Pretty Good

Perfect cast and a good story

Memorable, crazy movie

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Life truly does imitate art as this pretend story about the last years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was to find a real life counterpart in the United Kingdom a year after The Night Is Young was released. One wonders if Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson saw this film before plunging their empire into a potentially chaotic situation.Henry Stephenson playing a most regal Emperor Franz Josef tells his playboy nephew to get those wild oats sowed because he's got to settle down, marry a suitable princess and begat some Hapsburg heirs. Nephew Ramon Novarro has someone in mind he wants to marry, the Emperor wants him to marry Rosalind Russell who is of high rank enough to satisfy royalty requirements. To throw the Emperor off the scent Novarro says he's been having a fling with dancer Evelyn Laye while both are attending the ballet. Then having to make good on it, he hires Evelyn to play his mistress so he can sow his real oats elsewhere. I think you can see where all this is going. The Night Is Young is a combination of Novarro's own silent role from The Student Prince and The Merry Widow which MGM did the year before. In fact such cast members as Edward Everett Horton and Herman Bing are in this one as well.Sigmund Romberg wrote the music with Oscar Hammerstein, II supplying the lyrics and libretto. The film was a flop at the time, but one of Romberg's songs When I Grow Too Old To Dream became one of his most beloved classics.As we also know the film also is similar in some ways to the real life Hapsburg tragedy at Mayerling. I'm surprised no one ever thought of casting Novarro as Prince Rudolf, he has the proper delicacy in his screen persona to carry that part off, especially on the silent screen.The Night Is Young is typical Viennese frou-frou which was passing out of public taste at the time. Seen today it's not the best of Sigmund Romberg operettas, but not so terribly bad as people thought back in the day.

Wistful, bittersweet operetta seemingly belonging to a time considerably earlier than 1935; it has elements of "Maytime," "The Student Prince," and, yes, "Bitter Sweet" in its plotting and sentimentality. (And leading lady Evelyn Laye, who is extraordinary, had in fact starred in "Bitter Sweet" on Broadway.) But Romberg and Hammerstein, whether au courant at the time or not, chose to write sincerely and with feeling, and MGM trotted out some good screenwriters and excellent production values to realize their vision. The result is an operetta familiar in its doomed-love-among-different-classes plotting, but integrated in a then-modern way, with characters subtly switching into song on the flimsiest of excuses. It's really charming, and Novarro, in his MGM farewell, is dashing and gentlemanly. Charles Butterworth, who had played this sort of part for Hammerstein on the stage in "Sweet Adeline," is a delightful underplaying buffoon, and his vis-a-vis, Una Merkel, gets more screen time than she was generally allowed. Rosalind Russell, as the well-bred woman Novarro must marry (like I said, it's very like "The Student Prince") isn't interesting at this point in her career, but Edward Everett Horton had by now perfected his fussy-major-domo characterization and does it to a T. Well directed by the nearly unknown Dudley Murphy, and lovely to look at.

Thank heavens for TCM! I stumbled on this movie half way through and was instantly captivated. I immediately recognized Ramon Novarro but I was completely mystified as to who the fantastic lead was. Couldn't break away to google the movie until now and have learned that the beautiful and talented lead was played by Evelyn Laye. She puts Ginger and Jeannette to shame- a lovely voice and such a natural actress on screen. Apparently she left the movies after this role to return to the London stage- Hollywood's loss. Ramon is handsome as ever- probably his best role ever. The sets and music are wonderful and with the excellent cast, rise above the silly (but typical 1930's) plot. The ending was rather sad and actually not the typical poor girl gets rich boy in the end. Don't miss this gem- one of the best operettas out of pre- WWII Hollywood.

Against his wishes, an Austrian Archduke must pretend a lovely ballet girl is his mistress - but THE NIGHT IS YOUNG and anything might still happen...Ramon Novarro had his last starring role at MGM in this forgotten - but surprisingly enjoyable - musical comedy. This time the Studio's chameleon star plays a Habsburg royal and he brings his usual sense of good fun & high spirits to the role - laughing & singing & charming the ladies. To its credit, the Studio gave him a sendoff with fine production values and a worthy supporting cast.English songstress Evelyn Laye was to be Novarro's final (major film) leading lady. She is lovely & very talented & will remind some viewers of Jeanette MacDonald - except she's much easier to understand when warbling than Jeanette.Wizened Edward Everett Horton is well cast as a pompous palace bureaucrat; it's quite a hoot to watch his facial expressions throughout. Pert & sassy, Una Merkel is fun as Miss Laye's girlfriend; laconic Charles Butterworth provides some chuckles as Merkel's solemn beau. Herman Bing is very enjoyable as Novarro's majordomo; and elderly Henry Stephenson adds a touch of grace & dignity to his small role as Emperor Franz Josef.Movie mavens will recognize Elspeth Dudgeon as an old Duchess in the Royal Box at the Ballet; Christian Rub as a cafe waiter; and George Davis as a milkman - all uncredited.The musical score by Oscar Hammerstein II & Sigmund Romberg is all pleasantly lilting, with the standout being the classic ‘When I Grow Too Old To Dream.'***************************After doing very fine work in front of the Hollywood cameras for thirteen years, Ramon Novarro found himself in the unfortunate position of being the human flotsam swept up by two powerful tides.First, there was the definite change in the public's taste for male movie stars. The Latin Lover was out -the rugged He-man (personified by Gable & Cooper) was very much the vogue. Sensitive Novarro, with his still strong Mexican accent, no longer fit in. Thus, THE NIGHT IS YOUNG can easily be seen as the last gasp of the Hollywood Latin Lover, with roots stretching back to Valentino.Second, with the strengthening of the Hayes Office and the enforcement of the Production Code beginning in mid-1934, a powerful studio like MGM had to be very careful with its sexually nebulous stars. Already MGM had been involved in silencing little imbroglios Novarro had gotten into in the past. A big sex scandal now could be disastrous. Unwilling to hide behind a fake marriage (as a few other male stars were forced to do), Louis B. Mayer quietly reserved the right to not renew Novarro's contract when it expired in 1935.Ten years previous, in the title role of the hugely popular BEN-HUR, Novarro had been one of MGM's brightest stars. Now, he was a has-been.Novarro seems to have accepted the changes with typical good grace. Always wise with his finances, money was not going to be much of a problem. He did some film work at lesser studios, both in California & Mexico. He even went on the stage for awhile and lent his fine singing voice to light operetta. And eventually, as he aged, there was some television work.Basically, though, Novarro had already slipped into obscurity by the mid-1950's, as can be seen by a rather cruel comment Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) makes about him in one of the Hollywood episodes of I Love Lucy. Novarro continued with the occasional acting job into the 1960's.It would certainly be comforting if movie heroes all came to happy ends at last. Such culminations to long lives would be both poetic & tidy. Ramon Novarro, alas, would have no such Final Farewell.At the end of October in 1968, Novarro made the incredibly bad mistake of allowing two young ruffians into his home. Over the course of a very long night, he was humiliated, beaten, tortured & murdered in the most grisly, ghastly manner. (The culprits were quickly caught.) Novarro was 69 years old.And so ends the wonderful, horrible, exciting, terrifying saga of Ramon Novarro. It is too bad that for decades the most that people recalled about him, if at all, was the gruesome manner of his death. He should be remembered as a fine actor with much charm & vivacity, who acquitted himself well in both silent & talking motion pictures. If for no other reason than BEN-HUR, he will be assured his place in film history. Now that his old movies are slowly becoming more readily accessible, it may at last be possible to give Ramon Novarro the acknowledgment & respect he deserves.