On This Day...Night and Day (1946)

Back in 1946 on today's date Cary Grant's 48th full length film was released...Night and Day!

Summary:

A fictionalized biopic of composer Cole Porter (Cary Grant) from his days at Yale in the 1910s through the height of his success to the 1940s.

Cast:

Cary Grant ... Cole Porter

Alexis Smith ... Linda Lee Porter

Monty Woolley ... Monty

Ginny Simms ... Carole Hill

Jane Wyman ... Gracie Harris

Eve Arden ... Gabrielle

Victor Francen ... Anatole Giro

Alan Hale ... Leon Dowling

Dorothy Malone ... Nancy

Tom D'Andrea ... Tommy

Selena Royle ... Kate Porter

Donald Woods ... Ward Blackburn

Henry Stephenson ... Omar Cole

Paul Cavanagh ... Bart McClelland

Sig Ruman ... Wilowski

Did You Know?

When the studio asked Cole Porter who he might like to play him in the movie, Porter suggested Cary Grant as a joke. He thought Grant was about as far from himself as you could get. The studio went out and signed Grant to play the role.

First Cary Grant film in color.

In addition to rewriting all issues pertaining to the sexual orientation of Cole Porter and Monty Woolley, the film takes substantial liberties in terms of the timing of career events in the lives of its characters, some of which occurred only a year or two earlier (i.e. the release date of the film version of The Man Who Came to Dinner [1942]) and might have been fresh in audiences' memories.

The lack of musical performers on the Warner Bros. roster led to the studio putting some of its non-singing contract players, including Eve Arden, Jane Wyman and Dorothy Malone, to work in song-and-dance numbers. The only performer who doesn't sing is Alexis Smith, who, ironically, would become a Tony Award-winning musical theatre star decades later as the star of Broadway's "Follies" and "Platinum."

Cary Grant performs his own vocals in this film.

Quotes:

Cole Porter: Thanks for all the flowers.

Monty Woolley: Yes, one can only send them to a man when he's flat on his back.

Monty Woolley: Haven't you ever wanted to be alone?

Gracie Harris: Yes, but with somebody.

Lobby Cards:

Directed by Michael Curtiz.

Distributed by Warner Bros.

Running time: 132 minutes.

Artwork by Rebekah Hawley at Studio36.