All Night Long (1963) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

A jazz band's leader thinks his wife is unfaithful.

Cast & Crew

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Basil Dearden

Patrick Mcgoohan

Marti Stevens

Betsy Blair

Emily, Johnny's wife

Keith Michell

Richard Attenborough

Photos & Videos

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All Night Long (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Margolis on Jazz

All Night Long (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Pretty Chummy

All Night Long (1963) -- (Movie Clip) It's A Raggy Waltz, Dave Brubeck

All Night Long (1963) -- (Movie Clip) You Kick One Habit

Film Details

Genre

Drama

Music

Release Date

Jan 1963

Premiere Information

Los Angeles opening: 17 Apr 1963

Production Company

Bob Roberts Productions

Distribution Company

Colorama Features

Country

United Kingdom

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 35m

Sound

Mono

Color

Black and White

Synopsis

In a converted warehouse in London's East End, jazz enthusiast Rodney Hamilton stages an all-night anniversary party for successful black jazz pianist Aurelius Rex and Delia, his devoted white wife who gave up her singing career for matrimony. Johnny Cousin, Rex's jealous drummer, schemes to break up their marriage by attempting to persuade Delia to sing in a band he would like to start, but she refuses. Spreading rumors about Delia's infidelity, Johnny edits a tape recording of Delia and Cass Michaels, Rex's saxophonist and business manager, to make it appear that they are having an affair. The enraged Rex nearly strangles his wife, but Johnny's treachery is exposed and the couple are reconciled.

Director

Basil Dearden

Cast

Patrick Mcgoohan

Marti Stevens

Betsy Blair

Emily, Johnny's wife

Keith Michell

Richard Attenborough

Paul Harris

Bernard Braden

Maria Velasco

Harry Towb

Dave Brubeck

John Dankworth

Charles Mingus

Tubby Hayes

Keith Christie

Ray Dempsey

Allan Ganley

Ben Courtley

Barry Morgan

Kenny Napper

Colin Purbrook

Johnny Scott

Geoffrey Holder

Crew

Peter Achilles

Charles Arnold

Sound Camera op

Jim Baker

George Ball

Chargehand Props dresser

Alex Carver-hill

1st, 2d & 3d Assistant Director

Terry Clegg

Assistant Director

Weston Drury Jr.

Casting Director

Stephen Durbridge

2nd Assistant Editor

Marcel Durham

1st Assistant Editor

Sue Dyson

Dorothy Edwards

Wardrobe Supervisor

Harry Fairbairn

Wally Fairweather

Lorely Farley

Alan Fraiser

Chief draughtsman

Fred Graver

Philip Green

Philip Green

John D. Guthridge

Julie Harris

Tom Heathcoat

Chargehand Electrician

Bill Hill

Production Manager

Stanley Hosgood

Assistant Director

Peter James

Paul Jarrico

Ian Jeayes

Nel King

Christopher Lancaster

Robert T. Macphee

Gordon K. Mccallum

Sound Recording

Sonny Miller Tubby Hayes

Kenny Napper

Michael Relph

Michael Relph

Production Design

Stella Rivers

Bob Roberts

Executive Producer

Geoffrey Rodway

Ted Scaife

Director of Photography

Johnny Scott

Ray Simm

Bert Simmonds

Wardrobe master

H. A. R. Thomson

Camera Operator

Ron Udell

Videos

All Night Long (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Pretty Chummy Charles Mingus on bass and Tubby Hayes on vibes provide background as London club owner Rod (Richard Attenborough) and manager Cass (Keith Michell) talk shop in All Night Long, 1963.

All Night Long (1963) -- (Movie Clip) You Kick One Habit Johnny (Patrick McGoohan) manipulates ex-addict Cass (Keith Michell) with some evil weed and mind games at a London jazz party in director Basil Dearden's All Night Long, 1963.

All Night Long (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Margolis on Jazz Stoned Cass (Keith Michell) uses jazz theory to insult impresario Berger (Bernard Braden) who spurns apologies from Rod (Richard Attenborough), Johnny (Patrick McGoohan and Rex (Paul Harris) in All Night Long, 1963.

All Night Long (1963) -- (Movie Clip) It's A Raggy Waltz, Dave Brubeck Dave Brubeck (making his only feature film appearance) leads Brits Bert Courtley and Johnny Scott (trumpet, alto, who both later played on Beatles recordings!) in his own composition It's A Raggy Waltz, actors (Patrick McGoohan et al), spectating, in director Basil Dearden's All Night Long, 1963.

Film Details

Genre

Drama

Music

Release Date

Jan 1963

Premiere Information

Los Angeles opening: 17 Apr 1963

Production Company

Bob Roberts Productions

Distribution Company

Colorama Features

Country

United Kingdom

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 35m

Sound

Mono

Color

Black and White

Articles

The Gist (All Night Long) - THE GIST

August 20, 2008

Jazz hipster and entrepreneur Rodney Hamilton (Richard Attenborough) is throwing a surprise anniversary bash at his spacious East End loft for black pianist/band leader Aurelius Rex (Paul Harris) and his Caucasian wife Delia (Marti Stevens), who gave up a promising career as an acclaimed jazz vocalist. The couple are celebrating one year of marriage and still deeply in love but trouble is brewing. Johnnie Cousin (Patrick McGoohan), the drummer in Rex's band, sees the party as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for his master plan - to break away from Rex, form a band of his own, acquire Rodney as his financier/promoter, and lure Delia back into the limelight as his featured vocalist. As the evening progresses and the party starts to swing, Johnnie begins dividing and conquering Rex's close knit entourage with false intimations of Delia's infidelity with Cass (Keith Michell), Rex's close friend and band manager. The lies and misunderstandings pile up, poisoning the atmosphere and driving Rex into a jealous rage until he....

