Interesting to see Bela Lugosi was perfecting the sinister villain six years before "Dracula" in Chadwick's "The Midnight Girl". He plays a lustful Patron of the Arts, Nicholas Harmon who is now getting tired of his ageing lover, opera star Nina Morgan (Dolores Cassinelli) who is also past her prime as a singer and often can't hit the top notes in performances. His step son Don (Gareth Hughes) is disgusted with Nicholas's lecherous ways and after a blazing row over Nina's insulting comments about his mother, he renounces his wealth and the hand outs he receives and tries to make a go of it on his musical talent alone. That also solves his problem with gold digger Natalie and her equally avaricious mother: once they realise he is not receiving anything from his seething step father, they drop him like a hot potato!!
To the same boarding house comes Anna (Lila Lee) a newly arrived immigrant and Don finds in her and her music master kindred souls who share a love of beautiful music. His influence gets her a job as "The Midnight Girl" at a friend's café and that brings Nicholas snooping around: he is determined that she shall be his next discovery and his next lover!! To do that he enlists the help of Natalie who then visits Anna to organise for her to sing at Natalie's secret engagement party - to Don!!
I suppose this movie has generated interest because of Bela Lugosi but his part requires no real histrionics other than looking sullen and directing his penetrating eyes on the "damsels in distress". They are definitely in no distress from Gareth Hughes: Natalie's mother, at one point, calls him a wet fish and that is exactly the way he acts. Lovely Lila Lee is the one who deserves the acting kudos: she has a big scene where she fights for her honour (she has innocently bought her old music master with her but Nicholas's butler has slipped him a mickey finn) and she plays it for all she's worth!!
There is a surprise ending: Nina, who figures prominently in the seduction scene, looks to be a goner but in the last scene is seen to be lovingly holding hands with Nicholas (whose perfect match is really Natalie) as they both gaze paternally on as Anna wows the opera audience. The Alpha print is fuzzy but for a 1925 Chadwick you can't expect much more!!
To the same boarding house comes Anna (Lila Lee) a newly arrived immigrant and Don finds in her and her music master kindred souls who share a love of beautiful music. His influence gets her a job as "The Midnight Girl" at a friend's café and that brings Nicholas snooping around: he is determined that she shall be his next discovery and his next lover!! To do that he enlists the help of Natalie who then visits Anna to organise for her to sing at Natalie's secret engagement party - to Don!!
I suppose this movie has generated interest because of Bela Lugosi but his part requires no real histrionics other than looking sullen and directing his penetrating eyes on the "damsels in distress". They are definitely in no distress from Gareth Hughes: Natalie's mother, at one point, calls him a wet fish and that is exactly the way he acts. Lovely Lila Lee is the one who deserves the acting kudos: she has a big scene where she fights for her honour (she has innocently bought her old music master with her but Nicholas's butler has slipped him a mickey finn) and she plays it for all she's worth!!
There is a surprise ending: Nina, who figures prominently in the seduction scene, looks to be a goner but in the last scene is seen to be lovingly holding hands with Nicholas (whose perfect match is really Natalie) as they both gaze paternally on as Anna wows the opera audience. The Alpha print is fuzzy but for a 1925 Chadwick you can't expect much more!!