User Reviews

While looking through the TCM listing, found this rarity. Might have given it a miss, but was drawn to it by the title. The first review I read put me off, but with a cast like this (and again that title) took a chance....very pleased I did.

My introduction to the screenplay writing skills of Karl Tunberg came after seeing "Ben Hur". When I found that 'Night Into Morning' was his original story, just had to see it. It's hard to know if his credited co-writer Leonard Spigelglass ("All Through the Night" '41 ~ "Mystery Street '50) collaborated on the original story or perhaps adapted chapters after the event. There are some sections that could be seen as perhaps, changing tone - but this would also be expected from a story of this nature - people dealing with grief go through several phases.

Films with this theme are rare and often can be depressing, but not this handling. All characters are credible and the script and direction are in harmony. Tunberg's dialogue is non stop and full of character. It's not a film I would have expected from MGM and as you might expect, in the declining decade of this studio, it's a modest production ~ but wonderfully realized by a sterling crew.

Ray Miland (as the English Professor) is as always the consummate professional. Roles dealing with a full range of strong emotions are always difficult. Nancy Davis (Reagan) matches him with a sincere performance, after all, her character is still dealing with her own earlier loss.

John Hodiak (what a pity we lost this fine actor so early!) plays the 'thick headed' Swede who has difficulty in reading both his professor friend's reactions, as well as his intended wife's 'awareness' of the professor's erratic behavior. The delightful Jean Hagen puts in a marvellous turn as the lonely girl across the hall and a very young Dawn Addams adds charm as the girlfriend of one of the professor's students. The themes of a Shakespearian quote, being studied in the professor's class, are used to perfection. Celia Lovsky (Mrs Peter Lorre) has a small part as a neighbor (it was her portrait that was used so well in 1955s "The Big Heat"). My wife also picked an uncredited Percy Helton as a drunk in a prison cell --whose only line is crucial to the story--

Producer: Edwin H. Knopf, himself an Actor, Writer and Director has several distinguished films to his credit..."The Seventh Cross" '44 ~ "Crossroads" '42 ~ Cry Havoc '43. Here, he's picked an un-commercial but vital project and his Director: Fletcher Markle (also an actor and writer) handles the film's theme with care and feeling. Great Director of Photography: George Folsey seems to have been around forever and has such a wide range of top films to his credit...The Bandwaggon" 53 ~ Executive Suite '54 ~ 7 Brides for 7 Brothers '54, etc.

Some could be unimpressed by the professor's closing remarks "Go with God", but this is apt for the films themes and gives a measure of hope where today's filmmakers leave their audiences in total despair. Hope-less.

The TCM copy broadcast in Australia did not look like a re-mastered print, still it's better than some I've seen. Recommended for thoughtful viewing - unfortunately it seems to be unavailable on DVD.

Nancy Davis (later Reagan) gives a surprisingly good, sympathetic performance playing platonic friend to well-respected but troubled teacher Ray Milland. Life's woes have caused Ray to hit the bottle hard, but his loved ones quickly rally and offer their support. Heartfelt drama, written by Karl Tunberg and Leonard Spigelgass, is set partially (and quite amiably) at the professor's work-place, an idyllic college campus. Perhaps unintentionally, the filmmakers show that an innocent locale such as this doesn't always guarantee happiness or security, and Milland's personal tragedy leads him to depression and booze. The finale is a bit melodramatic, but the characters are vividly drawn. Not up to "The Lost Weekend" standards, but workmanlike, efficient and quite good. **1/2 from ****

Perhaps it's the Berkeley locale that appeals to me, but I was riveted by this intelligently written and well acted look at alcoholism. Sure it's treading on similar ground to The Lost Weekend, but this is a much more intimate picture. Milland is outstanding as always, and even Nancy Kelly (Reagan) does well.

Although Night Into Morning gets a bit overwrought at times in most of it Ray Milland hits the right note as the college English professor just overwhelmed with the tragic accidental deaths of his wife Rosemary DeCamp and his young son in a furnace explosion in their house. The pain gets so bad that Professor Milland has many a lost weekend because of it.

Helping him through the crisis are fellow faculty member John Hodiak and department secretary Nancy Davis try to keep Milland grounded. Davis is a war widow and she held on to the memory of a husband killed in the Pacific for quite a bit, she's come to terms and hopes Milland does the same. Hodiak and Davis are an item, but Hodiak is afraid that Davis just might be going a bit overboard in her concern, that she's falling for Milland and putting their relationship in danger.