If all of this sounds a bit familiar, it should be. Except for the contemporary setting, All Night Long is a variation on William Shakespeare's Othello with the Moor of Venice now the hottest thing going in the London jazz scene. The dialogue, however, is not from the Bard's pen but more in keeping with the beatnik and Behop slang of the period ("Oh baby, you're huffin' and you're puffin' over nothin'"). Released in England in 1961, the film was unfairly maligned by many British critics who were Shakespeare purists and dismissed All Night Long as a travesty of the original with a "happy" ending - sacrilege! - and the added gimmick of featuring such well known jazz artists as Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck and John Dankworth. Gimmick or not, the movie is worth a look if only for the exhilarating musical numbers and a rare look at Mingus and Brubeck in their only appearance in a dramatic film. Even more compelling is Patrick McGoohan's frenzied, hyperactive performance as the scheming sociopath Johnnie Cousin.

Director Basil Dearden, who had just completed the controversial, gay-themed melodrama Victim (1961) starring Dirk Bogarde, treats All Night Long as a film noir and builds the tension slowly and tautly until it explodes in the inevitable violent climax. Edward Scaife's cinematography perfectly exploits the multi-leveled spaciousness of Attenborough's Docklands warehouse loft as a playground for the characters' emotions to run wild. The film also anticipates by two or three decades the redevelopment of this section of London's East End into fashionable lofts and shops.

All Night Long is also notable for a screenplay by Paul Jarrico (using the pseudonym Peter Achilles here) and for featuring Betsy Blair in a supporting role, both of whom had been recently blacklisted by the American film industry as communist sympathizers.

This certainly wasn't the first time a Shakespeare play was reimagined and updated for modern tastes; MacBeth had been retooled as the gangster melodrama Joe MacBeth in 1955 and The Taming of the Shrew provided the basis for the musical romance Kiss Me Kate in 1953 to name a few. All Night Long is certainly one of the more entertaining attempts to place a fifteenth century play in a modern context and no mere novelty. Patrick McGoohan obviously felt a strong connection to the play since he agreed to make his directorial film debut a decade later with Catch My Soul (1974), a rock 'n' roll musical version of Othello starring Richie Havens, Tony Joe White, Delaney & Bonnie, and Billy Joe Royal.

Producers: Michael Relph, Bob Roberts
Director: Basil Dearden
Screenplay: Nel King, Paul Jarrico (originally as Peter Achilles); William Shakespeare (play "Othello" uncredited)
Cinematography: Edward Scaife
Art Direction: Ray Simm
Music: Philip Green
Film Editing: John D. Guthridge
Cast: Patrick McGoohan (Johnnie Cousin), Keith Michell (Cass Michaels), Betsy Blair (Emily), Paul Harris (Aurelius Rex), Marti Stevens (Delia Lane), Richard Attenborough (Rod Hamilton), Bernard Braden (Lou Berger), Harry Towb (Phales), Maria Velasco (Benny), Dave Brubeck (piano), John Dankworth (alto sax), Charles Mingus (bass), Bert Courtley (trumpet), Keith Christie (trombone), Ray Dempsey (guitar), Allan Ganley (drums), Tubby Hayes (tenor sax and vibes), Barry Morgan (bongos), Kenny Napper (bass), Colin Purbrook (piano), John Scott (alto sax and flute).
BW-113m.

by Jeff Stafford

The Gist (All Night Long) - The Gist

The Gist (All Night Long) - THE GIST

Jazz hipster and entrepreneur Rodney Hamilton (Richard Attenborough) is throwing a surprise anniversary bash at his spacious East End loft for black pianist/band leader Aurelius Rex (Paul Harris) and his Caucasian wife Delia (Marti Stevens), who gave up a promising career as an acclaimed jazz vocalist. The couple are celebrating one year of marriage and still deeply in love but trouble is brewing. Johnnie Cousin (Patrick McGoohan), the drummer in Rex's band, sees the party as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for his master plan - to break away from Rex, form a band of his own, acquire Rodney as his financier/promoter, and lure Delia back into the limelight as his featured vocalist. As the evening progresses and the party starts to swing, Johnnie begins dividing and conquering Rex's close knit entourage with false intimations of Delia's infidelity with Cass (Keith Michell), Rex's close friend and band manager. The lies and misunderstandings pile up, poisoning the atmosphere and driving Rex into a jealous rage until he.... If all of this sounds a bit familiar, it should be. Except for the contemporary setting, All Night Long is a variation on William Shakespeare's Othello with the Moor of Venice now the hottest thing going in the London jazz scene. The dialogue, however, is not from the Bard's pen but more in keeping with the beatnik and Behop slang of the period ("Oh baby, you're huffin' and you're puffin' over nothin'"). Released in England in 1961, the film was unfairly maligned by many British critics who were Shakespeare purists and dismissed All Night Long as a travesty of the original with a "happy" ending - sacrilege! - and the added gimmick of featuring such well known jazz artists as Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck and John Dankworth. Gimmick or not, the movie is worth a look if only for the exhilarating musical numbers and a rare look at Mingus and Brubeck in their only appearance in a dramatic film. Even more compelling is Patrick McGoohan's frenzied, hyperactive performance as the scheming sociopath Johnnie Cousin. Director Basil Dearden, who had just completed the controversial, gay-themed melodrama Victim (1961) starring Dirk Bogarde, treats All Night Long as a film noir and builds the tension slowly and tautly until it explodes in the inevitable violent climax. Edward Scaife's cinematography perfectly exploits the multi-leveled spaciousness of Attenborough's Docklands warehouse loft as a playground for the characters' emotions to run wild. The film also anticipates by two or three decades the redevelopment of this section of London's East End into fashionable lofts and shops. All Night Long is also notable for a screenplay by Paul Jarrico (using the pseudonym Peter Achilles here) and for featuring Betsy Blair in a supporting role, both of whom had been recently blacklisted by the American film industry as communist sympathizers. This certainly wasn't the first time a Shakespeare play was reimagined and updated for modern tastes; MacBeth had been retooled as the gangster melodrama Joe MacBeth in 1955 and The Taming of the Shrew provided the basis for the musical romance Kiss Me Kate in 1953 to name a few. All Night Long is certainly one of the more entertaining attempts to place a fifteenth century play in a modern context and no mere novelty. Patrick McGoohan obviously felt a strong connection to the play since he agreed to make his directorial film debut a decade later with Catch My Soul (1974), a rock 'n' roll musical version of Othello starring Richie Havens, Tony Joe White, Delaney & Bonnie, and Billy Joe Royal. Producers: Michael Relph, Bob Roberts Director: Basil Dearden Screenplay: Nel King, Paul Jarrico (originally as Peter Achilles); William Shakespeare (play "Othello" uncredited) Cinematography: Edward Scaife Art Direction: Ray Simm Music: Philip Green Film Editing: John D. Guthridge Cast: Patrick McGoohan (Johnnie Cousin), Keith Michell (Cass Michaels), Betsy Blair (Emily), Paul Harris (Aurelius Rex), Marti Stevens (Delia Lane), Richard Attenborough (Rod Hamilton), Bernard Braden (Lou Berger), Harry Towb (Phales), Maria Velasco (Benny), Dave Brubeck (piano), John Dankworth (alto sax), Charles Mingus (bass), Bert Courtley (trumpet), Keith Christie (trombone), Ray Dempsey (guitar), Allan Ganley (drums), Tubby Hayes (tenor sax and vibes), Barry Morgan (bongos), Kenny Napper (bass), Colin Purbrook (piano), John Scott (alto sax and flute). BW-113m. by Jeff Stafford

