''That Night!'' is a 1957 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 Newland John Newland (November 23, 1917 – January 10, 2000) was an American director, actor, television producer, and screenwriter. Early life and career Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Newland began his career in vaudeville while still in his teens. Aft ...

and written by Jack Rowles and Robert Wallace. The film stars John Beal,

Augusta Dabney Augusta Keith Dabney (October 23, 1918 – February 4, 2008) was an American actress known for her roles on many soap operas, such as the wealthy but kindly matriarch Isabelle Alden on the daytime series ''Loving (TV series), Loving''. She playe ...

Shepperd Strudwick Shepperd Strudwick (September 22, 1907 – January 15, 1983) was an American actor of film, television, and stage. He was also billed as John Shepperd for some of his films and for his acting on stage in New York. Early years Strudwick was ...

Rosemary Murphy Rosemary Murphy (January 13, 1925 – July 5, 2014) was a German-American actress of stage, film, and television. She was nominated for three Tony Awards for her stage work, as well as two Emmy Awards for television work, winning once, for her ...

and Malcolm Brodrick. The film was released on August 22, 1957 by

Universal-International Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

. The film was nominated for the

BAFTA Award for Best Film The BAFTA Award for Best Film is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. It has been given since the 1st BAFTA Awards, representing the best films of 1947, but until ...

, won that year by ''

The Bridge on the River Kwai ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the 1952 novel written by Pierre Boulle. Although the film uses the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943, the pl ...

'', as well as a

BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film. * From 1952 to ...

nomination for Dabney.

Plot

Chris Bowden works at a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

agency, writing commercials for television, and commutes to his

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

home daily on the train. One day, late for his daughter's birthday, Chris suffers a heart attack while aboard the train. An unscheduled stop is made to rush him to a hospital. Although he is in his early 40s, Chris becomes concerned that his life could be near an end, particularly after a second attack. His wife Maggie also reevaluates her life, wondering if the stress of a marriage and work has led to this development. Each vows to reconsider what's important to them after Chris is finally released to come home.

Cast

* John Beal as Commuter Christopher J. Bowden *

as Wife Maggie Bowden *

as Dr. Bernard Fischer *

as Nurse 'Chorny' Chornis *Malcolm Brodrick as Tommy Bowden *Dennis Kohler as Chrissie Bowden *

Beverly Lunsford Beverly Lunsford (January 5, 1945 - May 22, 2019) was an American actress best known as the female character, Shirley Fletcher, on the situation comedy television series, '' Leave it to Beaver'', starring Jerry Mathers. Early life Lunsford was b ...

as Betsy Bowden *Bill Darrid as Dr. Perroni *Joseph Julian as Mr. Rosalie *

Staats Cotsworth Staats Cotsworth (February 17, 1908 – April 9, 1979) was an actor in old-time radio.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 64. He is ...

as Salesman *

Peg Hillias Margaret "Peg" Hillias (June 24, 1906 – March 18, 1960) was an American actress of stage, film and television. Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Hillias first acted as a student at Northeast High School. She also acted at the Kansas City Theater a ...

as Doctor *John McGovern as Ward Neighbor *Mercer McLeod as Resident Doctor *Vera Allen as Ward Nurse *Floyd Ennis as Orderly *

Fran Bennett Fran Bennett (August 14, 1937 – September 11, 2021) was an American actress, known for her works in theater and on television. She portrayed the role of Mother Olivia Jefferson in a re-creation of the pilot episode of ''The Jeffersons'' in ' ...

as Attendant *Ray Doyle as Policeman *Jackson Beck as Man on Train *

Leora Thatcher Leora Thatcher (May 12, 1894 – March 5, 1984) was an American actress on stage, film, and television, and a teacher. Early years Thatcher was born in Logan, Utah, on May 12, 1894, the daughter of Sarah Catherine Hopkins and Moses Thatcher, Jr. ...

as Woman on Train *Humphrey Davis as Conductor *John Raby as Brakeman *Sam Grey as Film Cutter *

Karl Swenson Karl Swenson (July 23, 1908 – October 8, 1978) was an American theatre, radio, film, and television actor. Early in his career, he was credited as Peter Wayne.

as McAdam *Ann Loring as Mrs. McAdam

References

External links

* 1957 films American black-and-white films RKO Pictures films 1957 drama films American drama films Films scored by Mario Nascimbene Films directed by John Newland 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-drama-film-stub