''Night Song'' is a 1948 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by John Cromwell and starring

Dana Andrews Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigious roles and character parts ...

Merle Oberon Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...

and

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

Plot

Wealthy San Francisco socialite Cathy Mallory is entranced by the music of blind nightclub pianist Dan Evans. He is bitter and resents a lady's attempt to become his patron. Bandleader Chick Morgan informs Cathy that Dan has quit. Cathy arranges to meet Dan at the beach and introduces herself as Mary Willey, a woman of limited means who is also blind. They begin a romantic relationship and Dan explains how he lost his sight in an automobile accident. To continue the ruse, Cathy and longtime companion Mrs. Willey rent an inexpensive apartment. Dan is persuaded to resume writing a piano concerto. Cathy sponsors a $5,000 prize for a contest without telling him, confident Dan's music will win. After the music wins the contest, it is to be performed at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

by the famed pianist

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

. Dan uses the money to undergo an operation in New York that restores his vision. At the contest, he meets Cathy and is attracted to her. He enjoys his newfound sight, spending time with her, but when he listens to the concert, it stirs memories of Mary. He advises Chick to inform Cathy that he is returning to Mary. He and Chick take the train while Cathy and her aunt fly through the night. When he arrives at the apartment, he hears Mary playing his music. He walks in, sees her and smiles. Her aunt watches approvingly from the kitchen as they embrace.

Cast

as Dan Evans *

as Cathy Mallory / Mary Willey *

as Miss Willey *

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first ...

as Chick Morgan *

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

as Himself *

Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association wit ...

as Himself *

Jacqueline White Jacqueline Jane White (born November 23, 1922) is an American former actress, who had a brief career in Hollywood motion pictures during the 1940s and early-1950s working as a contract player at both studios MGM and RKO, and perhaps best remem ...

as Connie *

Donald Curtis Donald Curtis (born Curtis D. Rudolf; February 27, 1915 – May 22, 1997) was an American actor who had roles in dozens of films and television series. Biography Curtis was born in Spokane, Washington, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl W. Rudol ...

as George *

Walter Reed Walter Reed (September 13, 1851 – November 22, 1902) was a U.S. Army physician who in 1901 led the team that confirmed the theory of Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito species rather than b ...

as Jimmy * Jane Jones as Mamie

Production

The film's working titles were ''Counterpoint'' and ''Memory of Love''. RKO borrowed Dana Andrews from Samuel Goldwyn's company for the project. Andrews wore special contact lenses that made his eyes appear damaged and limited his eyesight. Scenes were shot in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, Trancas Beach and Lake Arrowhead, California and in various locations in New York City. Because of logistical problems at Carnegie Hall, the entire concert was filmed on a soundstage. Andrews reprised his role in a May 29, 1950

Lux Radio Theatre ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...

broadcast costarring

Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

panned the film's "incredibly mawkish plot" and added: "Our old friend, the young musician who has a great concerto chasing through his mind but can't get it down on paper because—well, something's eating on him, is back again ... and, so far as this reviewer sees things, neither he nor his concerto are improved. As a matter of fact, for our money, they are both worn uncomfortably thin in comparison to previous incarnations, and neither is long for this world. ... e music, the prize concerto—well, that is really the thing which puts ''Night Song'' in the spotlight as baldfaced and absolute sham. For this scrappy and meaningless jangle by Leith Stevens is good for nothing more than an excuse for filming the fiddles, the drums and the batteries of horns." The film recorded a loss of $1,040,000.Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951', ''Historical Journal of Film Radio and Television'', Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p46Richard B. Jewell, ''Slow Fade to Black: The Decline of RKO Radio Pictures'', Uni of California, 2016

References

External links

* * * * {{John Cromwell 1948 films 1948 romantic drama films American black-and-white films American romantic drama films Films about blind people Films about classical music and musicians Films about composers Films directed by John Cromwell Films scored by Leith Stevens Films set in New York City Films set in San Francisco 1940s English-language films 1940s American films