Girl of the Night 1960

Drama

Runtime

93 mins

Language

English

Directed by

Joseph Cates

Made by

Warner Bros. Pictures

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Girl of the Night Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Girl of the Night (1960). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

A taxi driver picks up a woman running through the streets. The woman is Robin “Bobbie” Williams, Anne Francis, and because she appears injured, she is taken to see Dr. Mitchell, Lloyd Nolan in her apartment building, even though he is a psychologist.

Reluctantly, she reveals to Dr. Mitchell that she is a high-priced call girl. Bobbie agrees to a few sessions with the doctor and tells her story.

Her boyfriend, Larry Taylor, John Kerr, was supposed to protect Bobbie on a job. Instead he sits in a bar flirting with a young woman named Lisa Mae Bailey, Eileen Fulton, while an elderly john named Dan Shelton, Lauren Gilbert, repeatedly strikes Bobbie with a cane.

Rowena Claiborne, Kay Medford, who arranges “dates” for the prostitutes, persuades Lisa Mae Bailey to join Bobbie on a night out with two wealthy clients. One of the men, Jason Franklin, Arthur Storch, claims to be offended when he discovers that these women are hookers. He intimidates Lisa, who recoils from him and falls through a window to her death.

Rather than sympathize, Larry is angry at Bobbie for costing them future earnings with Rowena. He physically assaults her. Bobbie is ashamed of her life and finds a job as a file clerk, hoping that no one in her office will discover the truth about her past.

Girl of the Night Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Girl of the Night (1960) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Taxi pickup

A taxi driver picks up Robin 'Bobbie' Williams as she runs through the streets, and her injuries are obvious enough to prompt help. The driver takes her toward safety, setting a tone of danger surrounding her. The ride begins the sequence of events that will unfold through the night.

City streets

Visit to Dr. Mitchell

Bobbie is brought to see Dr. Mitchell in her apartment building, though he is a psychologist. The session starts with caution as she tests how much she can trust him. The setting begins the framework for her confession and the exploration of her past.

Dr. Mitchell's office in Bobbie's apartment building

Bobbie reveals profession

During the session, Bobbie admits she is a high-priced call girl. She explains the risks and the emotional toll of her line of work. The admission marks a turning point from general fear to a personal, detailed confession.

Dr. Mitchell's office

Agreeing to sessions

Bobbie agrees to a few therapy sessions with Dr. Mitchell and begins recounting her life. She shares memories and experiences, moving back and forth between work and fear. The sessions become the primary conduit for her backstory.

Dr. Mitchell's office

Larry's bar flirtation

Larry Taylor, Bobbie's boyfriend, is supposed to protect her on a job but spends the evening flirting with another woman in a bar. His selfish behavior hints at the strain and danger surrounding Bobbie's life. The scene foreshadows the eventual conflict between them.

Bar

Assault on Bobbie

An elderly john named Shelton assaults Bobbie during a date, repeatedly striking her with a cane. The violence underscores the physical danger of her work and the vulnerability she faces. The attack deepens her sense of shame and fear.

On a prostitution assignment

Rowena's agency

Rowena Claiborne runs the agency that arranges dates for the prostitutes. She persuades Lisa to join Bobbie on a night out with two wealthy clients. The setup brings the women into a high-stakes social scenario with dangerous potential.

Rowena's agency

Night out with clients

Bobbie and Lisa go out with two wealthy clients for a night of dates. The atmosphere treats the women as commodities, and expectations quickly grow hazardous. Tensions rise as the evening unfolds toward a brutal confrontation.

Nightlife venue / city streets

Jason Franklin's intimidation

Jason Franklin, one of the clients, reveals hostility when he discovers the women are prostitutes and tries to control Lisa. He intimidates her, demonstrating the predatory side of their situation. Lisa recoils as the power dynamics become deadly.

Night out location

Lisa's death

During the tense encounter, Lisa recoils and falls through a window to her death. The incident exposes the lethal consequences hidden behind the glamour of the clients' world. The night spirals into tragedy, leaving the survivors shaken.

Building/window area

Larry's anger and assault

Larry reacts with rage, blaming Bobbie for bringing trouble and jeopardizing their earnings with Rowena. He physically assaults her, illustrating the violence that underpins their relationship. This act deepens Bobbie's shame and fear about her past.

Bobbie's home

Bobbie starts a new life

Feeling ashamed of her past, Bobbie finds a job as a file clerk to keep her history hidden. She hopes that no one in her new workplace will discover the truth about her life. The career change signals a turn toward anonymity and restraint.

Office

Girl of the Night Characters

Explore all characters from Girl of the Night (1960). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Dr. Mitchell (Lloyd Nolan)

A psychologist who treats Bobbie after she is found injured. He listens through sessions and tries to guide her toward understanding her life, balancing professional distance with empathy. His perspective provides a clinical lens on the emotional consequences of prostitution and trauma.

