"A Night to Remember" isn't in the class of the Thin Man comedy mysteries, but it's a fun film that stars Loretta Young and Brian Aherne. If anything, Aherne's character, Jeff Troy, is more comedic, even to the point of being silly at times. Young plays his wife, Nancy. The film has a fine supporting cast that includes Gale Sondergaard, the mistress of shadowy mystery in so many films. And, one very good character must have been added just for the humor. Sidney Toler is inspector Hankins. He seems to be made up to look like the Chinese detective, Charlie Chan, whom he played and helped make famous through many movies in the late 1930s through the mid-1940s. We watched those on TV at night in the 1950s. Aherne exhibits some characteristics not associated with manliness. He seems to be jumpy at times and frightens easily, but then he quickly regains his composure. And, he may hold the record of one man fainting on film. He does it twice. The first time is understandable, especially for the comedic effect in a wonderful scene. But the last time there could be no plausible reason for him to faint except for the film to close on a very funny note – with looks of disgust on the faces of the several police officers present. This film is a strange blend of comedy, crime and murder mystery, with the comedy the largest part. It's quite far out, but all the weird and unusual situations add up to a very entertaining movie. There is a serious crime, further compounded by a more serious murder. Some of the characters are mysterious and the setting is right out of a comic book. Yet, scenes that otherwise might have one sitting on edge with suspense or fright aren't at all frightening here. They are more curious because of the comedy and the musical score that feeds the comedy more than the suspense or any threat of lurking danger. At the start of the film, it's nighttime when Jeff and Nancy pull up in a cab at 13 Baker Street to move into their newly rented apartment. It's the basement apartment and it reminded me of the apartment in the movie, "My Sister Eileen." It has three entrances and the locks on two of them don't work. The lights haven't been turned on yet. And, there's a constant intruder – a long-time resident of the place, a large turtle named Old Hickory. He is the cause of the occasional shriek let out by the housekeeper, Mrs. Salter (played by Blanche Yurka). The story takes off from there with hilarious twists and turns. This is mostly a fun film to watch for some of the antics along with the dialog. Here are some comic lines from the film. They should give one an idea of what to expect, or miss – if one doesn't watch "A Night to Remember."Eddie Turner, building owner (played by Don Costello), "Mr. Troy, your wife tells me you're a novelist." Jeff, "That's odd. She never told me." Nancy, "Oh, darling. I don't tell you everything."Hatcheck girl in Polly's Stable, "Your check, sir." Nancy, "Never mind. He always gets the wrong hat anyway."Nancy, "Jeff, don't be a fool." Jeff, "Don't be silly. I've always been a fool."Nancy, "Aren't you scared?" Jeff, "I was scared 15 minutes ago. I'm petrified now."Detective Pat Murphy (played by James Burke), "Inspector, why don't you let me take this guy down to headquarters where we can have a nice quiet talk?" Jeff, "Take me down to headquarters, eh? Oh! Threatening me with third degree, eh? Well, let me tell you something – the police are not allowed to use a rubber hose on anyone these days." Murphy, to Inspector Hankins, "Can't we?" Inspector, "No rubber."Jeff, "You wait here." Nancy, "Oh, no. If you're going to be murdered, I'm going to be murdered too." Jeff, "Stop talking about murder."Post Office client, "I know where I live. Just give me three one-cent stamps, please."We hear a scream in the hall. Nancy, "Well, Jeff, aren't you going to go see what that was? Jeff, "I don't have to find out. I know what it was. Somebody screamed." We hear another scream. Jeff, "See, what did I tell you?"Nancy, "For years I thought I was married to a moody genius. Now I discover you're just a plain fool."Jeff, "Well you don't want a husband that's a coward, do you?" Nancy, "I'm not particular. I just want a husband."

LORETTA YOUNG and BRIAN AHERNE are cast as a seemingly hapless married couple who are caught up in a murder mystery that neither one is capable of dealing with. He's a mystery writer and it isn't until the story is more than half over that he begins to pick up on any sort of clues that will help solve the case.Just as baffled by the mysterious doings in a Greenwich Village apartment are policemen SIDNEY TOLER and DONALD MacBRIDE. Their bumbling efforts are mostly designed to provoke some mild laughs--which is not surprising since the story is really a light comedy with the murder aspects kept pretty much in the background so that Young and Aherne can give their comic flair a workout. The mystery angle is only sketchy and makes no real sense. There's a low-budget look to the proceedings.It's easy to take as long as you accept this in the context of a film made in the early '40s with some of the usual clichés that appear in any such comedy/mystery from that era. Some of the comedy is forced (the doors that never open properly for Aherne, candlesticks that move on their own thanks to a turtle who keeps popping up unexpectedly and even steals the bed covers off a terrified Young). All in all, it's a breezy enough effort with come amusing supporting roles and an especially good turn from LEE PATRICK and GALE SONDERGAARD.Summing up: A Columbia trifle that passes the time pleasantly and affords Loretta Young and Brian Aherne a chance to romp among wacky comedy situations.

Pithy, breezy knock-off of "The Thin Man", here with mystery writer Brian Aherne solving the murder of man near his Greenwich Village rental with help from fluttery, eternally-game spouse Loretta Young. The pieces of this comically convoluted set-up are almost impossible to put together on one's own, and the Columbia back-lot provides a samey visual look throughout the picture which feels cheap. Aherne, with his upper-class diction and chipper chit-chat, works hard at his double-takes and pratfalls; Young works even harder at playing the feminine sidekick. Neither star is embarrassing, and in fact are superior to the material. Gale Sondegaard stands out in an otherwise weak supporting cast. A product of its time, and probably dated already in '43. ** from ****

I watch all sorts of movies. Some I watch because they transform, they are touchstones for building and affecting imagination. They help build a life, our primary enterprise.Other movies are watched because they contribute to the context: they establish the language used elsewhere. They aren't particularly transformative in themselves, but they provide a lucid understanding of the vocabulary we need for the greater work. The greater joy.Many of these "background" films for me are from the 30s. Its between the time that talkies were invented and the war changed everything, cemented by "Citizen Kane." It was a period where film didn't know what it was, where film narrative was a matter of experimentation, where amazing and strange things were attempted. I believe that you cannot be a lucid human unless you understand how you think, and that means you have to understand narrative dynamics, which means film (mostly), which means you need to wade through the 30s, with at least one focus on detective stories.If you get that far, you need to look at the afterglow as well, those films from the 40s that referenced the older experiments. While the US was at war, this is particularly strong.Here we have an afterglow film that is pretty bad watching. Its only interesting if you plug it into this lucidity project where it has a place.Like the older films, the narrative device is a writer of mystery stories puts himself and wife into a situation where he can write another. He, the writer becomes folded into the detective. A second device has to do with place: all the characters are inexplicably forced to live in the same apartment building. There's an "explanation" for this but there's no logic behind it. Its there, because the form demands it. What clues there are in the mystery come from sussing out other locations. Other reverberations: the cop here is the guy who pretends to be Chinese in the Chan series. Many of his moments are Chan moments. There's a banter borrowed from the Thin Man series. And because at this late date (three years after the death of the form it references) we can't possibly take this seriously, it is transformed into a comedy.Bad watching. Interesting for giving us fences for the paddock we play in.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.