Robert Wise directed This Could Be the Night, a romantic serio-comedy, based on the short stories by Cornelia Baird Gross.
Starring Jean Simmons and Paul Douglas, the film features Anthony Franciosa in his screen debut.
Anne Leeds (Simmons), a grad of Smith College, is a schoolteacher with only four weeks of experience. She takes a part-time job as a secretary to an ex-bootlegger and horse-playing gambler by the name of Rocco.
He’s a Broadway nightclub owner with a heart of gold who falls in love with Anne. However, he knows he’s too old for her, so keeps his feelings to himself.
Anne “thinks” she’s in love with his younger partner Tony Armotti (Franciosa), a playboy type who is afraid to fall in love because it might mean marriage.
Tony lives in a walkup apartment above the nightclub, where he often entertains beautiful women. The stairs to the apartment are on the alley behind the club.
The entire nightclub loves Anne, but Tony resents her because he wants to take care of her. After confronting Tony, Anne quits because Tony tells her he does not love her and never will.
The staff of the nightclub patronizes Tony over whether Anne quit or was fired. He then goes to Anne, who works in a gambling den, and helps her escape when police raid, convincing her to take back her old job.
The jazz-based soundtrack features Ray Anthony and his Orchestra, with vocals including the title song, sung by Julie Wilson. Both Wilson and Anthony had roles: Wilson played singer Ivy Corlane, while Anthony played himself.
A commercial flop, the film earned $870,000 in the US and $650,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $804,000.
Cast
Jean Simmons as Anne Leeds
Paul Douglas as Rocco
Anthony Franciosa as Tony Armotti
Julie Wilson as Ivy Corlane
Neile Adams as Patsy St. Clair
Joan Blondell as Crystal St. Clair
J. Carrol Naish as Leon
Rafael Campos as Hussein Mohammed
ZaSu Pitts as Mrs. Katie Shea
Tom Helmore as Stowe Devlin
Murvyn Vye as Waxie London
Vaughn Taylor as Ziggy Dawit
Frank Ferguson as Mr. Shea
Chuck Berry (cameo appearance)
June Blair as chorus girl
Bess Flowers as nightclub extra