🧠 Psychology 🗣️ Confidentiality 🩺 Therapist

Robin 'Bobbie' Williams (Anne Francis)

A high-priced call girl who narrates her life to Dr. Mitchell. She is ashamed of her past and seeks a path away from prostitution, even as she remains entangled with Rowena and Larry. Her experiences illuminate the tension between survival and dignity.

💄 Prostitution 🧭 Identity 🌙 Nightlife

Larry Taylor (John Kerr)

Bobbie's volatile boyfriend who appears to protect her but is driven by jealousy and control. He abandons responsibility when it suits him and escalates to physical violence against Bobbie. His behavior demonstrates the danger and volatility surrounding their lifestyle.

💢 Abuser 🎭 Jealousy 🗝️ Instability

Rowena Claiborne (Kay Medford)

She arranges dates for the prostitutes and directs risks for the women, pressuring Lisa to join in a night out for wealthy clients. She is calculating and profit-driven, shaping events behind the scenes. Her manipulation fuels the tragedy that unfolds.

💼 Pimp/Manager 🎭 Manipulation 🗝️ Control

Lisa Mae Bailey (Eileen Fulton)

A fellow prostitute who agrees to join Bobbie but becomes a target of the night’s violence. She resists Jason Franklin's advances, and her death from the fall through a window highlights the peril of the world they inhabit. Her fate underscores the film's critique of exploitation.

💃 Prostitution ⚠️ Danger 💔 Victim

Jason Franklin Jr. (Arthur Storch)

A wealthy client who claims offense at the women's work and uses intimidation to assert control. He embodies the men who patronize the prostitution circuit and whose behavior incites danger for Bobbie and Lisa. His actions catalyze the fatal confrontation in the story.

💼 Wealth 🗡️ Intimidation 🧱 Power

Girl of the Night Settings

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Location

City streets, Dr. Mitchell's apartment building, a bar

The film unfolds in a gritty city setting, moving between busy streets and the intimate spaces of an apartment building. It centers on Bobbie's interactions with Dr. Mitchell during tense therapy sessions. The surrounding bar scenes and street corners reveal the perilous dynamics of the characters' world.

🌆 City life 🏢 Apartment building 🗺️ Street scenes

Girl of the Night Themes

Discover the main themes in Girl of the Night (1960). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🕯️

Exploitation

Rowena's business model shows how prostitution is treated as an economy, with dates arranged for clients and workers kept in line. The wealthy men treat the women as commodities, while Rowena profits from the arrangement. The film highlights how vulnerability is weaponized, blurring lines between care and coercion. Bobbie's memories of manipulation underline the moral cost of this system.

💔

Identity

Bobbie's shame about her life fuels her desire to start anew, even as the past shadows her present. Her decision to work as a file clerk signals a wish to blend into normal society and hide the truth. The therapy sessions with Dr. Mitchell force her to face who she is versus who she pretends to be.

⚖️

Violence

Violence punctuates the narrative, from Larry's aggression to Shelton's cane and Jason's intimidation. Lisa's death after a confrontation with Jason exposes the lethal stakes of their lifestyle. The film doesn't glamorize the nightlife; it shows the cost of exploitation spilling into personal relationships. These events propel Bobbie toward a fragile attempt at reinvention, framed by the ongoing threat around her.

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Girl of the Night Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Girl of the Night (1960). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

markdown In the shadowy underbelly of the city, Robin “Bobbie” Williams navigates a life defined by high-stakes encounters and profound isolation. Though she works as a high-priced call girl, Bobbie possesses a sensitive nature that sits uneasily within her chosen profession, leaving her vulnerable to the emotional toll of her nightly existence. When a distressing incident brings her into the orbit of Dr. Mitchell, a psychologist practicing in her apartment building, she reluctantly agrees to speak with him, opening a window into a world that few ever see from the inside.

The structure of Bobbie’s life is orchestrated by Rowena Claiborne, a calculating madam who arranges “dates” for the women under her charge. While Rowena presents opportunities for wealth, her influence creates a dynamic of manipulation that keeps Bobbie tethered to a life she struggles to reconcile with her true self. Complicating matters further is Larry Taylor, Bobbie’s boyfriend, who ostensibly serves as a protector but whose own ambitions and temperament cast a shadow over their relationship.

As Bobbie recounts her story to Dr. Mitchell, the narrative delves into the psychological weight of living a double life. The film explores the tension between the glamorous façade expected by wealthy clients and the gritty reality of the women who service them. It sets the stage for a character study about the search for dignity in a world that offers little sympathy, leaving the audience to wonder if a sensitive soul can survive the relentless pressures of the night.

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