Insider Info (All Night Long) - BEHIND THE SCENES

August 20, 2008

Patrick McGoohan, who was born in America but grew up in Ireland, had previously acted in the stage play of Shakespeare's Othello, so he was well versed in the play's story and dynamics.

To prepare for his role as the manipulative drummer, Johnny Cousin, McGoohan diligently applied himself to learning the drums. In Roger Langley's biography of the actor, McGoohan admitted, "In All Night Long I actually played the drums in the film. I learned three pieces for that. It took me four months. Almost drove my family crazy! I had a set of drums in the garage and practised relentlessly."

Betsy Blair, a recently blacklisted actress from the U.S., was cast in the film and, as a former stage actress, had always wanted to play Desdemona in Othello. In her biography The Memory of All That, she recalled, "All Night Long is a modern version of Othello set in a jazz milieu. Finally, I was to be in Othello, not with Paul Robeson at Stratford-on-Avon, nor with Orson [Welles] in Morocco and Venice, but at Pinewood Studios outside London. And not as Desdemona (in this case, the lead singer with the band) but as Emilia, the wife of the drummer, Iago, played by Patrick McGoohan. The film was okay. Dave Brubeck was in it, so the music was great. And for me, it turned out to be the most important job I ever had."

The reason All Night Long became Blair's "most important job" was because she met director Karel Reisz. In her memoirs, she wrote, "Lindsay Anderson, Karel Reisz, and David Storey were preparing This Sporting Life [1963] at Pinewood, with Lindsay directing, Karel producing, and David, who had written the book, writing the screenplay. Through my friendship with Lindsay, I usually had lunch with them. Most days they drove me back to London after work. The assistants on All Night Long knew where to find me if I wasn't on the set or in my dressing room. Karel and I were getting to know each other...I woke one morning with a "visual" in my head, a sequence of shots for the opening of a film - not any old film, but A Walk With Love and Death...I lay in bed and wondered if it was presumptuous to imagine that my unconscious was thinking like a film director. At lunch that day, I revealed all this to my chums. In this context they seemed to me to be an august triumvirate. Lindsay, never one to show surprise, raised a quizzical eyebrow...But Karel said, "Go for it - find out about the rights to the book." That may have been the moment when I fell in love."

by Jeff Stafford

SOURCES:
The Memory of All That by Betsy Blair (Alfred A. Knopf)
Patrick McGoohan: Danger Man or Prisoner? by Roger Langley (Tomahawk)
www.afi.com
www.screenonline.org.uk
IMDB

Insider Info (All Night Long) - BEHIND THE SCENES

Patrick McGoohan, who was born in America but grew up in Ireland, had previously acted in the stage play of Shakespeare's Othello, so he was well versed in the play's story and dynamics. To prepare for his role as the manipulative drummer, Johnny Cousin, McGoohan diligently applied himself to learning the drums. In Roger Langley's biography of the actor, McGoohan admitted, "In All Night Long I actually played the drums in the film. I learned three pieces for that. It took me four months. Almost drove my family crazy! I had a set of drums in the garage and practised relentlessly." Betsy Blair, a recently blacklisted actress from the U.S., was cast in the film and, as a former stage actress, had always wanted to play Desdemona in Othello. In her biography The Memory of All That, she recalled, "All Night Long is a modern version of Othello set in a jazz milieu. Finally, I was to be in Othello, not with Paul Robeson at Stratford-on-Avon, nor with Orson [Welles] in Morocco and Venice, but at Pinewood Studios outside London. And not as Desdemona (in this case, the lead singer with the band) but as Emilia, the wife of the drummer, Iago, played by Patrick McGoohan. The film was okay. Dave Brubeck was in it, so the music was great. And for me, it turned out to be the most important job I ever had." The reason All Night Long became Blair's "most important job" was because she met director Karel Reisz. In her memoirs, she wrote, "Lindsay Anderson, Karel Reisz, and David Storey were preparing This Sporting Life [1963] at Pinewood, with Lindsay directing, Karel producing, and David, who had written the book, writing the screenplay. Through my friendship with Lindsay, I usually had lunch with them. Most days they drove me back to London after work. The assistants on All Night Long knew where to find me if I wasn't on the set or in my dressing room. Karel and I were getting to know each other...I woke one morning with a "visual" in my head, a sequence of shots for the opening of a film - not any old film, but A Walk With Love and Death...I lay in bed and wondered if it was presumptuous to imagine that my unconscious was thinking like a film director. At lunch that day, I revealed all this to my chums. In this context they seemed to me to be an august triumvirate. Lindsay, never one to show surprise, raised a quizzical eyebrow...But Karel said, "Go for it - find out about the rights to the book." That may have been the moment when I fell in love." by Jeff Stafford SOURCES: The Memory of All That by Betsy Blair (Alfred A. Knopf) Patrick McGoohan: Danger Man or Prisoner? by Roger Langley (Tomahawk) www.afi.com www.screenonline.org.uk IMDB

In the Know (All Night Long) - TRIVIA

August 20, 2008

Basil Dearden, the director of All Night Long, toiled in Great Britain's B-movie industry for years until he won acclaim in 1958 for the crime drama Sapphire, which was nominated for four BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards and won the Best Picture prize.