Lewis Stone has a small role as chair of the English department. I was surprised he was not used more, possibly a Judge Hardy moment with all three of the leads. Jean Hagen has a small memorable role as a cheery woman in the next apartment who has a most interesting scene with Milland. Can't say more, you have to see it.

Those stages of grief we go through, Milland just can't let himself go. But when he does you know it will work out.

Leads and supporting cast bring home a winner in Night Into Morning, a textbook study in grief.

Ray Milland reprises his drunken "Lost Weekend" routine in this typical drama about a professor who mourns the accidental death of his wife and 10-year-old boy, and then instead of adequately grieving over the loss, takes to drowning his sorrows in the bottle and becomes an alcoholic. His two best friends who care about him constantly try to set him on the straight and narrow path. I found this to be pretty standard with predictable results, with a stagnant plot that really doesn't go anywhere. What set this above average and worth one look is the good performance from Milland as well as a young Nancy Davis (Reagan) as one of the thoughtful friends who's devoted to him and can relate, having lost a spouse herself. **1/2 out of ****

Ray Milland stars with John Hodiak and Nancy Davis in "Night Into Morning," from 1951.

Milland, six years past his "Lost Weekend" performance hits the drink route again in this story of a professor who loses his wife and child in a fire. He starts drinking, and becomes bitter and angry as his two friends (Hodiak and Davis) attempt to hold him together.

This was a predictable movie, but there is an impressive performance by Milland, and a chance to see Nancy Davis, our former first lady, and she does a good job as a woman who knows about loss. John Hodiak is the less understanding and somewhat jealous friend. I liked his role because he acted like a typical male - when his wife or girlfriend's attention is off of him, he becomes upset. I remember when my friend's grandmother was dying, and his uncle by marriage asked his wife how long it was going to last.

What I really loved were the last fifteen minutes or so, which really elevated this film, particularly Milland's speech to his students.

Lovely, and I admit to shedding a tear or two.

Material which all-too-readily lends itself to melodramatic and/or hackneyed treatment is handled in a deliberate and truly intelligent manner in this surprising sleeper of a film.

The acting of the leads is beyond reproach but to my mind it is the script which wins you over. There are a couple of typical Hollywood clichés (young, wide-eyed midwesterners and earnest, virtuous eastern-European immigrants) but for the most part, the writing is unaffected, original and convincing.

Several subplots weave neatly into the story and are just as convincing themselves. I had never heard of this film before (as opposed to the legendary "Lost Weekend") but I won't forget it soon. Highly recommended

When taken in context for the decade/century it was released, this film tries hard to deal with the concept of the grief process. In an outmoded and obsolete attempt to quantify the main character's depression, he's described as potentially psychotic. On the flip side, some of his behavior is spot on with what we now call PTSD.

The acting and direction vacillates between lackluster and spot on. Jean Hagen, in a small role, knocks it out of the park as usual. Milland's performance when he has to cry feels a bit forced; otherwise, he does a good job. Miss Nancy's character ties everything together, borderline what authors describe as the Fairy Godmother character.

A bit above average, but not necessarily something to seek out watching unless you're a big fan of one or more members of the cast or crew.

I can't imagine the studio believed this dour exercise about a man's unrelieved grief over the loss of his family would make money. Judging from the post-war release date, this was likely part of MGM's effort to refashion a more daring image from its pre-war Andy Hardy wholesomeness.

A key problem, as I see it, is that the haughty Prof. Ainley (Milland) is not much different emotionally before the tragedy than after. Thus it's rather hard to work up much sympathy for his loss, since his grief can only be guessed at. Now this absence can be rationalized as refusing to take an easier way out. Making him cold and unsympathetic both before and after means having to find sympathy for even a hard case. Still, it does detract from identifying with him for the great bulk of the movie. It also makes the awkward Hollywood ending that much more implausible.

In the central role, Milland does a good job at showing little emotion and making himself haughty. I assume we're supposed to identify instead with the likable Prof. Lawry (Hodiak) who remains a generous friend throughout, even if he does suspect Ainsley's designs on his girl. But pity poor Jean Hagen's affection-starved "Girl next door" who's awkwardly dropped in one moment only to be spurned the next. Good thing that fine little actress, the non- glamorous, Nancy Davis Reagan is on hand to lend genuine realism.

