The Night of January 16th

1941
Approved
1h 20m

IMDb RATING

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Ellen Drew, Robert Preston, and Alice White in The Night of January 16th (1941)

Film Noir Crime Drama Mystery Romance Thriller

The story revolves around three people; Tycoon Bjorn Faulkner, who is being called upon by his board of directors to explain a missing $20,000,000; Kit Lane, his secretary who also has a per... Read allThe story revolves around three people; Tycoon Bjorn Faulkner, who is being called upon by his board of directors to explain a missing $20,000,000; Kit Lane, his secretary who also has a personal interest; and Steve Van Ruyle, a sailor who has inherited a position on Faulkner's b... Read allThe story revolves around three people; Tycoon Bjorn Faulkner, who is being called upon by his board of directors to explain a missing $20,000,000; Kit Lane, his secretary who also has a personal interest; and Steve Van Ruyle, a sailor who has inherited a position on Faulkner's board of directors. Faulkner is (presumably) murdered, and Kit is falsely accused of the mu... Read all

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IMDb RATING

6.1/10

154

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See production info at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
An interesting element to the live play was that the jury was selected from the audience at each performance, and different endings were used according to how the jury voted at the end. (In Rand's reckoning, the heroine on trial technically wasn't guilty of the charge against her, but the evidence presented was evenly balanced and the verdict would be a reflection of the jury's own collective conscience.)

Quotes
Court House Elevator Operator: [Said to elevator repairman as Steve Van Ruyle]
[Robert Preston]
Court House Elevator Operator: and Flashy Blonde
[Alice White]
Court House Elevator Operator: exit the elevator] "Hello" on the fifth floor and "honey" on the first.
Court House Elevator Repairman: Good thing you didn't take them to the basement.

Connections
Referenced in Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life (1996)

User reviews7

Review

Featured review

6/10

Ayn Rand Cashes A Check

When $20,000,000 turns up missing and Nils Asther is tossed over his balcony to smash on the pavement, his private Ellen Drew faces murder charges. Ex-sailor Robert Preston helps her escape and track down the murder.

It's a very loose adaptation of Ayn Rand's hit Broadway play, WOMAN ON TRIAL, which takes place in the courtroom. It was a gimmick show in which a jury was chosen from the audience and they were to decide the case. Screenwriters Delmar Daves, Robert Pirosh and Eve Green used the play and expanded it very liberally, much to the disapproval of the author who,I am sure, cashed the check anyway.

The leads offer appealing performances, and William Clemens directs it for speed, with lots of interesting players int he cast, including Clarence Kolb, Cecil Kellaway, Alice White and Cliff Nazarro doing some nice doubletalk.