After Sapphire, Dearden was promoted to A pictures and turned out such notable films as the heist thriller The League of Gentlemen (1960), Woman of Straw (1964) with Sean Connery, Ralph Richardson and Gina Lollobrigida, and Khartoum (1966) starring Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier.

All Night Long was made between Dearden's controversial melodrama Victim (1961) with Dirk Bogarde as a lawyer hunting blackmailers who prey on closeted gay men and Life for Ruth (1962, aka Walk in the Shadow).

Screenwriter Paul Jarrico, who co-wrote the screenplay for All Night Long under the pseudonym Peter Achilles, had been blacklisted by Hollywood since the early fifties due to his ties to "subversive" organizations as classified by the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Jarrico, who previously received a Best Writing Oscar® nomination for Tom Dick and Harry in 1941, didn't return to using his real name in film credits until 1968 with the French film, The Day the Hot Line Got Hot starring Charles Boyer, Robert Taylor and Marie Dubois.

All Night Long also featured the involvement of another victim of the Hollywood Blacklist, actress Betsy Blair. Her film career in the U.S. ended after she received a Best Actress Oscar® nomination for Marty in 1955. Shortly thereafter, she was blacklisted as a leftist sympathizer and relocated to Europe for film work, appearing in such offbeat features as Michelangelo Antonioni's Il Grido (1957) and Francesco Maselli's I Delfini (1960).

Blair had previously starred in a 1955 television production of Othello directed by Tony Richardson and played the part of Bianca. In All Night Long, Dearden's modern adaptation of Othello, Blair was cast as Emily, a character who didn't exist in the Shakespeare play, but Maria Velasco ended up playing the part modeled on Bianca, now named Benny.

At the time he made All Night Long, Patrick McGoohan was not yet a well-known actor in America or a major star in his own country though he had previously appeared in the popular TV series, Danger Man (1960-1961).

McGoohan's film career took an upward swing in 1963 when he appeared in the made-for-TV movie The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, broadcast on "The Wonderful World of Disney." He would follow that with a starring role in the Disney family drama, The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964).

McGoohan would go on to achieve cult status for his appearance in the sci-fi TV series, The Prisoner (1967-1968).

Othello obviously had a strong impact on McGoohan because he would later direct the film version of Catch My Soul (1974), a rock musical based on the Shakespeare play. The film starred musician Richie Havens in the Othello part and would be McGoohan's only attempt at directing a feature film.

Paul Harris made his film debut as Aurelius Rex in All Night Long but only appeared in a few random television episodes after that with 1965 marking his last on-screen appearance.

Marti Stevens, who was said to be a protégé of Marlene Dietrich, plays the Desdemona character in All Night Long, now called Delia Lane. It was her first major starring role in a film but for the rest of her career she worked mostly in television with the made-for-TV movie The Day the Bubble Burst (1982) her last screen credit to date.

Keith Michell, a South Australian actor who later starred in many London stage plays and became a popular screen actor in England, plays the part of Cass Michaels in All Night Long, a character inspired by Cassio in Shakespeare's Othello. He later became a popular recurring character on TV's Murder, She Wrote.

Richard Attenborough was still a well-regarded character actor at the time he made All Night Long which he would follow up with strong performances in the World War II epic, The Great Escape (1963), Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) and The Sand Pebbles (1966), which won him a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe award. He began to focus on directing movies in 1969, beginning with Oh! What a Lovely War, but continued to accept acting roles and is still working.

All Night Long marks the only time that jazz musicians Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus appear as themselves in a dramatic film. Bandleader, conductor and alto sax player John Dankworth would also make a cameo appearance in Joseph Losey's The Servant in 1963.

If you look closely at the partygoers grooving to the music of the famous musicians on display in All Night Long, you might spot Carol White, Italian actress Gabriella Licudi and Tony award winning dancer/choreographer Geoffrey Holder. White enjoyed brief critical acclaim for her breakthrough role in Ken Loach's Poor Cow (1967). Licudi has enjoyed decorative parts in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), The Liquidator (1965) and Casino Royale (1967). Holder is probably best known for his appearance as Baron Samedi in the James Bond adventure, Live and Let Die (1973).

Cinematographer Edward Scaife has filmed a number of memorable British and American productions over the years, from cult B-movies such as Night of the Demon (1957, aka Curse of the Demon) and Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959) to big-budget features such as The Dirty Dozen (1967) and three for director John Huston, including The Kremlin Letter (1970).

Other film adaptations of Shakespeare's Othello include O (2001), which is set in a high school and stars Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett and Julie Stiles, a 1995 adaptation starring Laurence Fishburne, Orson Welles'The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1952), a 1965 version with Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith, and a well-regarded silent German version in 1922, directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki.

by Jeff Stafford

SOURCES:
The Memory of All That by Betsy Blair (Alfred A. Knopf)
Patrick McGoohan: Danger Man or Prisoner? by Roger Langley (Tomahawk)
www.afi.com
www.screenonline.org.uk
IMDB

