Before he is taken away in handcuffs, a father says farewell to his newborn baby girl. The unfortunate man is sentenced to 20 years in the penitentiary, by a judge who also has a newborn baby girl. The convict's baby grows up in poverty; the judge's daughter grows up wealthy. Eighteen years later, pretty débutante Norma Shearer (as Florence Banning) graduates from an exclusive finishing school. In a dual role, attractive delinquent Norma Shearer (as Molly Helmer) graduates from a girls' reform school. The central role Ms. Shearer plays in "Lady of the Night" is the latter one - "Molly" the lower class young woman...
"Molly" dates underworld pipsqueak George K. Arthur (as "Chunky" Dunn). She wears a feathered hat that looks like it would strike you blind if Shearer turned her head suddenly. She receives some unwanted attention from a sleazy man. A very handsome young inventor, Malcolm McGregor (as David "Dave" Page), intervenes and saves Shearer. She is smitten. He is interested as well, but Mr. McGregor later meets Shearer's "Florence" - and they begin to date. This makes "Molly" sad. She will have to either fight for Mr. McGregor or let him find happiness with "Florence" the more socially suitable mate...
In 2006, "Lady of the Night" was been beautifully restored for broadcast on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). This version runs 61 minutes, which suggests at least one reel's worth of running time is missing. Still, the film plays beautifully. It's possible that something implying prostitution was cut as the title "Lady of the Night" suggests this - but there is no explicit evidence in the feature. Jon Mirsalis' new musical score is marvelous, accompanying the visuals without being obvious. Shearer and director Monta Bell work wonderfully together. One of the most poetic scenes is Mr. Arthur's attempt to touch a ray of light, arriving via a hole in Shearer's window shade...
Watch for a very brief glimpse of Joan Crawford's profile in the scene where Shearer hugs Shearer. Soon to join Shearer as an MGM super-star, Ms. Crawford served as body double, due to the star playing two roles. There aren't a lot of scenes involving Shearer and Crawford. Due to the feature film's short running time, it's possible some missing footage involved the two actresses. It's also possible some unknown connection between "Molly" and "Florence" was intended; in the present version, there is no connection made and their resemblance is not noted. Nice to see Kellogg's frosted corn flakes, too. If you aren't sure about "silent" feature films, this is an appealing taste.
******** Lady of the Night (2/23/25) Monta Bell ~ Norma Shearer, Malcolm McGregor, George K. Arthur, Joan Crawford
"Molly" dates underworld pipsqueak George K. Arthur (as "Chunky" Dunn). She wears a feathered hat that looks like it would strike you blind if Shearer turned her head suddenly. She receives some unwanted attention from a sleazy man. A very handsome young inventor, Malcolm McGregor (as David "Dave" Page), intervenes and saves Shearer. She is smitten. He is interested as well, but Mr. McGregor later meets Shearer's "Florence" - and they begin to date. This makes "Molly" sad. She will have to either fight for Mr. McGregor or let him find happiness with "Florence" the more socially suitable mate...
In 2006, "Lady of the Night" was been beautifully restored for broadcast on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). This version runs 61 minutes, which suggests at least one reel's worth of running time is missing. Still, the film plays beautifully. It's possible that something implying prostitution was cut as the title "Lady of the Night" suggests this - but there is no explicit evidence in the feature. Jon Mirsalis' new musical score is marvelous, accompanying the visuals without being obvious. Shearer and director Monta Bell work wonderfully together. One of the most poetic scenes is Mr. Arthur's attempt to touch a ray of light, arriving via a hole in Shearer's window shade...
Watch for a very brief glimpse of Joan Crawford's profile in the scene where Shearer hugs Shearer. Soon to join Shearer as an MGM super-star, Ms. Crawford served as body double, due to the star playing two roles. There aren't a lot of scenes involving Shearer and Crawford. Due to the feature film's short running time, it's possible some missing footage involved the two actresses. It's also possible some unknown connection between "Molly" and "Florence" was intended; in the present version, there is no connection made and their resemblance is not noted. Nice to see Kellogg's frosted corn flakes, too. If you aren't sure about "silent" feature films, this is an appealing taste.
******** Lady of the Night (2/23/25) Monta Bell ~ Norma Shearer, Malcolm McGregor, George K. Arthur, Joan Crawford