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Comedy drama

This Could Be the Night (1957): Cast & Plot

This Could Be the Night (1957) movie poster

This Could Be the Night is a 1957 comedy drama directed by Robert Wise, starring Jean Simmons as Anne Leeds, Paul Douglas and Anthony Franciosa. It runs 1 hour 43 minutes.

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This Could Be the Night (1957) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 43m (103 min)
Director
Robert Wise
Genres
Drama , Comedy
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is This Could Be the Night About?

The premise of This Could Be the Night without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Needing extra cash, a prim schoolteacher accepts a secretarial job for the crass owner of a noisy nightclub, unwittingly stepping into the orbit of mobsters. As she juggles her respectable classroom life with the club’s chaotic underworld, she becomes tangled in dangerous, far‑cooked schemes while trying to keep her reputation intact.

This Could Be the Night Themes & Keywords

· 7 tags
  • school
  • job
  • wise and simmons
  • wise and p. douglas
  • nightclub
  • reference to casanova
  • gangster
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Cast & crew

This Could Be the Night Cast & Characters

Jean Simmons leads the cast as Anne Leeds, with Paul Douglas as Rocco and Anthony Franciosa as Tony Armotti. Directed by Robert Wise; 24 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in This Could Be the Night

· 20 more
Show all 24 cast members
From the director

More from Robert Wise

More films directed by Robert Wise, best-rated first: The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Sound of Music, The Haunting and The Body Snatcher.

Full filmography
Plot

This Could Be the Night Plot Summary

What happens in This Could Be the Night from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 1-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Anne Leeds is a school teacher with only four weeks of experience who takes a part-time job as secretary to an ex-bootlegger and horse-playing gambler named Rocco, a Broadway nightclub owner with a heart of gold who quietly harbors a deep affection for her.

Anne finds herself drawn to his younger partner, Tony Armotti, a handsome playboy who fears commitment and the idea of marriage. Tony lives in a walkup apartment above the nightclub, with the stairs to his home tucked away in the alley behind the club, a detail that underscores the rough-edged world in which these lives intersect.

Full summary

The whole story of This Could Be the Night, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Videos

This Could Be the Night Trailers & Videos

The trailer of This Could Be the Night.

This Could Be The Night (Original Theatrical Trailer)
Quiz

How Well Do You Know This Could Be the Night?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What is Anne Leeds's profession before she takes the part-time job at the nightclub?

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FAQ

This Could Be the Night FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of This Could Be the Night, each answered in a sentence.

How long is This Could Be the Night?

This Could Be the Night runs 1 hour 43 minutes (103 minutes).

When was This Could Be the Night released?

This Could Be the Night was released on May 14, 1957.

Who directed This Could Be the Night?

This Could Be the Night was directed by Robert Wise.

More films by Robert Wise

Who is in the cast of This Could Be the Night?

This Could Be the Night stars Jean Simmons as Anne Leeds, Paul Douglas as Rocco and Anthony Franciosa as Tony Armotti, among 24 credited actors.

Does This Could Be the Night have a post-credit scene?

No. This Could Be the Night has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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