In the Know (All Night Long) - TRIVIA

Basil Dearden, the director of All Night Long, toiled in Great Britain's B-movie industry for years until he won acclaim in 1958 for the crime drama Sapphire, which was nominated for four BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards and won the Best Picture prize. After Sapphire, Dearden was promoted to A pictures and turned out such notable films as the heist thriller The League of Gentlemen (1960), Woman of Straw (1964) with Sean Connery, Ralph Richardson and Gina Lollobrigida, and Khartoum (1966) starring Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier. All Night Long was made between Dearden's controversial melodrama Victim (1961) with Dirk Bogarde as a lawyer hunting blackmailers who prey on closeted gay men and Life for Ruth (1962, aka Walk in the Shadow). Screenwriter Paul Jarrico, who co-wrote the screenplay for All Night Long under the pseudonym Peter Achilles, had been blacklisted by Hollywood since the early fifties due to his ties to "subversive" organizations as classified by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Jarrico, who previously received a Best Writing Oscar® nomination for Tom Dick and Harry in 1941, didn't return to using his real name in film credits until 1968 with the French film, The Day the Hot Line Got Hot starring Charles Boyer, Robert Taylor and Marie Dubois. All Night Long also featured the involvement of another victim of the Hollywood Blacklist, actress Betsy Blair. Her film career in the U.S. ended after she received a Best Actress Oscar® nomination for Marty in 1955. Shortly thereafter, she was blacklisted as a leftist sympathizer and relocated to Europe for film work, appearing in such offbeat features as Michelangelo Antonioni's Il Grido (1957) and Francesco Maselli's I Delfini (1960). Blair had previously starred in a 1955 television production of Othello directed by Tony Richardson and played the part of Bianca. In All Night Long, Dearden's modern adaptation of Othello, Blair was cast as Emily, a character who didn't exist in the Shakespeare play, but Maria Velasco ended up playing the part modeled on Bianca, now named Benny. At the time he made All Night Long, Patrick McGoohan was not yet a well-known actor in America or a major star in his own country though he had previously appeared in the popular TV series, Danger Man (1960-1961). McGoohan's film career took an upward swing in 1963 when he appeared in the made-for-TV movie The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, broadcast on "The Wonderful World of Disney." He would follow that with a starring role in the Disney family drama, The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964). McGoohan would go on to achieve cult status for his appearance in the sci-fi TV series, The Prisoner (1967-1968). Othello obviously had a strong impact on McGoohan because he would later direct the film version of Catch My Soul (1974), a rock musical based on the Shakespeare play. The film starred musician Richie Havens in the Othello part and would be McGoohan's only attempt at directing a feature film. Paul Harris made his film debut as Aurelius Rex in All Night Long but only appeared in a few random television episodes after that with 1965 marking his last on-screen appearance. Marti Stevens, who was said to be a protégé of Marlene Dietrich, plays the Desdemona character in All Night Long, now called Delia Lane. It was her first major starring role in a film but for the rest of her career she worked mostly in television with the made-for-TV movie The Day the Bubble Burst (1982) her last screen credit to date. Keith Michell, a South Australian actor who later starred in many London stage plays and became a popular screen actor in England, plays the part of Cass Michaels in All Night Long, a character inspired by Cassio in Shakespeare's Othello. He later became a popular recurring character on TV's Murder, She Wrote. Richard Attenborough was still a well-regarded character actor at the time he made All Night Long which he would follow up with strong performances in the World War II epic, The Great Escape (1963), Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) and The Sand Pebbles (1966), which won him a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe award. He began to focus on directing movies in 1969, beginning with Oh! What a Lovely War, but continued to accept acting roles and is still working. All Night Long marks the only time that jazz musicians Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus appear as themselves in a dramatic film. Bandleader, conductor and alto sax player John Dankworth would also make a cameo appearance in Joseph Losey's The Servant in 1963. If you look closely at the partygoers grooving to the music of the famous musicians on display in All Night Long, you might spot Carol White, Italian actress Gabriella Licudi and Tony award winning dancer/choreographer Geoffrey Holder. White enjoyed brief critical acclaim for her breakthrough role in Ken Loach's Poor Cow (1967). Licudi has enjoyed decorative parts in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), The Liquidator (1965) and Casino Royale (1967). Holder is probably best known for his appearance as Baron Samedi in the James Bond adventure, Live and Let Die (1973). Cinematographer Edward Scaife has filmed a number of memorable British and American productions over the years, from cult B-movies such as Night of the Demon (1957, aka Curse of the Demon) and Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959) to big-budget features such as The Dirty Dozen (1967) and three for director John Huston, including The Kremlin Letter (1970). Other film adaptations of Shakespeare's Othello include O (2001), which is set in a high school and stars Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett and Julie Stiles, a 1995 adaptation starring Laurence Fishburne, Orson Welles'The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1952), a 1965 version with Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith, and a well-regarded silent German version in 1922, directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki. by Jeff Stafford SOURCES: The Memory of All That by Betsy Blair (Alfred A. Knopf) Patrick McGoohan: Danger Man or Prisoner? by Roger Langley (Tomahawk) www.afi.com www.screenonline.org.uk IMDB

Yea or Nay (All Night Long) - CRITIC REVIEWS OF "ALL NIGHT LONG"

August 20, 2008

"Basil Dearden's neglected 1961 British film tells the story of Othello in jazz terms...Among the musical highlights is a rare duet by Charles Mingus and Dave Brubeck; among the other musicians are John Dankworth and Tubby Hayes. A rare treat for jazz buffs."
- Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

"All Night Long (1961) is a real curiosity.. big pull for jazz fans is the sheer wealth of talent jamming their way through the night, from some hardcore bongo playing to the cool piano vibes of Dave Brubeck, complete with Buddy Holly specs and amateur dramatic credentials...Without the presence of McGoohan this could so easily have spiralled into tedium, but each conniving evil twist is a delight to watch...An oddity to be sure, but a fascinating one, even for those whose taste in music doesn't swing to jazz. Man. It's like a beat scene Jools Holland show with a plot full of intrigue, jealousy and rivalry."
- Colin Odell & Michelle le Blanc, Kamera.co.uk