Except for the predictable Hollywood ending, the movie may be an earnest effort at dealing with a common human problem. But, in my view, it's simply too flawed to really register. Maybe that's why it's become so obscure.

Six years after Ray Milland's triumph in Billy Wilder's brilliant "The Lost Weekend," another drinking role came along. This time, we have a strong excuse: a happy, suburban associate professor's wife and young son are implausibly blown up by an "old furnace" in their home. In a screenplay with a number of improbabilities and coincidences, if the audience accepts the big one early and the characters are sympathetic enough, the later ones can pass without notice. Despite the ministrations of close friends, John Hodiak and Nancy Davis ( Reagan), the sexual aggressiveness of Jean Hagen and imprecations of pretty coed, Dawn Addams, Milland sinks into a deep funk. On the way down, wisdom is offered by no less than Lewis Stone and Richard Hale. At bottom, suicide is entertained with sober words from Percy Helton. A strong cast includes the producer's son, Christopher Knopf, in his only acting appearance, soon to become one of Hollywood's top TV and screen writers. This affecting story unfolds in a crisp 86 minutes.

Phillip Ainley (Ray Milland) is a happily married University professor with a young son. His house burns down killing his family. He turns to alcohol and bitterness. Fellow co-workers Tom Lawry (John Hodiak) and Katherine Mead (Nancy Reagan) try to help him.

I didn't know Nancy Reagan was an actress back in the day until I started watching TCM. It makes sense. I wouldn't say she's great or anything. She's solid in that 50's way. While I like the subject matter, the movie itself isn't great drama. It's a lot of talk with limited pace. It's a bit stale. It may be the directing, the acting, or the general vibe. There isn't a Brando in the bunch. I imagine some new acting style could really feast on this material.

Wow, what a surprise this movie was for me!! I did it mainly to see another example of Nancy Davis's acting ability. Until now, I had only seen her in fairly limited roles in The Next Voice You Hear... (1950) and It's A Big Country(1951). I was not only impressed with her totally natural acting but was pleasantly surprised by this movie itself. I had never heard of it before. Perhaps I have seen The Lost Weekend (1945) too many times; but with Night Into Morning, I felt Milland gave a better performance as a depressed alcoholic than he did in his Oscar- winning performance in The Lost Weekend.

The movie presents the story about a Berkley University English professor (Ray Milland) whose life is turned upside down when he looses his entire family because his basement furnace blows up. Suddenly, without his wife (Rosemary DeCamp) and son, he is left with a totally empty life. He copes with his emptiness by immersing himself in his work and in the bottle. Although his fellow workers and friends try to help him get his life back on track, only his fellow professor's fiancée (Nancy Davis) understands his pain, since she had been a WW II widow before remarrying the professor (John Hodiak). Her hyper-understanding of Ray Milland's character threatens her new marriage, which gives the movie yet another dimension.

Other good performances in the movie are turned in by Lewis Stone, as the English Department Head, and Jean Hagen as his neighbor. Lewis Stone was a staple in the Silents early 'Talkies,' but seemed to get even better with age. Jean Hagen is the familiar character actress with the funny voice from Singin' in the Rain (1952), Adam's Rib (1949), and The Asphalt Jungle (1950).

I watched this because I like Ray Milland's work and I was intrigued by the story line. Having read most of the praiseworthy reviews here I must say that for me the film didn't attain the heights it seems to aspire to. I confess that I watched to the end, just to see how things turned out. But somehow the movie never seems to come to life, despite the meaty issues of loss and grief it deals with. Milland gave more of himself in a similar role in "Lost Weekend." Here he just seems to stay buttoned up for the duration of the proceedings, and the movie churns along without any emotional highs or lows.. The final breakdown is simply not a convincing catharsis. Whether these failings are due to the writing, the direction or the acting I'm not sure, but the movie just never takes off. The conclusion is typical Hollywood happy-endingism. The best thing about it for me was Nancy Davis' fine performance.

I give this movie 10 stars for Ray Milland's must-see performance!

The topic is rather dark and may not appeal to everyone, a man dealing with grief over the sudden loss of his wife and young son by turning to alcohol; but there is a light at the end, which is what I was hoping for as it made the movie better than a sad ending.

