Midnight Intruder
| Midnight Intruder | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Arthur Lubin |
| Produced by | Trem Carr |
| Screenplay by |
George Waggner Lester Cole |
| Starring |
Louis Hayward Barbara Read J.C. Nugent Barbara Read |
| Cinematography | Milton Krasner |
| Edited by | Bernard W. Burton |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 66-68 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Midnight Intruder is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Arthur Lubin starring Louis Hayward, Eric Linden, J.C. Nugent and Barbara Read.
Plot
After losing all his money gambling on horses, former newspaper reporter Barry Gilbert and "Doc" Norton break into a vacant mansion belonging to the Reitters for shelter from the rain. Just as the pair are settling in, Willetts and three other servants arrive. Willetts, the butler, does not know what the long-absent, but expected John Clark Reitter Jr. looks like, so he assumes that Barry is him. Barry decides to impersonate young Reitter, the black sheep son of a wealthy New York newspaper publisher, for a while when he learns the family will be away for weeks.
A neighbor, Patricia Hammond, develops an interest in Barry, while a showgirl, Peggy, wife of the real John Reitter Jr. (under the name Jay Rogers), shows up and tells him her husband is being framed for the murder of a political bigshot. Barry agrees to try to clear him in exchange for Peggy not revealing his masquerade. Barry reluctantly accepts a job on Reitter Sr.'s paper under an assumed name, and though editor Bill Harwood warns him not to play detective (a common tendency of new reporters), he does anyway. He gets into trouble with Patricia when he learns that her father, Judge Hammond, was with the victim the day he was killed. He jumps to the conclusion that the judge is the killer, but the real murderer - nightclub owner Luis Romano - is eventually caught (in spite of Barry's efforts), and John is released. When Patricia and her father are introduced to John by his father, who has returned early, they wonder who Barry really is.
Meanwhile, Barry does his best to hide what has gone on and to present John in the best light to his family. John's mother learns the truth from John and Peggy, but is pleased to conceal the story from her husband, who is very proud of his reformed son.
Harwood lets Barry keep his job and sends him to get the scoop on a rich widow's new husband, who turns out to be Doc Norton. Patricia catches up with him and demands to know what is going on. When Barry tells her it would take a lifetime to explain, she replies, "Darling, that's just what I mean."
Cast
- Louis Hayward as Barry Gilbert
- Eric Linden as John Clark Reitter Jr.
- J. C. Nugent aa "Doc" Norton
- Barbara Read as Patricia Hammond
- Irving Bacon as Evans
- Robert Greig as Willetts
- Pierre Watkin as Peter Winslow
- Sheila Bromley as Peggy
- Paul Everton as John Clark Reitter
- Nana Bryant as Mrs. Reitter
- Joseph Crehan as Bill Harwood (as Joe Crehan)
- Selmer Jackson as Judge Hammond
- Jan Duggan as Mrs. Randolph