Paddy Chayefsky’s Middle Of The Night

My favorite film written by Paddy Chayefsky is director Delbert Mann’s Middle Of The Night from 1959 starring Fredric March, and Kim Novak.

Paddy Chayefsky has the great ability of writing about ordinary people. Who are trying to get through the basics of love, work, and just life as a whole. He also wrote the Academy award winning performance for Ernest Borgnine called 1955’s Marty.

Fredric March was in banking for before acting

What I liked most about Middle of The Night was that it was shot in Manhattan, in black in white during the winter, and their were some amazing supporting character actors and actresses like vets. Glenda Farrell, and Albert Dekker, with relative new comers Martin Balsam, and Lee Grant. Much like Marty this started as a live TV production before it leaped to the big screen.

Co stars Kim Novak, Lee Grant and Joan Copeland are still living as of this writing

It’s the story about a romance with The much older wealthy garment manufacture Jerry Kingsley in his mid 50’s played by Fredric March, and the much younger Betty, Kim Novak’s character in her early 20’s; Who also works for Kingsley at his garment manufacturing location in New York. Their of course is major opposition from both families. I like Mann’s direction who is great at bring out the grittiness of New York City, and I have always thought he was a very underrated director as well.

Delbert Mann directed Burt Lancaster in Separate Tables

Over all the legendary March of course steals the show, no one even is remotely close to out acting his performance. and probably his last great acting role. I saw this film on TMC about a year ago, after not seeing it for decades, Middle Of he Night still holds up very well.

released by Columbia Pictures 1959