History Film / Midnight1939

* MeetCute: Where does lonely Eve in a rainiy Paris do without any money? Hail a cab with a certain someone that is willing to take her from place to place, trying to help her find a job. All for free!

* DoubleTake: The judge does a big one [[spoiler: when he hears that the recently divorced couple are going to get married.]]

[[quoteright:256:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/84ba5416260b30b9f83e66689983ea08.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:256: Every Cinderella has her midnight...]]

''Midnight'' (1939) boasts a screenplay by the writing team of Creator/BillyWilder and Charles Brackett, and was directed by Mitchell Leisen.

The film begins with Eve meeting cab driver Tibor Cznery (Creator/DonAmeche); they both feel a spark, but Eve runs away, afraid of what this connection might bring. She sneaks herself into high society by way of a fancy musical soiree, meeting Georges Flammarion (Creator/JohnBarrymore) who easily spots her as an imposter. This gives him the opportunity to use Eve for a silly plot: get rid of Jacques Picot, the man his wife, Helen (Creator/MaryAstor), is falling in love with. Acting like a wonderful fairy godmother, he gives Eve lavish amenities and money as long as she does her job. Meanwhile, Tibor is searching all of Paris for his potential girlfriend, using all the cab drivers in Paris as lookouts.

* MaskOfSanity: While at the Flammarion estate--under the guise of a married couple--, Tibor tries to make Eve leave, saying their daughter, Francie, (there's no "Francie") has measles. Quick thinking Eve, however, manages to fool everyone by pretending to talk to her daughter over the phone. She contrives the situation so well that everyone believes Francie only has a heat rash. Unfortunately, this rousing lie falls apart when the servants say that the phones haven’t been working since the night before. In order to hide the lie, Eve tells everyone that she has to pretend she has a little girl, because Tibor, her fake Hungarian Baron/husband, may look normal, but is actually off his rocker. Eve explains:

* BreakUpMakeUpScenario: In a hilarious turn of events, the unmarried Eve and Tibor have a divorce, and during the legal proceedings, this happens.

* MaskOfSanity: While at the Flammarion estate--under the guise of a married couple--, Tibor tries to make Eve leave, saying their daughter, Francie, (there's no "Francie") has measles. Quick thinking Eve, however, manages to fool everyone by pretending to talk to her daughter over the phone. She contrives the situation so well that everyone believes Francie only has a heat rash. Unfortunately, this rousing lie falls apart when the servants say that the phones haven’t been working since the night before. In order to hide the lie, Eve tells everyone that she has to pretend she has a little girl, because Tibor, her fake Hungarian Baron/husband, looks normal, but is actually off his rocker. Eve explains:

* RagsToRiches: Well, Eve wasn’t exactly in rags while in her gorgeous, draping evening gown, but she was without a cent in the world, and then Godmother Georges lets her use his money for clothes and fancy cars. She even becomes a Baroness.

* SnowballLie: Eve says she's a Baroness to cover the fact that she is an impostor at a swanky party, but the snowball got huge as soon as Georges finds her out: not only did Eve have to keep up the ruse, but Tibor shows up, pretending to be her husband, trying to get Eve to leave by pretending they have a sick daughter, and then having to get a divorce for a marriage that doesn't exist. Oh, ''and'' Eve makes everyone believe Tibor is utterly insane.

''Midnight'' boasts a screenplay by the writing team of Creator/BillyWilder and Charles Brackett, and was directed by Mitchell Leisen.

''Midnight'' (1939) is a screwball comedy following the adventures of Eve Peabody (Creator/ClaudetteColbert), an American showgirl penniless in Paris. It’s like the story of Cinderella, except a modern take with a wisecracking, gold digging girl who is more interesting than poor old Cinders.

'''Midnight''' (1939) is a screwball comedy following the adventures of Eve Peabody (Creator/ClaudetteColbert), an American showgirl penniless in Paris. It’s like the story of Cinderella, except a modern take with a wisecracking, gold digging girl who is more interesting than poor old Cinders.

What will become of all this silliness? More silliness!

In 2013, '''Midnight''' (1939) was chosen for preservation in the NationalFilmRegistry.

