By Glenn Erickson
Maid's Night Out
Brief Synopsis
A wealthy boy masquerading as a milkman falls for an heiress he thinks is a maid.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Ben Holmes
Director
Joan Fontaine
Sheila Harrison
Allan Lane
Bill Norman
Billy Gilbert
Popolopolis
Cecil Kellaway
Geoffrey
Hedda Hopper
Mrs. Harrison
Film Details
Also Known As
Certified
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Mar
4,
1938
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 4m
Sound
Mono (RCA Victor System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Synopsis
Bill Norman, an aspiring ichthyologist, exasperates his milk magnate father Rufus with his love of fish and his dreams of expensive scientific expeditions in the tropics. To keep Bill from absconding with his yacht, Rufus bets him that if he can work diligently as a milkman in the Norman dairy for one month, he will win the right to use the family yacht for a six-month cruise. On time every morning, Bill happily delivers milk to all of his customers, including Sheila Harrison, a pretty but impoverished debutante whom Bill believes is the Harrison maid. Although she is pursued by the rich and foppish Wally Martin, her mother's marital choice, Sheila sneaks off every night to date Bill, unaware of his upper class identity. When Rufus hears of his son's interest in a "serving" girl, he forces Bill to break a date with her and take his cousin Adele to a charity ball. The same day, Mrs. Harrison talks Sheila into going to the ball with the dejected Wally, who then is knocked out by a jealous Bill. At first jealous of Adele, Sheila eventually learns from milkman Hogan the truth about Bill, who has been jailed for climbing the Harrison house, and agrees to pose as him so that he will win his father's bet. Although Bill bails himself out of jail and joins up with Sheila in the milk truck, he is pursued by a fleet of policemen who believe that Sheila has been kidnapped. After a dangerous chase, Bill and Sheila arrive at the dairy in time to win the wager and be blessed by Rufus and Mrs. Harrison.
Director
Ben Holmes
Director
Cast
Joan Fontaine
Sheila Harrison
Allan Lane
Bill Norman
Billy Gilbert
Popolopolis
Cecil Kellaway
Geoffrey
Hedda Hopper
Mrs. Harrison
William Brisbane
Wally Martin
Vicki Lester
Adele
Hilda Vaughn
Mary
George Irving
Rufus Norman
Frank M. Thomas
McCarthy
Solly Ward
Mischa
Eddie Gribbon
Hogan
Crew
Howard H. Campbell
Art Director Associate
Ted Cheesman
Editing
Bert Granet
Screenwriter
Charles Kaufman
Contract Writer
Charles Kerr
Assistant Director
Helen Meinardi
Contract Writer
Van Nest Polglase
Art Director
Frank Redman
Photography
Ferdinand Reyher
Contract Writer
Darrell Silvera
Set Dresser
Robert Sisk
Producer
Willoughby Speyers
Story
Edward Stevenson
Gowns
Richard Van Hessen
Recording
Vernon L. Walker
Special Effects
Paul Yawitz
Contract Writer
Film Details
Also Known As
Certified
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Mar
4,
1938
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 4m
Sound
Mono (RCA Victor System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Articles
Maid's Night Out -
Unlike her celebrated older sister Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine's career got off to a rocky start in Hollywood. After two years and seven movies, her big break opposite Fred Astaire in George Stevens' A Damsel in Distress (1937) became the first Astaire film to lose money. As RKO lost faith in Ms. Fontaine they began to loan her out, and Joan spent the next year racing between five fast quickie productions. Although not received well, her first RKO program picture of 1938 Maid's Night Out now plays as a bright, animated romantic comedy. Bert Granet's screenplay arranges for a potential romantic couple to 'meet cute' by mistaking each other for members of the working class. Sheila Harrison (Fontaine) has a respected name and lives in a nice house, but her ditsy mother (Hedda Hopper) refuses to live within her income. Mother wants Sheila to end their money troubles by marrying her eager suitor, the prissy Wally Martin (William Brisbane), but Sheila instead falls for her neighborhood milkman, Bill Norman (Allan Lane). Bill is actually a newly graduated ichthyologist who wants to borrow his dad's yacht for research; he's working thirty days as a milkman only to prove to Pop that he can hold down an ordinary job. Bill first sees Sheila in her backyard and mistakes her