THE LONGEST NIGHT

US, 1936, 52 minutes. Black and white.
Robert Young, Florence Rice, Ted Healy, Julie Haydon, Leslie Fenton, Sidney Toler.
Directed by Errol Taggart.

The Longest Night is a mixture of comedy and murder mystery. Its brief running time meant that it was a programmer for an MGM support. It is one of the very many films which featured Robert Young as a leading man in the first half of the 1930s. The supporting cast is a list of veterans, featuring Sidney Toler as a policeman before he became Charlie Chan. Leslie Fenton, the spendthrift son in the film, was also a director.

The director of this film, Errol Taggart, was a Canadian who came to Hollywood, made six films and a short between 1936 and 1938, dying in 1940.

The film is amusing in its way – not untypical of many of the supporting films of the 1930s.

1. The blend of murder mystery and comedy?

2. Black and white photography, the night sequences for the warehouse? The action taking place in the store? The re-creation of the various floors and rooms of the store? The musical score?

3. The introduction to the crime gang, their plan, robberies, selling to the store? The chief buyer involved? Eve and her friendship with Carl? Their being in on the robbery? Eve and the car and the police moving her on? Carl, the gift of the watch, Joan’s concern? Discussing it with Carl’s mother? Her concern? Her death?

4. Joan as a leading lady? Her work at the store? With Mrs Briggs? Concern about Eve? The encounter with Charley Phelps? His coming on to her? Her reaction?

5. The variety of people working at the store? The girls, the blonde who eventually attracted the policeman? The prim and proper salesman? The various heads of departments?

6. The prospect of the store being sold? The managers and their not wanting it sold, their concern about Charley Phelps, admiration for his father? The buyers, the lawyer? The buyer as a kleptomaniac – and the various comments? The cure for kleptomania being to take something?

7. The murder of Mrs Briggs? The police and their arrival? The investigations, questioning? Eve and her disappearance? Joan and her concern? Teaming up with Charley?

8. The gang, disguised as policemen, taking over? The clash between the real police and the criminals?

9. Joan, freeing the women in the basement, the cleaning ladies, causing mayhem for the criminals? Solving the case?

10. The various police, personalities, their interactions? The officer and the blonde salesgirl?

11. Charley? Callow? His playing with the walking sticks? Pretending to be a customer? Helping, falling in love with Joan? His foiling the criminals? The decision not to sell the store? The proposal on the microphone?

12. An entertaining little comedy murder mystery?