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Night
After Night (1932)
In director Archie Mayo's saucy pre-Code comedy/drama,
noted for Mae West's supporting role performance in her first talking
film as a bawdy, wise-cracking gangster's moll - with frequent double-entendres:
- the plot: 9th Avenue speakeasy ("55")
owner and crude Prohibition tough guy Joe Anton's (George Raft)
romantic interest in once-wealthy debutante Miss Jerry Healy (Constance
Cummings) - known as "Miss Park Avenue"
- the character of bejeweled, sharp-witted Maudie Triplett
(Mae West), Joe's ex-girlfriend, who made a memorable entrance into
the speakeasy; she was famously noted for her brassy dialogue with
the coat-room clerk, when she was complimented on her diamonds: (Clerk: "Goodness,
what lovely diamonds!" Maudie: "Goodness had nothing to
do with it, dearie")
- the sequence of Maudie barging into the intimate,
proper and private dinner party at the night-club held by Joe for
Jerry, when Maudie arrived to create havoc - she upset the proceedings
and embarrassed Joe by pulling him toward herself for a kiss: "Oh
Joe, it's just life to see ya. Come here, crawl to me baby. Crawl
to me"
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Maudie Introduced by Joe to Jerry and Mabel
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Maudie to Joe: "Crawl to me, baby"
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Joe Showing Jerry His Bedroom's Framed Pictures
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- after a night of heavy drinking, the scene of Maudie's
words of advice to Joe's very proper, elderly speech coach Miss
Mabel Jellyman (Alison Skipworth) - advising her to change her
profession and make more money: "Why dearie, you're wasting
your time. Why, a gal with your poise and class, why you'd make
thousands in my business...it's one of the best payin' rackets
in the world" - and then she corrected Mabel's assumption
that she was a prostitute: "Say listen dearie, you got me
all wrong. I've got a chain of beauty parlors" - and offered
her a hostess position
- in the film's closing moments, Joe realized that even
though Jerry had kissed him, she now rebuffed him and told him that
she was planning to marry some else, and admitted she wasn't in love
with her fiancee, but was only marrying for money; he responded coldly: "You're
just another dame with a skirt on, and there's no difference between
you and Iris except the way you manicure your nails...I've got nothing
but contempt for you...You're just nothing to me, just nothing at
all"
- slightly later, a spiteful Jerry arrived at the club
to wreck Joe's bedroom; she smashed most of the framed pictures on
the walls; then, when Joe arrived, he interpreted that she really
cared for him and began to force kisses from her; she fought back
and then collapsed; as the speakeasy was being assaulted downstairs
by mobsters and gunfire was heard, Jerry rushed after Joe and begged
to apologize to him; she acknowledged her wrong-doing, and admitted
that she cared for him:
"You can't go down there. I love you. I didn't know it but I do
now...You were right. That's why I came back. Oh, I do love you"
Jerry's and Joe's Breakup
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Jerry's Confession That She Was Marrying Someone
Else for Money
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Joe's Rebuke to Jerry: "You're just nothing
to me, just nothing at all"
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Smashing Pictures in Joe's Bedroom
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'55' Speakeasy Owner Joe Anton (George Raft)
Joe's Interest in Miss Jerry Healy (Constance Cummings)
Maudie's Entrance: "Goodness had nothing to do with
it, dearie"
Maudie to Mabel: "Why dearie, you're wasting
your time...Say listen dearie, you got me all wrong. I've got a chain
of beauty parlors"
Forced Kisses
Jerry: "Oh, I do love you"
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