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Night into Morning

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Night Into Morning
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFletcher Markle
Written by
Produced byEdwin H. Knopf
Starring
CinematographyGeorge J. Folsey
Edited by
Music byCarmen Dragon
Production
company
Distributed byMetro Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • June 8, 1951 (1951-06-08)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$777,000[1]
Box office$819,000[1]

Night Into Morning is a 1951 American drama film directed by Fletcher Markle and starring Ray Milland, John Hodiak and Nancy Davis.[2][3]

Plot

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Everything is going very well for college professor Phillip Ainley, who has a loving wife and son and an offer to teach at Yale. But his world turns upside-down when Katherine Mead, his secretary, rushes to tell him that there's been a deadly explosion at the professor's home.

His wife and child are killed. Ainley, devastated, becomes morose and turns to drink, causing Mead, a war widow, and best friend Tom Lawry, her betrothed, to consider these telltale signs that the professor could be suicidal.

A popular athlete on campus has failed an exam and might not graduate, so his girlfriend Dottie appeals to the professor to give him a second chance. A drunken Ainley tells her remaining unmarried might spare them both future heartbreak. He then crashes a car, terrifying the girl and resulting in his arrest.

Character witnesses convince the judge to place Ainley on probation. The professor permits the athlete to take a second exam, then gives him a passing grade. Ainley gets his affairs in order and goes to a hotel, where he plans to take his life. Only a last-minute intervention by Mead saves him, the widow reminding Ainley that she found a new love and new life, just as her first true love would have wanted.

Cast

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Uncredited (in order of appearance)
Robert Foulk Police officer preventing Ainley from rushing into burning house
Wheaton Chambers Cleric delivering eulogy at funeral of Ainley's wife and son
Matt Moore Professor Joe Goodman in faculty lounge
John Eldredge Professor in faculty lounge
Whit Bissell Salesman assisting Ainley in picking gravestones for his wife and son
Margaret Bert Woman choosing her lunch in the college cafeteria
Frank McGrath Angry driver at accident scene
Howard M. Mitchell Guard in jail where Ainley is held for drunk driving
Percy Helton Philosophical drunk in jail cell with Ainley
Richard Hale Judge lecturing Ainley after his arrest for drunk driving
Torben Meyer Butcher
Mario Siletti Tony the barber who tells Ainley that he also spent time in jail in the old country
Christopher Knopf Photography store clerk from whom Ainley picks up developed photos
Wilton Graff Attorney explaining to Ainley the details of setting up last will

Reception

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According to MGM records, the movie earned $556,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $263,000 in other markets, resulting in a loss to the studio of $312,000.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. ^ CROWTHER, BOSLEY (June 11, 1951). "THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; 'Night Into Morning,' Starring Ray Milland as a Bereaved Professor, at Loew's State". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Night Into Morning 1951 Directed by Fletcher Markle". letterboxd.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
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