Milland's performance is worth watching for anyone who is a fan of his work, and even though the topic is heavy on the soul, it's a timeless struggle; it's also comforting to see a character overcome tragedy.

Thanks to TCM for showing great Ray Milland movies like this one!

If you've read my reviews, you'll know I once nicknamed Ray Milland "Ray Mi-bland" and it stuck. I feel a little sorry for teasing him, since I've seen more of his movies and been exposed to more of his talent. He's a two-time Rag Award nominee now, and he earned his second nomination for his excellent performance in Night Into Morning.

In this heavy drama, Ray leans on the crutch of alcohol to drown his sorrows. Yes, he did that in The Lost Weekend, but unlike his Oscar-winning performance-for which he wasn't nominated for a Rag-in this movie, he has a very good reason for doing it. He starts the movie a happy man with a wife, son, house in the suburbs, and an enjoyable job as an English professor at the local college. There's a freak accident and the furnace in his house explodes, and his wife and son are killed. Let the poor man have a drink or two, for crying out loud!

There are so many great scenes in this movie, including the scene of the accident. Ray is giving a lecture on Shakespeare, and in the background, there's an unusual noise. Shortly afterwards, police sirens interrupt his speech, and then his colleague Nancy Davis bursts into his classroom with the terrible news.

In another touching scene, Ray offers his son's bicycle to a neighbor boy. He's trying to be calm and friendly, but the interaction is too much for him to handle and he explodes, "You can use it. You're alive! Go ahead, take it!" Ray continually bottles his emotions, but when he finally releases them, he'll have you reaching for the Kleenex box over and over again. Trust me, The Lost Weekend was merely a warm-up.

The fifties were pretty alcohol-soaked. World War II had both scarred the collective psyche and ended the Great Depression. The Korea had turned the Cold War hot. Alcohol was the self-medication of choice. It was also just fun, and fun was what filled the leisure that American prosperity had brought the masses.

Yet, this was no longer the era of Nick and Nora Charles or Robert Benchley, when being drunk was cute or comic. So, when imbibing America needed a cautionary tale, Ray Milland was the right protagonist, as he proved in The Lost Weekend. Night into Morning isn't about alcoholism per se but about the response to a horrible tragedy. Lost Weekend was about alcoholism as a lifestyle. Night into Morning is about a binge that is carrying Milland over a precipice.

The casting is flawless. Milland, like Holden, has this seemingly easy way of acting. By being himself, he is the part. I like Nancy Davis better with every new viewing. What I used to regard as wooden, I now see as measured, kind of like the great Anne Revere. Here she's quite believable as a voice of reason, a voice on our behalf, responding to Milland's woes as we should.

And then there's John Hodiak. What can I say? He died so young that everything he was in becomes precious. And this may be one of his best performances, as Milland's best friend and colleague. Hodiak may have been pushed aside when the big stars returned from WWII, but for me he still chews up the scenery. The looks, the voice. It just occurred to me that had Hodiak survived he might well have settled into a Lloyd Nolan career. Dawn Adams gets good screen time as the girlfriend of the lug whom Professor Milland is going to flunk. The bit parts are not neglected. Whit Bissel has a great little turn as a headstone salesman. The cocktail waitress/student appealed to me a lot, and it turns out that Mary Lawrence playing her was 32 at the time!

Aside for the casting, the production is first-rate. There was a trend in the era for location shooting. In this case, Berkeley gets to play the college town, with a long sequence with Davis and Hodiak on campus, and a scene from the Tower. There's also a bang-up crash scene, though by necessity back at the studio.

There are a couple of problems that preclude perfection. There's a a connection with elderly neighbors that doesn't go anywhere. It was great to see Jean Hagan, but her part should have been developed more, in place of the useless footage of the elderly neighbors.

Night into Morning ends with what, to today's ears, seems a corny send-off, "Go with God". As a product of its time, it's not so corny. War hangover, the Holocaust, The Bomb, atheist Communism ginned up by McCarthyism, and the rat race. Plus ordinary misfortune that's always hitting someone, somewhere -- sooner or later you or me. Or just plain ennui. It seems that movies like Lost Weekend, Night into Morning, The Man in the Grey flannel Suit, are appealing to contemporary audiences to use faith and friendship instead of fixes. It's no coincidence that at the same time AA was getting noticed for sending this message.