"If you have to pick one from the film fake book, this is it, daddy-o...What unfolds are the lyrics from Othello with some new accompanying chords...William K. Everson, wrote, "The music is the thing." And All Night Long is long on the lineup, including Charles Mingus in his first film appearance, along with Dave Brubeck on piano, Johnny Dankworth on sax, and drummer Allan Ganley, who taught McGoohan how to terrorize the tom-toms. These guys are not just on the soundtrack, but in the scene, rolling out cool jams as Aurelius gets the axe."
Steve Seid, University of California, Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive

"Cheeky updating of Othello with jazz accompaniment, played a shade too grimly by an excellent cast. An interesting misfire."
- Halliwell's Film & Video Guide

"Who ever thought Patrick McGoohan, the phlegmatic star of 'Danger Man' and 'The Prisoner', would give vent to his ruinous self-loathing with a rattling drum solo? Or that Richard Attenborough would be called upon to meet and greet the greats of post-war jazz with a cheery, "hey cats!", then slope off for a crafty joint? Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck and Johnny Dankworth were all persuaded to leave the smoky dives of Soho for Pinewood to appear in this vanished curio by Victim [1961] director Basil Dearden, which is essentially one long jam session through which weaves an earnestly melodramatic thriller."
- Jon Fortgang, Channel 4 Film

"Jazz meets Shakespeare in a pre-swinging London - that's All Night Long. In fact, if you're a fan of classic jazz, this is pretty much an essential document of the era, featuring the likes of Dave Brubeck, Johnny Dankworth, Tubby Hayes, Charlie Mingus and a host of other names from the day, all jamming away in the background of the main plot.
- Cinedelica (http://www.cinedelica.com/2007/04/dvd_review_all_.html)

"Much disparaged by the Monthly Film Bulletin in 1962, from today's perspective All Night Long is an enjoyable curio: a not entirely successful but nonetheless entertaining attempt at restaging Shakespeare's Othello in the context of a fashionable London jazz party hosted by wealthy proto-yuppie Richard Attenborough, who appears to have anticipated the fashion for converting Docklands warehouses into loft apartments by a good two or three decades...The performances are generally convincing, though the nearly forty-year-old Attenborough's attempt at portraying a youthful finger-snapping hipster will never go down as one of his finest hours, and the dialogue is more than somewhat contrived ("Oh baby, you're huffin' and you're puffin' over nothin'!"). But Patrick McGoohan is a suitably malevolent Johnny Cousin, in reckless pursuit of his doomed dreams, while Paul Harris' Aurelius Rex is a fine study in wounded dignity. Probably wisely, little attempt is made at involving the real-life musicians in the main story, though they acquit themselves well with what little dialogue they're given."
- Michael Brooke, Granda International (http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/439560/)

"A ludicrous combination of Othello and jazz jamboree that falls flat on both counts."
- David Meeker, Jazz in the Movies

Compiled by Jeff Stafford

Yea or Nay (All Night Long) - CRITIC REVIEWS OF "ALL NIGHT LONG"

"Basil Dearden's neglected 1961 British film tells the story of Othello in jazz terms...Among the musical highlights is a rare duet by Charles Mingus and Dave Brubeck; among the other musicians are John Dankworth and Tubby Hayes. A rare treat for jazz buffs." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader "All Night Long (1961) is a real curiosity.. big pull for jazz fans is the sheer wealth of talent jamming their way through the night, from some hardcore bongo playing to the cool piano vibes of Dave Brubeck, complete with Buddy Holly specs and amateur dramatic credentials...Without the presence of McGoohan this could so easily have spiralled into tedium, but each conniving evil twist is a delight to watch...An oddity to be sure, but a fascinating one, even for those whose taste in music doesn't swing to jazz. Man. It's like a beat scene Jools Holland show with a plot full of intrigue, jealousy and rivalry." - Colin Odell & Michelle le Blanc, Kamera.co.uk "If you have to pick one from the film fake book, this is it, daddy-o...What unfolds are the lyrics from Othello with some new accompanying chords...William K. Everson, wrote, "The music is the thing." And All Night Long is long on the lineup, including Charles Mingus in his first film appearance, along with Dave Brubeck on piano, Johnny Dankworth on sax, and drummer Allan Ganley, who taught McGoohan how to terrorize the tom-toms. These guys are not just on the soundtrack, but in the scene, rolling out cool jams as Aurelius gets the axe." Steve Seid, University of California, Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive "Cheeky updating of Othello with jazz accompaniment, played a shade too grimly by an excellent cast. An interesting misfire." - Halliwell's Film & Video Guide "Who ever thought Patrick McGoohan, the phlegmatic star of 'Danger Man' and 'The Prisoner', would give vent to his ruinous self-loathing with a rattling drum solo? Or that Richard Attenborough would be called upon to meet and greet the greats of post-war jazz with a cheery, "hey cats!", then slope off for a crafty joint? Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck and Johnny Dankworth were all persuaded to leave the smoky dives of Soho for Pinewood to appear in this vanished curio by Victim [1961] director Basil Dearden, which is essentially one long jam session through which weaves an earnestly melodramatic thriller." - Jon Fortgang, Channel 4 Film "Jazz meets Shakespeare in a pre-swinging London - that's All Night Long. In fact, if you're a fan of classic jazz, this is pretty much an essential document of the era, featuring the likes of Dave Brubeck, Johnny Dankworth, Tubby Hayes, Charlie Mingus and a host of other names from the day, all jamming away in the background of the main plot. - Cinedelica (http://www.cinedelica.com/2007/04/dvd_review_all_.html) "Much disparaged by the Monthly Film Bulletin in 1962, from today's perspective All Night Long is an enjoyable curio: a not entirely successful but nonetheless entertaining attempt at restaging Shakespeare's Othello in the context of a fashionable London jazz party hosted by wealthy proto-yuppie Richard Attenborough, who appears to have anticipated the fashion for converting Docklands warehouses into loft apartments by a good two or three decades...The performances are generally convincing, though the nearly forty-year-old Attenborough's attempt at portraying a youthful finger-snapping hipster will never go down as one of his finest hours, and the dialogue is more than somewhat contrived ("Oh baby, you're huffin' and you're puffin' over nothin'!"). But Patrick McGoohan is a suitably malevolent Johnny Cousin, in reckless pursuit of his doomed dreams, while Paul Harris' Aurelius Rex is a fine study in wounded dignity. Probably wisely, little attempt is made at involving the real-life musicians in the main story, though they acquit themselves well with what little dialogue they're given." - Michael Brooke, Granda International (http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/439560/) "A ludicrous combination of Othello and jazz jamboree that falls flat on both counts." - David Meeker, Jazz in the Movies Compiled by Jeff Stafford