''Midnight'' (1939) is a screwball comedy following the adventures of Eve Peabody (Creator/ClaudetteColbert), an American showgirl penniless in Paris. It’s like the story of Cinderella, except a modern take with a wisecracking, gold digging girl who is more interesting than poor old Cinders.

In 2013, ''Midnight'' (1939) was chosen for preservation in the NationalFilmRegistry.

[[caption-width-right:256:"Every Cinderella has her midnight."]]

[[caption-width-right:256:Eve being coaxed into falling in love? But with whom?]]

* MeetCute: Where does lonely Eve in raining Paris do without any money? Hail a cab with a certain someone that is willing to take her from place to place, trying to help her find a job. All for free!

* DoubleTake: The judge does this when he hears that the recently divorced couple are going to get married.

* SnowballLie: Eve says she's a Baroness to cover the fact that she is an impostor at a swanky party, but the snowball got huge as soon as Georges showed up: not only did Eve have to keep up the ruse, but Tibor shows up, pretending to be her husband, trying to get Eve to leave by pretending they have a sick daughter, and then having to get a divorce for a marriage that doesn't exist. Oh, ''and'' Eve makes everyone believe Tibor is utterly insane.

--->'''Stephanie:''' By the Archduchess of Mendola. You know that creature I had thrown out last night? And I thought it was that "Eve Peabody"? Ha! It really WAS the Archduchess of Mendola.

* DivorceIsTemporary: Here’s where it gets screwbally: [[spoiler: Eve has led everyone to believe that she is Baroness Cznery. Since she’s “married” to “Baron” Tidor, she needs a divorce to marry Picot. The only problem is that Tibor and Eve aren’t even married. Somehow, they proceed with the divorce, fooling everyone, but Tibor manages to win Eve back. They then decide to get married, much to the bafflement of the judge that just divorced them. Screwball to the max, eh?]]

* BelligerentSexualTension: Between Tidor and Eve. They are always bickering and bickering…
* BreakUpMakeUpScenario: In a hilarious turn of events, the unmarried Eve and Tidor have a divorce, and during the legal proceedings, this happens.

* ComedyOfRemarriage: Eve and Tidor aren’t exactly married, but the audience wants them to get back together as a couple.
* DivorceIsTemporary: Here’s where it gets screwbally: [[spoiler: Eve has led everyone to believe that she is Baroness Cznery. Since she’s “married” to “Baron” Tidor, she needs a divorce to marry Picot. The only problem is that Tidor and Eve aren’t even married. Somehow, they proceed with the divorce, fooling everyone, but Tidor manages to win Eve back. They then decide to get married, much to the bafflement of the judge that just divorced them. Screwball to the max, eh?]]

* LoveAtFirstSight: Both Eve and Tidor experience this when they meet each other.
* MaskOfSanity: While at the Flammarion estate--under the guise of a married couple--, Tidor tries to make Eve leave, saying their child (there's no child) has measles. Quick thinking Eve, however, manages to fool everyone by pretending to talk to her daughter over the phone. She contrives the situation so well that everyone believes the child only has a heat rash. Unfortunately, this rousing lie falls apart when the servants say that the phones haven’t been working since the night before. In order to hide the lie, Eve tells everyone that she has to pretend she has a little girl, because Tidor, her fake Hungarian Baron/husband, looks normal, but is actually off his rocker. Eve explains:

* RemovingTheRival: How does Tidor get rid of a bunch of cab drivers from dancing with Eve? Pay a man to call a taxi, making all the drivers rush out the restaurant for some dough.

* WellExcuseMePrincess: This happens a lot between Eve and Tidor.
* ZanyScheme: In order to find Eve, Tidor collects a pool of money from the taxi drivers as an incentive for them to find her. Whoever does, wins the pool.

* SnowballLie: Eve just says she's a Baroness to cover the fact that she is an impostor, but the snowball got huge as soon as Georges showed up: not only did Eve have to keep up the ruse, but also Tibor would show up and pretend to be her husband.
** Hilariously, it's also complicated when Tibor tries to get Eve to leave by pretending they have a sick daughter.