Product Details

• Actors: Cary Grant, Alexis Smith, Monty Woolley, Ginny Simms, Jane Wyman
• Directors: Michael Curtiz
• Writers: Charles Hoffman, Jack Moffitt, Leo Townsend, William Bowers
• Producers: Arthur Schwartz, Jack L. Warner
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 128 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302120551
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,466 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

With Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) as director, Cary Grant in the lead, and wall-to-wall songs by Cole Porter, how could Night and Day lose? Why, by taking broad liberties with the composer's life story and failing to live up to expectations. If you can overlook such shortcomings, however, it's lively entertainment that doesn't completely deserve the scorn it has elicited. Grant is good as a bon vivant who had a way with words but lacked the discipline to pursue a career in law. As a singer, on the other hand, he's merely adequate. Curtiz wisely has the fine supporting actresses (Jane Wyman, Ginny Simms, etc.) handle the big numbers such as "You're the Top." Also, Porter's story was meant for black and white. The Technicolor process adds an unfortunate garishness to the tale of a man whose very name has become a synonym for elegance. With Mary Martin and Monty Woolley as themselves. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

From the Back Cover

Cary Grant stars in the song-filled biography of legendary Cole Porter. He was the top! For 40 years, Cole Porter thrilled the world with witty, dramatic, memorable songs that have never grown old. This Technicolor biography, starring Cary Grant and a fine supporting cast, features 20-plus dazzling Porter tunes as familiar to audiences today as they were decades ago. The film follows Porter from his undergraduate days at Yale to his years of worldwide acclaim. There is sadness along the way, including the agonizing leg operations he endured following two terrible accidents. But there is even more joy, best expressed in his music. Big Band star Ginny Simms sings a number of songs associated with Ethel Merman, including "You're the Top" and "I Get a Kick Out of You;" Mary Martin does a ladylike striptease to "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," the number that made her a star; Monty Woolley essays "Miss Otis Regrets" and Jane Wyman, Eve Arden and Grant himself (who possesses a charmingly idiosyncratic singing voice) interpret more Porter evergreens that have delighted millions day and night, Night and Day.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Music and Performances Are The High Points, June 17, 2004

By 

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Night and Day (DVD)

One of Broadway's most brilliant songwriters, Cole Porter (1891-1964) worked hard to present an unflappable image to the world--but in truth he was a tremendously complex man, a homosexual who lived with wife Linda Lee Thomas in a marriage of convenience, subject fits of depression, and suffering horrific pain in the wake of a horseback riding accident which left him crippled at the peak of his career. Add to this the fact that his lyrics were often censored for film, radio, and records and it seems very odd that 1940s Hollywood would attempt a biography.

What they did, of course, was fictionalize it to the max, reducing the story of his life to a mix of backstage musical and domestic drama--and transforming the tiny and waspish Porter and his icy bride Linda into handsome Cary Grant and lovely Alexis Smith. The result is pure nonsense, of course, but when you tack in a host of Porter classics--fantasy it might be, but it is entertaining enough to watch.

Grant is no singer, but he has considerable charm, and Smith is as always extremely attractive. The supporting cast is remarkably strong, featuring the likes of Jane Wyman, Eve Arden, Dorothy Malone, and Alan Hale--and rare screen appearances by Monty Woolley and Mary Martin, who deliver knockout performances of "Miss Otis Regrets" and "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" respectively. The DVD transfer is reasonable, and although the bonuses are pure fluff they are amusing. While it may be short on fact with a story little more than pure melodrama, the music and performers make NIGHT AND DAY a reasonably pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For Cary Grant, Technicolor, and musical fans, August 28, 2004

By 

M. D. Tschaepe "mdtschaepe" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Night and Day (DVD)

"Night & Day" is a wonderful musical, a beautiful film displaying Cary Grant's talents, and it has that 'never-to-be-realized-again' Technicolor to its sets that offers that imaginary world so many films offered in the 50s, (although this particular film is from '46).
If the viewer is looking for historical accuracy, it is best to look elsewhere. There is a loose framework of historical accuracy here, but only a skeleton. Porter actually did go to Yale, but only for undergrad. He actually went to Harvard for law school. As far as I know, he was never actually in World War I, although he was in Europe during the war. In addition, the love story is completely and utterly fabricated, although it is "cute" and a nice sub-plot to the film.
The real driving force of the film is definitely the sets, the music, and Grant himself. This is definitely an entertaining fantasy, and I highly recommend it for film buffs, especially those that love Cary Grant.
The new DVD is nicely put together, and it includes a series of Cole Porter trailers, a Dezi Arnez music number, a musical short, and even a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MARY MARTIN SAVES THE DAY!, November 1, 2001

By 

Elaine J. Campbell (Rancho Mirage, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night & Day [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Story of the adult life of Cole Porter, through his accident on a horse and recouperation.

Regarding him and his spouse, what were these two people really like, and their marriage? We'll never know from this movie, which portrays them in a one-dimensional, saccharin mode.

Grant tries to rise above the script and almost does. Alexis Smith simply sinks.

The film's saving grace is the fabulous music. The production numbers are more than gratifying, Ginny Simms and Jane Wyman being the main performers.

But remember Mary Martin, the gem of our American theatre? She steals the whole film with only scene wherein she belts out "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" to remind us how thrilling and awesome her talent really was. Worth the film just to see this!