Maid's Night Out

Last updated
Maid's Night Out
Maid's Night Out.jpg
Directed by Ben Holmes
Charles Kerr (assistant)
Written by Bert Granet (adaptation)
Based onCertified
radio play
by Willoughby Speyers
Produced byRobert Sisk
Starring Joan Fontaine
Allan Lane
Cinematography Frank Redman
Production
company
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • March 4, 1938 (1938-03-04)
Running time
64 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Maid's Night Out is a 1938 American romantic comedy film made by RKO Radio Pictures and starring Joan Fontaine and Allan Lane. It was directed by Ben Holmes from a screenplay by Bert Granet, adapted by from the radio play Certified (also produced by RKO) by Willoughby Speyers.

Contents

Plot

Playboy Bill Norman wants to go on a six-month expedition to study tropical fish, but his wealthy businessman father wants him to buckle down and go to work. When Mr. Norman catches Bill trying to "borrow" his yacht, they make a wager. If Bill works for 30 days at the family dairy business without making a single mistake, Mr. Norman will finance his expedition. Norman assumes he will be an executive, but his father makes him deliver milk instead.

On his route, he meets Sheila Harrison, whom he thinks is a maid, but is in fact a socialite. She and her mother are in such deep financial trouble, they cannot pay their bills or their loyal maid Mary. Mrs. Harrison pins her hopes on Sheila marrying wealthy Wally Martin, but Sheila does not like him.

At first, Sheila does not much care for Bill either, but he eventually wins her affections. However, when Sheila is pressured by her mother to break her date with Bill to attend a charity ball with Wally, she encounters Bill there with his beautiful cousin Adele. Wally insists Sheila is his fiancée, and she does not believe Bill's claim that Adele is merely his cousin, so the couple break up.

After Bill is tossed out for punching Wally, Adele overhears Sheila deny she is engaged, and tells Bill. Tim Hogan, a fellow milk deliveryman and friend, drives Bill to Sheila's home to try to speak to her, but the police are called and Bill is arrested.

Hogan manages to convince Sheila that Bill loves her; it also helps when he reveals who Bill actually is. Mary spots them leaving in Hogan's milk truck and assumes Sheila is being kidnapped. The police are alerted. Meanwhile, Sheila puts on a uniform and sets out to deliver the milk on the last day of the bet. Bill gets himself bailed out and catches up with Sheila. Chased by the police, they complete Bill's rounds and return to the dairy with seconds to spare to win the bet. Mr. Norman and Mrs. Harrison recognize each other, and once they figure out what is going on, approve of Bill and Sheila's relationship.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<i>Suspicion</i> (1941 film) 1941 American film by Alfred Hitchcock

Suspicion is a 1941 romantic psychological thriller film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine as a married couple. It also features Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Nigel Bruce, Dame May Whitty, Isabel Jeans, Heather Angel, and Leo G. Carroll. Suspicion is based on Francis Iles's novel Before the Fact (1932).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Fontaine</span> British actress (1917–2013)

Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared in more than 45 films in a career that spanned five decades. She was the younger sister of actress Olivia de Havilland. Their rivalry was well-documented in the media at the height of Fontaine's career.

<i>The Devil and Miss Jones</i> 1941 film by Sam Wood

The Devil and Miss Jones is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Sam Wood and starring Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings, and Charles Coburn. Its plot follows a department store tycoon who goes undercover in one of his Manhattan shops to ferret union organizers, but instead becomes involved in the employees' personal lives.

<i>Mr. & Mrs. Smith</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Alfred Hitchcock

Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a 1941 American screwball comedy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Norman Krasna, and starring Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery. It also features Gene Raymond, Jack Carson, Philip Merivale, and Lucile Watson.

<i>See No Evil, Hear No Evil</i> 1989 film by Arthur Hiller

See No Evil, Hear No Evil is a 1989 American thriller comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller. The film stars Richard Pryor as a blind man and Gene Wilder as a deaf man who work together to thwart a trio of murderous thieves. This is the third film featuring Wilder and Pryor, who had appeared previously in the 1976 film Silver Streak and the 1980 film Stir Crazy. The film was released in the United States on May 12, 1989.

<i>Nocturne</i> (1946 film) 1946 black-and-white film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin

Nocturne is a 1946 American film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring George Raft, Lynn Bari and Virginia Huston. The film was produced by longtime Alfred Hitchcock associate Joan Harrison, scripted by Jonathan Latimer, and released by RKO Pictures. It was one of several medium budget thrillers Raft made in the late 1940s.