All Night Long

October 8, 2010

Jazz hipster and entrepreneur Rodney Hamilton (Richard Attenborough) is throwing a surprise anniversary bash at his spacious East End loft for black pianist/band leader Aurelius Rex (Paul Harris) and his Caucasian wife Delia (Marti Stevens), who gave up a promising career as an acclaimed jazz vocalist. The couple are celebrating one year of marriage and still deeply in love but trouble is brewing. Johnnie Cousin (Patrick McGoohan), the drummer in Rex's band, sees the party as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for his master plan - to break away from Rex, form a band of his own, acquire Rodney as his financier/promoter, and lure Delia back into the limelight as his featured vocalist. As the evening progresses and the party starts to swing, Johnnie begins dividing and conquering Rex's close knit entourage with false intimations of Delia's infidelity with Cass (Keith Michell), Rex's close friend and band manager. The lies and misunderstandings pile up, poisoning the atmosphere and driving Rex into a jealous rage until he....

If all of this sounds a bit familiar, it should be. Except for the contemporary setting, All Night Long is a variation on William Shakespeare's Othello with the Moor of Venice now the hottest thing going in the London jazz scene. The dialogue, however, is not from the Bard's pen but more in keeping with the beatnik and Behop slang of the period ("Oh baby, you're huffin' and you're puffin' over nothin'"). Released in England in 1961, the film was unfairly maligned by many British critics who were Shakespeare purists and dismissed All Night Long as a travesty of the original with a "happy" ending - sacrilege! - and the added gimmick of featuring such well known jazz artists as Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck and John Dankworth. Gimmick or not, the movie is worth a look if only for the exhilarating musical numbers and a rare look at Mingus and Brubeck in their only appearance in a dramatic film. Even more compelling is Patrick McGoohan's frenzied, hyperactive performance as the scheming sociopath Johnnie Cousin.

Director Basil Dearden, who had just completed the controversial, gay-themed melodrama Victim (1961) starring Dirk Bogarde, treats All Night Long as a film noir and builds the tension slowly and tautly until it explodes in the inevitable violent climax. Edward Scaife's cinematography perfectly exploits the multi-leveled spaciousness of Attenborough's Docklands warehouse loft as a playground for the characters' emotions to run wild. The film also anticipates by two or three decades the redevelopment of this section of London's East End into fashionable lofts and shops.

All Night Long is also notable for a screenplay by Paul Jarrico (using the pseudonym Peter Achilles here) and for featuring Betsy Blair in a supporting role, both of whom had been recently blacklisted by the American film industry as communist sympathizers.

This certainly wasn't the first time a Shakespeare play was reimagined and updated for modern tastes; MacBeth had been retooled as the gangster melodrama Joe MacBeth in 1955 and The Taming of the Shrew provided the basis for the musical romance Kiss Me Kate in 1953 to name a few. All Night Long is certainly one of the more entertaining attempts to place a fifteenth century play in a modern context and no mere novelty. Patrick McGoohan obviously felt a strong connection to the play since he agreed to make his directorial film debut a decade later with Catch My Soul (1974), a rock 'n' roll musical version of Othello starring Richie Havens, Tony Joe White, Delaney & Bonnie, and Billy Joe Royal.

Producers: Michael Relph, Bob Roberts
Director: Basil Dearden
Screenplay: Nel King, Paul Jarrico (originally as Peter Achilles); William Shakespeare (play "Othello" uncredited)
Cinematography: Edward Scaife
Art Direction: Ray Simm
Music: Philip Green
Film Editing: John D. Guthridge
Cast: Patrick McGoohan (Johnnie Cousin), Keith Michell (Cass Michaels), Betsy Blair (Emily), Paul Harris (Aurelius Rex), Marti Stevens (Delia Lane), Richard Attenborough (Rod Hamilton), Bernard Braden (Lou Berger), Harry Towb (Phales), Maria Velasco (Benny), Dave Brubeck (piano), John Dankworth (alto sax), Charles Mingus (bass), Bert Courtley (trumpet), Keith Christie (trombone), Ray Dempsey (guitar), Allan Ganley (drums), Tubby Hayes (tenor sax and vibes), Barry Morgan (bongos), Kenny Napper (bass), Colin Purbrook (piano), John Scott (alto sax and flute).
BW-113m.

