One Rainy Afternoon (1936)

One Rainy Afternoon (1936)

starring Francis Lederer, Ida Lupino

directed by Rowland V. Lee

80 minutes

One rainy afternoon in Paris, struggling actor Philippe Martin (Francis Lederer) goes to the theater with Yvonne, his lover. She doesn't want to be seen with him because she is married so he agrees to meet her in the theater after the lights go down. There is a mix up and Phillipe winds up in seat 99 instead of seat 66. He kisses the woman sitting next to him, Monique Pelerin (Ida Lupino), thinking that she is Yvonne. Monique makes enough noise about it that the lights come up in the theater, the movie is stopped, and Philippe gets arrested.

Philippe becomes something of a cause célèbre but he is put on trial and sentenced to three days in jail unless he is willing to pay a fine of 1000 francs. Philippe doesn't have that kind of money. Monique's family has money. Her father is the publisher of a newspaper. She just want the story to go away (which has made the front pages) and pays the fine for him in the hopes that it will.

Monique isn't interested in pursuing a relationship with Philippe. She is already engaged to Count Alfredo Donstelli but she finds herself spending time with Philippe at the ice skating rink as he slowly repays the money 1,000 francs that she paid.

A second incident gets Philippe sent to jail after a picture is published of him kissing Yvonne. Monique has no pity for him at first but after the owner of theater where Philippe works and Philippe's friend Toto argue his case first to Monique and her father and then to the authorities they get him released in time for his first big performance since he first kissed Monique.

Thoughts

This film needs to be restored. I watched it on Prime Video. It is watchable but the picture is a little fuzzy.

This film is a light mix of romance, comedy, and music. Is it fun? Yes. Is it great? No, but I don't think it was striving to be anything other than a light comedy.

Notes

This is the first thing I have seen in which Francis Lederer appeared. He also appeared in one episode each of Kraft Suspense Theatre and Night Gallery.

This film is the earliest thing I have seen in which Ida Lupino appeared. I've seen her in five other films in recent years but the most recent thing that I've watched (in which she appeared) was an episode of The Twilight Zone (1959), 1.04 The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine.

There are a few actors in small parts in this film that I have seen in other things: Donald Meek, Billy Gilbert, and Mischa Auer.