bkoganbing Although Night Into Morning gets a bit overwrought at times in most of it Ray Milland hits the right note as the college English professor just overwhelmed with the tragic accidental deaths of his wife Rosemary DeCamp and his young son in a furnace explosion in their house. The pain gets so bad that Professor Milland has many a lost weekend because of it.Helping him through the crisis are fellow faculty member John Hodiak and department secretary Nancy Davis try to keep Milland grounded. Davis is a war widow and she held on to the memory of a husband killed in the Pacific for quite a bit, she's come to terms and hopes Milland does the same. Hodiak and Davis are an item, but Hodiak is afraid that Davis just might be going a bit overboard in her concern, that she's falling for Milland and putting their relationship in danger.Lewis Stone has a small role as chair of the English department. I was surprised he was not used more, possibly a Judge Hardy moment with all three of the leads. Jean Hagen has a small memorable role as a cheery woman in the next apartment who has a most interesting scene with Milland. Can't say more, you have to see it.Those stages of grief we go through, Milland just can't let himself go. But when he does you know it will work out.Leads and supporting cast bring home a winner in Night Into Morning, a textbook study in grief.

vincentlynch-moonoi While not one of the truly greats -- such as Tracy or Grant -- Ray Milland had a number of film performances that were excellent, though he is not well-remembered today, and thus has become rather underrated. There's no real criticism of Milland here, although there are times that the script dialog lets him down. Nevertheless, this is a very good...though not great film.The supporting cast here is quite impressive. John Hodiak was a fine actor who didn't live long enough to fully prove his worth on the big screen; he's very good her as the supportive friend. Nancy Davis (later Reagan) is better than her usual limited screen performance here; in my view she could have had a rather good film career as a supporting actress, but didn't quite have the looks; here she plays a friend who lost a husband herself. Lewis Stone plays the head of the college department where Milland works; it's far less than a supporting actor of his caliber deserved.The story has a college professor's wife and son blown up and killed, and it then traces his descent through alcoholism and suicide. Do people act like that> I have no way of knowing, but I have an idea the answer is yes.This film seems a bit more realistic than many that might cover the same type of topic. I think what makes it better than average is that it also looks at how others around the drunk are suffering because of his behavior. The closing scene with Milland's college class is a bit corny, but aside from that, this is a pretty decent film...not a great film...but certainly worth watching at least once.

krocheav While looking through the TCM listing, found this rarity. Might have given it a miss, but was drawn to it by the title. The first review I read put me off, but with a cast like this (and again that title) took a chance....very pleased I did.My introduction to the screenplay writing skills of Karl Tunberg came after seeing "Ben Hur". When I found that 'Night Into Morning' was his original story, just had to see it. It's hard to know if his credited co-writer Leonard Spigelglass ("All Through the Night" '41 ~ "Mystery Street '50) collaborated on the original story or perhaps adapted chapters after the event. There are some sections that could be seen as perhaps, changing tone - but this would also be expected from a story of this nature - people dealing with grief go through several phases.Films with this theme are rare and often can be depressing, but not this handling. All characters are credible and the script and direction are in harmony. Tunberg's dialogue is non stop and full of character. It's not a film I would have expected from MGM and as you might expect, in the declining decade of this studio, it's a modest production ~ but wonderfully realized by a sterling crew.Ray Miland (as the English Professor) is as always the consummate professional. Roles dealing with a full range of strong emotions are always difficult. Nancy Davis (Reagan) matches him with a sincere performance, after all, her character is still dealing with her own earlier loss. John Hodiak (what a pity we lost this fine actor so early!) plays the 'thick headed' Swede who has difficulty in reading both his professor friend's reactions, as well as his intended wife's 'awareness' of the professor's erratic behavior. The delightful Jean Hagen puts in a marvellous turn as the lonely girl across the hall and a very young Dawn Addams adds charm as the girlfriend of one of the professor's students. The themes of a Shakespearian quote, being studied in the professor's class, are used to perfection. Celia Lovsky (Mrs Peter Lorre) has a small part as a neighbor (it was her portrait that was used so well in 1955s "The Big Heat"). My wife also picked an uncredited Percy Helton as a drunk in a prison cell --whose only line is crucial to the story-- Producer: Edwin H. Knopf, himself an Actor, Writer and Director has several distinguished films to his credit..."The Seventh Cross" '44 ~ "Crossroads" '42 ~ Cry Havoc '43. Here, he's picked an un-commercial but vital project and his Director: Fletcher Markle (also an actor and writer) handles the film's theme with care and feeling. Great Director of Photography: George Folsey seems to have been around forever and has such a wide range of top films to his credit...The Bandwaggon" 53 ~ Executive Suite '54 ~ 7 Brides for 7 Brothers '54, etc. Some could be unimpressed by the professor's closing remarks "Go with God", but this is apt for the films themes and gives a measure of hope where today's filmmakers leave their audiences in total despair. Hope-less.The TCM copy broadcast in Australia did not look like a re-mastered print, still it's better than some I've seen. Recommended for thoughtful viewing - unfortunately it seems to be unavailable on DVD.

style-improv Well this is a little movie about human tragedy, and surprisingly, it´s almost free from sentimental cliches. But that doesn´t mean that it is very concrete in its conviction (after all it was made in the early 50´s)The main character is played by Ray Milland (I know nothing about this guy). He is an professor that one day loses his home and family. He hides the tragedy deep inside and sternly carries on with his work - at his friends concerns. But now the feelings gets too overwhelming and he starts drinking and becomes suicidal. But as the title says, this film has a happy ending.What make this pretty dull movie worth watching, is the great performance from Milland. He acts his roll with great dignity, and although his age, he is quite convincing in it (specially in the "attempted suicide scene") . He stands clearly miles away from the sentimental intellectual drunkard acting of likes such as Van Hefling or Van Johnson etc.