<i>Jane Eyre</i> (1943 film) Film by Robert Stevenson

Jane Eyre is a 1943 American film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel of the same name, released by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by the uncredited Kenneth Macgowan and Orson Welles; Welles also stars in the film as Edward Rochester, with Joan Fontaine playing the title character.

<i>Possessed</i> (1931 film) 1931 American film by Clarence Brown

Possessed is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Clarence Brown, starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is the story of Marian Martin, a factory worker who rises to the top as the mistress of a wealthy attorney. The screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee was adapted from the 1920 Broadway play The Mirage by Edgar Selwyn. Possessed was the third of eight film collaborations between Crawford and Gable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheila Bromley</span> American actress (1911–2003)

Sheila Bromley, also billed early in her career as Sheila LeGay, Sheila Manners, Sheila Mannors or Sheila Manors, was an American television and film actress. She is best known for her roles in B-movies, mostly Westerns of the era.

<i>The Bigamist</i> (1953 film) 1953 film noir directed by Ida Lupino

The Bigamist is a 1953 American drama film noir directed by Ida Lupino starring Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, Edmund Gwenn and Edmond O'Brien. Producer/Screenwriter Collier Young was married to Fontaine at the time and had previously been married to Lupino. The Bigamist has been cited as the first American feature film made in the sound era in which the female star of a film directed herself.

<i>The Women</i> (1939 film) 1939 film by George Cukor

The Women is a 1939 American comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor. The film is based on Clare Boothe Luce's 1936 play of the same name, and was adapted for the screen by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin, who had to make the film acceptable for the Production Code for it to be released.

<i>The Affairs of Susan</i> 1945 film by William A. Seiter

The Affairs of Susan is a 1945 American romantic comedy drama film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Joan Fontaine, Walter Abel, George Brent, Dennis O'Keefe and Don DeFore. It is also known as Chameleon.

<i>Kind Lady</i> (1951 film) 1951 film by John Sturges

Kind Lady is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by John Sturges. It stars Ethel Barrymore, Maurice Evans, Keenan Wynn and Angela Lansbury.

<i>Blond Cheat</i> 1938 film by Joseph Santley

Blond Cheat is a 1938 American romantic comedy film directed by Joseph Santley and starring Joan Fontaine, Derrick De Marney, and Cecil Kellaway. The film was produced by William Sistrom, and originally released by RKO Radio Pictures. The original story is by Aladar Lazlo. The screenplay is by Harry Segall, Charles Kaufman, Paul Yawitz, and Viola Brothers Shore. The tagline for the movie was: "A happy blend of blackmail, robbery, treachery, and love!"

<i>From This Day Forward</i> 1946 film by John Berry

From This Day Forward is a 1946 American drama film directed by John Berry and starring Joan Fontaine, Mark Stevens and Rosemary DeCamp. It was produced and distributed by RKO Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrna Dell</span> American actress (1924–2011)

Myrna Dell was an American actress, model, and writer who appeared in numerous motion pictures and television programs over four decades. A Hollywood glamour girl in the early part of her career, she is best known today for her work in B-pictures, particularly film noir thrillers and Westerns.

<i>The Man Who Found Himself</i> 1937 film by Lew Landers

The Man Who Found Himself, also known as Wings of Mercy, is a 1937 American aviation film based on the unpublished story "Wings of Mercy" by Alice B. Curtis. The film marked the first starring role for 19-year-old Joan Fontaine, who was billed as the "new RKO screen personality", highlighted following the end of the film by a special "on screen" introduction. Unlike many of the period films that appeared to glorify aviation, it is a complex film, examining the motivations of both doctors and pilots.

<i>Another Face</i> 1935 film by Christy Cabanne

Another Face is a 1935 film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Wallace Ford, Brian Donlevy and Phyllis Brooks. A wanted gangster has plastic surgery and becomes an actor.

<i>The Falcon Out West</i> 1944 film by William Clemens

The Falcon Out West is a 1944 American mystery film directed by William Clemens and starring Tom Conway, Joan Barclay and Barbara Hale. The film was part of RKO's The Falcon series of detective films, this time, a murder set in Texas.

<i>Smartest Girl in Town</i> 1936 film by Joseph Santley

Smartest Girl in Town is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Joseph Santley, written by Viola Brothers Shore, and starring Gene Raymond, Ann Sothern, Helen Broderick, Eric Blore, Erik Rhodes and Harry Jans. It was released on November 27, 1936, by RKO Pictures.

References