallRoderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English actor and photographer. His film roles included Cornelius and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes film series...
as Malcolm Stanley - Herbert MarshallHerbert MarshallHerbert Marshall , born Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall, was an English actor.His parents were Percy F. Marshall and Ethel May Turner. He graduated from St. Mary's College in Old Harlow, Essex and worked for a time as an accounting clerk...
as Charles Manning - Natasha ParryNatasha Parry-Selected filmography:* Dance Hall * Crow Hollow * Knave of Hearts * Windom's Way * The Rough and the Smooth * The Fourth Square * Girl in the Headlines * Romeo and Juliet...
as Peggy Thompson - John WilliamsJohn Williams (actor)John Williams was an English stage, film and television actor. He is remembered for his role as chief inspector Hubbard in Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M For Murder, and as portraying the second "Mr...
as Inspector Byrnes - Hermione BaddeleyHermione BaddeleyHermione Baddeley was an English character actress of theatre, film and television. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Room at the Top and a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here...
as Dora Hammer - Richard NeyRichard NeyRichard Ney was an American actor and investment counselor.He was born in New York City, the son of Erwin Maximillian Ney and Rebie Margaret Flood. He was the grandson of the Rev. Theodore L. Flood, editor of The Chautauquan...
as Daniel Graham - Anthony DawsonAnthony DawsonAnthony Dawson was a Scottish-born actor, best known for his supporting roles in British films.Born in Edinburgh, he made his film debut in 1943's They Met in the Dark, going on to appear in such classic British films as The Way to the Stars , The Queen of Spades , and The Wooden Horse , before...
as Roy Ash - Rhys WilliamsRhys Williams (actor)Rhys Williams was a Welsh character actor in movies and television, whose career spanned several decades.He made his film debut in How Green Was My Valley . This movie takes place in rural Wales with a large cast of Welsh characters, but was actually filmed in Hollywood with Canadian, American,...
as Victor Elliot - Doris LloydDoris LloydHessy Doris Lloyd was an English actress.She appeared in over 150 films between 1920 and 1967, including the 1933 low-budget Monogram Pictures version of Oliver Twist, in which she played Nancy...
as Nora Stanley
Critical reception
The TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
critic called the film "another of those recurrent thrillers (Sorry, Wrong Number
Sorry, Wrong Number
Sorry, Wrong Number is a 1948 American suspense film noir directed by Anatole Litvak. It tells the story of a woman who overhears a plot for murder. It stars Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards, Wendell Corey, Ed Begley, Leif Erickson and William Conrad.The film was adapted by Lucille...
, Gaslight
Gaslight (1944 film)
Gaslight is a 1944 mystery-thriller film adapted from Patrick Hamilton's play, Gas Light, performed as Angel Street on Broadway in 1941. It was the second version to be filmed; the first, released in the United Kingdom, had been made a mere four years earlier...
, The Two Mrs. Carrolls
The Two Mrs. Carrolls
The Two Mrs. Carrolls is a 1947 film noir made by Warner Brothers. It was directed by Peter Godfrey and produced by Mark Hellinger, with Jack L. Warner as executive producer, from a screenplay by Thomas Job based on the play by Martin Vale...
, Julie) in which a dear, sweet, innocent girl is pursued by a shadowy figure of evil who threatens her with all sorts of insidious molestation . . . Like its predecessors, Midnight Lace is not very interesting in itself, but it is uncomfortably fascinating when considered as one of the persistent fantasies of a monogamous society . . . False leads trail off in at least seven directions, but the climax of the film will come to most mystery buffs as no surprise . . . Doris Day wears a lot of expensive clothes, and in attempting to portray the all-American missus behaves like such a silly, spoiled, hysterical, middle-aged Lolita that many customers may find themselves less in sympathy with her plight than with the villain's murderous intentions."
Awards and nominations
Doris Day was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture DramaGolden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture - Drama was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951...
but lost to Greer Garson
Greer Garson
Greer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award...
in Sunrise at Campobello
Sunrise at Campobello
Sunrise at Campobello is a 1960 American biographical film made by Dore Schary Productions and Warner Bros. It tells the story of the initial struggle by future President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his family when he was stricken with paralysis at the age of 39 in August...
. Irene
Irene Lentz
Irene Lentz , also known as Irene, was an American costume designer. Her work as a clothing designer in Los Angeles led to her career as a costume designer for films in the 1930s...
was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Color Costume Design but lost to Arlington Valles
Arlington Valles
Born as Fred Valles, this Hollywood costume designer took the more grandiose name Arlington Valles as his professional handle, eventually jettisoning the "Arlington" part completely. He first provided costumes for the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol...
for Spartacus
Spartacus (film)
Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the novel of the same name by Howard Fast...
.