Night Must Fall | Adapted & Remade

Night Must Fall is a 1937 film adaptation of the Emlyn Williams play of the same name. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and adapted by John Van Druten. It stars Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, and Dame May Whitty. Whitty reprised her role from when the play was performed in London and in New York City. A handsome young Irishman charms his way into the household of a wealthy invalid, but her niece is suspicious of his motives.

Montgomery was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and Whitty for Best Supporting Actress.

It was remade in 1964 with the same title. It was directed by Karel Reisz from a script by Clive Exton and starred Albert Finney, Mona Washbourne, and Susan Hampshire, but was not as successful as the original film.

Night Must Fall the play was adapted into a radio play in March 1948 on the long-running radio drama series Suspense, with Robert Montgomery and Dame May Whitty reprising their original roles.

Listen to radio play...

A Broadway revival in the 1990s starring Matthew Broderick, essaying an Irish accent (as did Montgomery), rather than a Welsh one, performed respectably at the box office.