| Night Work | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Russell Mack |
| Screenplay by | Walter DeLeon |
| Produced by | E.B. Derr |
| Cinematography | John J. Mescall |
| Edited by | Joseph Kane |
| Music by | Josiah Zuro |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 Minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Night Work is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film starring Eddie Quillan, [1] Sally Star, and Frances Upton. The film was directed by Russell Mack.
Willie Musher is an assistant window dresser for a department store who is the unlucky chump who is fired each time a disgruntled customer complains to the manager, Mr. Reisman. Willie is given ten dollars by the husband of one of the complainers as a tip for lying so well, and he leaves the store to deposit the money in his bank account.
Outside in the street there is a drive to raise funds for a local orphanage, and Willie meets a pretty nurse named Mary Robbins, and a cute orphan boy named Oscar. Willie accidentally agrees to pledge weekly support of ten dollars, which is more than he can afford. [2]
Store clerk, Aggie, goes to the window dressing department to invite Willie to a picnic on Sunday the following day, but he explains to her that he needs to go to the orphanage to withdraw his support as Sunday is visiting day at the orphanage. Aggie stays too long and Mr. Reisman joins them to do some paperwork. Reisman insists that Willie continue undressing "the dummy" (Aggie) and Willie is compelled to take her dress off.
Willie borrows a cutaway suit and top hat from one of the store's dummies and visits the orphanage with the intention to withdraw his sponsorship. While there he sees Mary, who is impressed that he is supporting an orphan, and visits with Oscar the orphan. Willie reveals to Mary that he was also an orphan and ran away at 15 to support himself and leads her to believe he is rich. Also visiting is a couple with the intention to adopt, and is shown several children, however they are not interested in Oscar since little is known about the boy except that he was brought to the facility on April 1.
Outside the orphanage there is a car with a flat tire, and as the cabdriver changes the tire he explains to the couple inside the car, Pinky and Trixie, that he drove a woman to this place several years ago on April 1 to leave a child there. After the woman goes inside the orphanage the cabdriver finds a ring on the floor of the car with the inscription "H.V. to V.H.". Pinky makes a note of the inscription in his notebook. Still inside the orphanage, Willie agrees to continue sponsoring the child somehow.
Willie gets a second job at a nightclub and struggles to stay awake, and while Willie is waiting on Harvey Vanderman's table, Trixie tells Pinky about Harvey's first wife, Violet Harris and that Harvey and Violet had eloped but Harvey's father had the marriage annulled. Pinky realizes that the ring may have been given to Violet by Harvey and decides to write a letter.
Harvey receives a letter informing him he has a child at the orphanage, his father Mr. Vanderman, decides to look into the matter. Mrs. Ten Eyck informs Willie and Mary that a millionaire is interested in adopting Oscar and Mary encourages him not to let the man walk all over him. Willie agrees to adopt Oscar if Mary will be his wife. The following Sunday Harvey and his father pay a visit to Oscar with the intention of adopting him. Willie is not able to raise the money to adopt Oscar, he reluctantly gives up any claim to him and accepts that the Vanderman's will be adopting him. Harvey recalls that Willie is a waiter at a nightclub and Mary is heartbroken over being misled and she and Willie break up.
Back at the department store Mr. Reisman asks Calloway, the head window dresser, who dressed the baby and toy windows, Calloway sarcastically informs him that Willie did. After Calloway leaves, Reisman tells his secretary and Willie is now the head window dresser. Calloway tells Willie Reisman wants to see him, but Willie thinks he's in trouble and goes into the office prepared to give him a piece of his mind and does so. Reisman promotes him instead of firing him much to Willie's surprise. Willie bargains for the same pay as Calloway and a two hundred dollar advance on his pay for the adoption as well as the afternoon off.
Willie goes to the orphanage with the two hundred dollars and stands his ground against Mr. Vanderman, and suggests Oscar may not have been the only baby dropped off on April 1. Soon it is discovered that there was another baby dropped off with a wedding ring tied to his wrist with the inscription "H.V. to V.H.", but had already been adopted by a couple from London. Before Vanderman leaves he suggest Willie and Mary get married, and they and Oscar think that's a great idea.
The Keys of the Kingdom is a 1941 novel by A. J. Cronin. Spanning six decades, it tells the story of Father Francis Chisholm, an unconventional Scottish Catholic priest who struggles to establish a mission in China. Beset by tragedy in his youth, as a missionary Chisholm endures many years of hardship, punctuated by famine, plague and war in the Chinese province to which he is assigned. Through a life guided by compassion and tolerance, Chisholm earns the respect of the Chinese—and of fellow clergy who would mistrust him—with his kindly, high-minded and courageous ways.
The Boxcar Children is a children's book series originally created and written by the American first-grade school teacher Gertrude Chandler Warner and currently published by Penguin Random House. It was previously published through Albert, Whitman and Company until 2023. Today, the series includes more than 160 titles, with more being released every year. The series is aimed at readers in grades 2–6.
