Main Cast: Rita Hayworth, Lee Bowman, Janet Blair, Marc Platt, Florence Bates, Leslie Brooks
Release Year: 1945
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
Plot
Based on a play by Leslie Storm, Tonight and Every Night is a musical wartime morale booster in which star Rita Hayworth is but one of a lively ensemble. Set in battle-scarred Britain, the action takes place in a seedy old music hall, which never misses a performance even at the height of the "blitz". Five times a day like clockwork, American-born entertainer Rosalind Bruce (Rita Hayworth) and her British cohorts put on a show for their ever-appreciative audiences. Along the way, a romance develops between Rosalind and RAF pilot Paul Lundy (Lee Bowman). Providing excellent support are Janet Blair as the troupe's plucky ingenue and Broadway alumnus Marc Platt as the entourage's resident eccentric dancer. The individual numbers are inventively staged, with one scene creatively harnessing the Technicolor process in an eye-popping manner seldom seen in 1940s films. All that Tonight and Every Night lacks is a memorable score, though Rita's solo number "Anywhere" enjoyed brief hit-parade popularity. Incidentally, one of the chorus girls is a slim-and-trim Shelley Winters! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Tonight and Every Night is overall a middling little musical, but it does have a number of elements that make it worth watching, especially for those with a fondness for old "tuners." Of course, the main reason for watching Tonight is the presence of the bewitching, glorious Rita Hayworth. Of all the stars most associated with the movie musical, Hayworth is the one that truly deserves the term "goddess," for her sheer physical beauty and presence are simply heavenly. It's a shame there here (as in all of her movies) her singing is dubbed, for the lack of a suitable singing voice does have a subtle impact on her effect. But let her stretch out those gorgeous gams, toss that cascade of hair and flash that melting smile, and suddenly her voice doesn't seem to matter. Hayworth's magic is much needed in Tonight, for the Jule Styne score is surprisingly pedestrian, and the Sammy Cahn lyrics are, at best, serviceable. And the screenplay, despite its "serious" setting and some "downbeat" moments, is weak overall, particularly where the dialogue is concerned. But Hayworth overcomes this, as well as a leading man who is adequate but little more. She's aided enormously by Marc Platt's sensational dancing, a very nice turn from Janet Blair and dependable support from Florence Brooks, as well as Victor Saville's low key but engaging direction, a color spectrum that is dazzling without being overpowering and Rudolph Mate's imaginative camerawork. And the "screen actors come to life onstage" sequence, while strange, is quite entertaining. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Shelley Winters - Bubbles; Dusty Anderson - Toni; Stephen Crane - Leslie Wiggins; Jim Bannon - Life Photographer; Ernest Cossart - Sam Royce; Philip Merivale - Rev. Gerald Lundy; Pat O'Moore - David Long; Gavin Muir - Group Captain; Marilyn Johnson - Pamela; Mildred Law - Frenchie; Elizabeth Inglis - Joan; Aminta Dyne - Mrs. Peabody; Joy Harrington - Mrs. Good; Ann Codee - Annette; Richard Haydn - Specialty; Jeanne Bates - WAC; Wilson Benge - News Vendor; Billy Bevan; John Bleifer - Russian Sailor; Tom Bryson; David Clyde - Police Sergeant; Edward Cooper; Alec Craig - Englishman; Fred Graham - American Soldier; Adele Jergens - Show Girl; George Kirby - Father; Professor Lamberti - The Great Waldo; William E. Lawrence - Waiter; Frank Leigh - Air Warden; Nelson Leigh - British Army Officer; Queenie Leonard - Cockney Woman; Charles McNaughton - Peters; Stuart Nedd - Petty Officer; Dagmar Oakland; C. Montague Shaw - Old Bobby; David Thursby - Scotch Soldier; Robert B. Williams - U.S. CPO; Frank Craven; Charles Meakin - Jolly Trio; Keith Hitchcock - ARP Man; Victor Travers; Gary Bruce; Richard Deane - British Soldier; Donald Dewar - Boy; Sheila Roberts - Barmaid; Cecil Stewart - Bert; Richard Woodruff; Patrick Kelly
Credit
Lionel Banks - Art Director, Stephen Goosson - Art Director, Rudolph Sternad - Art Director, Jack Cole - Choreography, Val Raset - Choreography, Jean Louis - Costume Designer, Marcel Vertes - Costume Designer, Rex Bailey - First Assistant Director, Louis Germonprez - First Assistant Director, Victor Saville - Director, Viola Lawrence - Editor, Marlin Skiles - Composer (Music Score), Morris W. Stoloff - Composer (Music Score), Jule Styne - Composer (Music Score), Jack Cole - Musical Direction/Supervision, Morris W. Stoloff - Musical Direction/Supervision, Clay Campbell - Makeup, Rudolph Maté - Cinematographer, Victor Saville - Producer, Frank A. Tuttle - Set Designer, Lawrence W. Butler - Special Effects, Abem Finkel - Screenwriter, Lesser Samuels - Screenwriter, Lesley Storm - Play Author
Tonight and Every Night is a 1945 musical film starring Rita Hayworth and Lee Bowman, about wartime romance and tragedy in a London music hall that was determined not to miss a single performance during the Blitz. Hayworth played an American showgirl who fell in love with an RAF pilot played by Bowman.
The film was used as a Technicolor vehicle for Rita Hayworth after her success with Cover Girl. It was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Music, Original Song (for "Anywhere") and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture. A major highlight of the film is Hayworth in the "You Excite Me" number, a number often cited as one of Hayworth's best performances.