by Jeff Stafford

All Night Long

Jazz hipster and entrepreneur Rodney Hamilton (Richard Attenborough) is throwing a surprise anniversary bash at his spacious East End loft for black pianist/band leader Aurelius Rex (Paul Harris) and his Caucasian wife Delia (Marti Stevens), who gave up a promising career as an acclaimed jazz vocalist. The couple are celebrating one year of marriage and still deeply in love but trouble is brewing. Johnnie Cousin (Patrick McGoohan), the drummer in Rex's band, sees the party as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for his master plan - to break away from Rex, form a band of his own, acquire Rodney as his financier/promoter, and lure Delia back into the limelight as his featured vocalist. As the evening progresses and the party starts to swing, Johnnie begins dividing and conquering Rex's close knit entourage with false intimations of Delia's infidelity with Cass (Keith Michell), Rex's close friend and band manager. The lies and misunderstandings pile up, poisoning the atmosphere and driving Rex into a jealous rage until he.... If all of this sounds a bit familiar, it should be. Except for the contemporary setting, All Night Long is a variation on William Shakespeare's Othello with the Moor of Venice now the hottest thing going in the London jazz scene. The dialogue, however, is not from the Bard's pen but more in keeping with the beatnik and Behop slang of the period ("Oh baby, you're huffin' and you're puffin' over nothin'"). Released in England in 1961, the film was unfairly maligned by many British critics who were Shakespeare purists and dismissed All Night Long as a travesty of the original with a "happy" ending - sacrilege! - and the added gimmick of featuring such well known jazz artists as Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck and John Dankworth. Gimmick or not, the movie is worth a look if only for the exhilarating musical numbers and a rare look at Mingus and Brubeck in their only appearance in a dramatic film. Even more compelling is Patrick McGoohan's frenzied, hyperactive performance as the scheming sociopath Johnnie Cousin. Director Basil Dearden, who had just completed the controversial, gay-themed melodrama Victim (1961) starring Dirk Bogarde, treats All Night Long as a film noir and builds the tension slowly and tautly until it explodes in the inevitable violent climax. Edward Scaife's cinematography perfectly exploits the multi-leveled spaciousness of Attenborough's Docklands warehouse loft as a playground for the characters' emotions to run wild. The film also anticipates by two or three decades the redevelopment of this section of London's East End into fashionable lofts and shops. All Night Long is also notable for a screenplay by Paul Jarrico (using the pseudonym Peter Achilles here) and for featuring Betsy Blair in a supporting role, both of whom had been recently blacklisted by the American film industry as communist sympathizers. This certainly wasn't the first time a Shakespeare play was reimagined and updated for modern tastes; MacBeth had been retooled as the gangster melodrama Joe MacBeth in 1955 and The Taming of the Shrew provided the basis for the musical romance Kiss Me Kate in 1953 to name a few. All Night Long is certainly one of the more entertaining attempts to place a fifteenth century play in a modern context and no mere novelty. Patrick McGoohan obviously felt a strong connection to the play since he agreed to make his directorial film debut a decade later with Catch My Soul (1974), a rock 'n' roll musical version of Othello starring Richie Havens, Tony Joe White, Delaney & Bonnie, and Billy Joe Royal. Producers: Michael Relph, Bob Roberts Director: Basil Dearden Screenplay: Nel King, Paul Jarrico (originally as Peter Achilles); William Shakespeare (play "Othello" uncredited) Cinematography: Edward Scaife Art Direction: Ray Simm Music: Philip Green Film Editing: John D. Guthridge Cast: Patrick McGoohan (Johnnie Cousin), Keith Michell (Cass Michaels), Betsy Blair (Emily), Paul Harris (Aurelius Rex), Marti Stevens (Delia Lane), Richard Attenborough (Rod Hamilton), Bernard Braden (Lou Berger), Harry Towb (Phales), Maria Velasco (Benny), Dave Brubeck (piano), John Dankworth (alto sax), Charles Mingus (bass), Bert Courtley (trumpet), Keith Christie (trombone), Ray Dempsey (guitar), Allan Ganley (drums), Tubby Hayes (tenor sax and vibes), Barry Morgan (bongos), Kenny Napper (bass), Colin Purbrook (piano), John Scott (alto sax and flute). BW-113m. by Jeff Stafford

Quote It (All Night Long) - QUOTES FROM "ALL NIGHT LONG"

August 20, 2008

Musician (as he enters Rodney Hamilton's loft): Wow! This is Spook City.
Girl Groupie: I don't like it. It's weird.

Girl Groupie: What is this?
Musician: Haven't you heard honey? Jazz is noisy. You can't have an all night session in Mayfair.
Party guest: Oh, I get it. Amateur night!

Benny: You left your horn in my room baby. I found it under the bed. Cass: Aren't you the thorough little housekeeper? What city was that in?

Delia: I found out what I really am. A domestic animal.
Johnny: Beautiful housecat!

Johnny: I made all of these plans, all of them, because of you.
Delia: Johnny, I like you but don't talk to me like this ever again.

Emily (talking to Delia about her husband Johnny): He sometimes stays up all night trying to figure things out. Nothing ever works.

Johnny (to Cass): Don't tell the boss I turned you on.

Aurelius (to Johnny): I'd really like to know what you're talking about. Did I miss a sentence?
Cass: The pressure's on. I'm back in panicsville.

Aurelius (to Johnny): Drop that Sherlock Holmes bit. That hat looks funny on you.

Aurelius: Delia! Delia! What are you?
Delia: What am I? Why I'm your wife. That's what I am.
Aurelius: If you ever crossed me, I don't know what I'd do.

Quote It (All Night Long) - QUOTES FROM "ALL NIGHT LONG"

Musician (as he enters Rodney Hamilton's loft): Wow! This is Spook City. Girl Groupie: I don't like it. It's weird. Girl Groupie: What is this? Musician: Haven't you heard honey? Jazz is noisy. You can't have an all night session in Mayfair. Party guest: Oh, I get it. Amateur night! Benny: You left your horn in my room baby. I found it under the bed. Cass: Aren't you the thorough little housekeeper? What city was that in? Delia: I found out what I really am. A domestic animal. Johnny: Beautiful housecat! Johnny: I made all of these plans, all of them, because of you. Delia: Johnny, I like you but don't talk to me like this ever again. Emily (talking to Delia about her husband Johnny): He sometimes stays up all night trying to figure things out. Nothing ever works. Johnny (to Cass): Don't tell the boss I turned you on. Aurelius (to Johnny): I'd really like to know what you're talking about. Did I miss a sentence? Cass: The pressure's on. I'm back in panicsville. Aurelius (to Johnny): Drop that Sherlock Holmes bit. That hat looks funny on you. Aurelius: Delia! Delia! What are you? Delia: What am I? Why I'm your wife. That's what I am. Aurelius: If you ever crossed me, I don't know what I'd do.

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

Peter Achilles was the pseudonym for screenwriter Paul Jarrico, who had been blacklisted. In 1998, The Writers Guild of America West restored Jarrico's credit for this film and three others. Opened in London in February 1962; running time: 95 min. Drummer Allan Ganley dubs for Patrick McGoohan.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States Spring April 17, 1963

Released in United States Spring April 17, 1963

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