The Wide Window is the third novel of the children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. In this novel, the Baudelaire orphans live with their aunt Josephine, who is seemingly scared of everything. The book was published on February 25, 2000 by HarperCollins and illustrated by Brett Helquist.
Brewster's Millions is a comedic novel written by George Barr McCutcheon in 1902, originally under the pseudonym of Richard Greaves.
"Minnie the Moocher" is a jazz-scat song first recorded in 1931 by Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, selling over a million copies. "Minnie the Moocher" is most famous for its nonsensical ad libbed ("scat") lyrics. In performances, Calloway would have the audience and the band members participate by repeating each scat phrase in a form of call and response, eventually making it too fast and complicated for the audience to replicate.
The Aggie War Hymn is the war hymn of Texas A&M University; officially, the school does not have a fight song.
Trixie Belden is the title character in a series of "detective" mysteries written between 1948 and 1986. The first six books were written by Julie Campbell Tatham, who also wrote the Ginny Gordon series; the stories were then continued by various in-house writers from Western Publishing under the pseudonym Kathryn Kenny. Today the rights to the series are owned by Random House. The series was out of print for a number of years, but Random House began releasing a new edition of the books in mid-2003. As of mid-2006, volumes 1 – 15 have been reissued.
Charles Page was a businessman and important philanthropist in the early history of Tulsa, Oklahoma. After his father died when Page was an 11-year-old boy in Wisconsin, he left school early to try to help support his mother and siblings. He had years of struggle before succeeding in business and striking oil in 1905 in Oklahoma.
December Boys is a 2007 Australian drama film directed by Rod Hardy and written by Marc Rosenberg and adapted from the 1963 novel of the same name by Michael Noonan. It was released on 14 September 2007 in the United Kingdom and the United States and 20 September 2007 in Australia. The film follows four orphan boys who compete to be adopted by a family. This was Daniel Radcliffe's first non-Harry Potter film role since his film debut in The Tailor of Panama.
Fred Claus is a 2007 American Christmas comedy film directed by David Dobkin, screenplay and a story by Dan Fogelman and Jessie Nelson, and starring Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates, Trevor Peacock, Ludacris, and Kevin Spacey. The film was first announced in October 2005 with Mike Mitchell attached to direct. The film was released in the United States on November 9, 2007, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is loosely based on the poem "A legend of Santa and his brother Fred" written by Donald Henkel. It received negative reviews from critics and grossed $97 million worldwide against the production budget of $100 million.
Dave at Night is a young adult, historical fiction novel written by award-winning author Gail Carson Levine in 1999. This book was inspired by leading figures in the arts during the Harlem Renaissance and her father, David Carson, whose childhood was spent in an orphanage.
Shrimps for a Day is a 1934 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Gus Meins. It was the 133rd Our Gang short that was released.
The Red Stallion is a 1947 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander shot in Cinecolor. It is about a young boy who trains his beloved pet horse to be a racehorse in order to save his grandmother's farm from foreclosure. It was filmed at Mount Shasta and the Shasta Starr Ranch in northern California.
Rent-a-Kid is a 1995 American comedy film. It stars Leslie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, and Matt McCoy. It was directed by Fred Gerber.
The Search for Santa Paws is a 2010 Christmas adventure fantasy film released on November 23, 2010. The title is the tenth film in the Air Bud franchise and is also a prequel to Santa Buddies, as well as a spin-off from the Air Buddies film franchise.
Mr. Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid are two duo fictional comic book superheroes connected to each other, and first introduced in Wow Comics. The superheroes were originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. The original Mister Scarlet was Brian Butler debuting in Wow Comics #1, and was created by France Herron and Jack Kirby while Pinky Butler became his sidekick, Pinky the Whiz Kid. After Brian's death, Pinky takes over the role as Mr. Scarlet in DC's continuity. Pinky Butler premiered in the fourth issue of Wow Comics.
The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict is a novel by American author Trenton Lee Stewart. It is a prequel to The Mysterious Benedict Society, taking place during the troubled childhood of Nicholas Benedict, a nine-year-old orphan and genius, and his friends, John Cole and Violet Hopefield.
An American Christmas Carol is a 1979 American made-for-television fantasy drama film directed by Eric Till and loosely based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.
Little Orphan Annie is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by John S. Robertson, and written by Wanda Tuchock and Tom McNamara. It is based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. The film stars Mitzi Green, Buster Phelps, May Robson, Matt Moore, and Edgar Kennedy. The film was released on November 4, 1932, by RKO Pictures.
Gib Rides Home is a 1998 novel for young readers by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. It is set in the early 1900s and concerns the plight of young orphan boys who were farmed out to work as unpaid labor until they turned eighteen. A sequel entitled Gib and the Gray Ghost was released in 2001 to positive reviews.