for a maid, and Sheila doesn't correct him because she doesn't want to scare him off. They end up sneaking out together every night, until a fight with Wally puts Bill in jail. When Sheila discovers the truth from another milkman, she assumes Bill's milk route so he can win his bet with his father. Bill joins her on the milk wagon, but a police chase ensues when it is assumed that Sheila is being kidnapped. The light romantic comedy is aided by acting support from the seasoned actors Billy Gilbert, Cecil Kellaway and George Irving. The Hollywood Reporter seemed to be in Fontaine's corner when they wrote that she "has plenty of personality and with more experience should get somewhere on screen." But Variety warned exhibitors that giving the show top billing would be "box office suicide." Feeling responsible for the young Fontaine, George Stevens cast her in his next big picture Gunga Din (1939) and her stellar career fell immediately into place. Within four years she collected a Best Actress nomination for Rebecca (1940), and a Best Actress Oscar for Suspicion (1941). As for Allan Lane, during the war he switched permanently to acting in westerns, and never looked back. His final gig was providing the humorous voice for the equine star of the TV show Mister Ed (1961).
By Glenn Erickson
By Glenn Erickson
Maid's Night Out -
Unlike her celebrated older sister Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine's career got off to a rocky start in Hollywood. After two years and seven movies, her big break opposite Fred Astaire in George Stevens' A Damsel in Distress (1937) became the first Astaire film to lose money. As RKO lost faith in Ms. Fontaine they began to loan her out, and Joan spent the next year racing between five fast quickie productions. Although not received well, her first RKO program picture of 1938 Maid's Night Out now plays as a bright, animated romantic comedy. Bert Granet's screenplay arranges for a potential romantic couple to 'meet cute' by mistaking each other for members of the working class. Sheila Harrison (Fontaine) has a respected name and lives in a nice house, but her ditsy mother (Hedda Hopper) refuses to live within her income. Mother wants Sheila to end their money troubles by marrying her eager suitor, the prissy Wally Martin (William Brisbane), but Sheila instead falls for her neighborhood milkman, Bill Norman (Allan Lane). Bill is actually a newly graduated ichthyologist who wants to borrow his dad's yacht for research; he's working thirty days as a milkman only to prove to Pop that he can hold down an ordinary job. Bill first sees Sheila in her backyard and mistakes her for a maid, and Sheila doesn't correct him because she doesn't want to scare him off. They end up sneaking out together every night, until a fight with Wally puts Bill in jail. When Sheila discovers the truth from another milkman, she assumes Bill's milk route so he can win his bet with his father. Bill joins her on the milk wagon, but a police chase ensues when it is assumed that Sheila is being kidnapped. The light romantic comedy is aided by acting support from the seasoned actors Billy Gilbert, Cecil Kellaway and George Irving. The Hollywood Reporter seemed to be in Fontaine's corner when they wrote that she "has plenty of personality and with more experience should get somewhere on screen." But Variety warned exhibitors that giving the show top billing would be "box office suicide." Feeling responsible for the young Fontaine, George Stevens cast her in his next big picture Gunga Din (1939) and her stellar career fell immediately into place. Within four years she collected a Best Actress nomination for Rebecca (1940), and a Best Actress Oscar for Suspicion (1941). As for Allan Lane, during the war he switched permanently to acting in westerns, and never looked back. His final gig was providing the humorous voice for the equine star of the TV show Mister Ed (1961).
By Glenn Erickson
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of the film was Certified, which also was the title of Willoughby Speyer's unpublished story. Screen Achievements Bulletin indicates that Helen Meinardi was at first slated to receive an onscreen co-screenwriting credit with Bert Granet. Maid's Night Out was the first film for which Joan Fontaine received top billing. Hollywood Reporter production charts add Richard Lane to the cast, but his participation in the final film has not been confirmed.
