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Clash by Night Overview:

Clash by Night (1952) was a Film Noir - Drama Film directed by Fritz Lang and produced by Jerry Wald, Norman Krasna and Harriet Parsons.

SYNOPSIS

Bruised by city life, Mae Doyle (Stanwyck) returns to the safe haven of her hometown, a small fishing community. There she finds comfort in the arms of a loving fisherman whom she marries; but before too long Mae has thrown herself into another, more passionate affair with a bitter, angry man. She willingly abandons her husband and child to pursue this romance, only to discover that her homecoming has permanently altered her view of the world and finds she would gladly return to her husband if he can ever forgive her. Steamy potboiler based on Odets's play abetted by Lang and terrific performance by Stanwyck.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Clash by Night BlogHub Articles:

Marilyn: Behind the Icon - Clash by Night

By Gary Vitacco-Robles on Jun 15, 2020 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

CRKO’s Clash By Night, Marilyn Monroe’s thirteenth film, opens with a dramatic soundtrack as waves crash against coastal rocks, director Fritz Lang’s metaphor for the sexual tension to follow. Worldly but weary Mae Doyle (Barbara Stanwyck) returns home to a small fishing village after ... Read full article

Clash By Night (1952)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Nov 24, 2018 From 4 Star Films

Clash By Night comes from a stage play by Clifford Odetts and in one sense it’s extremely evident. However, being blessed by a still capable director in Fritz Lang and bolstered by quality talent does wonders for this squallish RKO drama. The portentous symbolism of Lang is on full display fr... Read full article

Clash by Night (1952) – with Barbara Stanwyck and Paul Douglas

By Greg Orypeck on May 19, 2016 From Classic Film Freak

Share This! A full-throttle tale of raw passions and gut emotions. Although Clash by Night opens like a documentary and has certain characteristics of film noir, it is neither, though their absence is a poor excuse to avoid seeing this somewhat obscure film, well-acted, the script being its weakes... Read full article

Clash by Night (1952)

By Beatrice on Sep 28, 2015 From Flickers in Time

Clash by Night Directed by Fritz Lang Written by Alfred Hayes from a play by Clifford Odets 1952/USA RKO Radio Pictures; Wald/Krasna Productions First viewing/Amazon Instant Earl Pfeiffer: [Sardonically] Since I got my divorce. If you did not know, you would never guess that Fritz Lang had direct... Read full article

Backlots at Noir City: THE THIN MAN (1934) and CLASH BY NIGHT (1950)

By Lara on Jan 23, 2015 From Backlots

As a proud Barbara Stanwyck aficionado, I was thrilled when Noir City 13 reached its halfway point on Wednesday night with a screening of two Barbara Stanwyck dramas from the 1950s–Clash By Night (1950) and Crime of Passion (1957). As both are films that I have seen before (I’ve seen 67 ... Read full article

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Clash by Night Quotes:

Earl Pfeiffer: Love is rotten when it happens like this - the hard way. But we want each other, this is the fire we have to walk through, because this is forever, Mae.
Mae Doyle D'Amato: Forever?
Earl Pfeiffer: Or until he sticks a knife in me, or you walk out.
Mae Doyle D'Amato: How could I walk out?
Earl Pfeiffer: And do the next thing, get away from here. If you have a dream, live it. If you have a hope, chase it.
Uncle Vince: Nobody wants kids around... they clutter up the house.
Jerry D'Amato: I'm real glad you came back home Mae.
Mae Doyle D'Amato: Why?
Jerry D'Amato: I like you - you know that.
Mae Doyle D'Amato: You don't know anything about me. What kind of an animal am I? Do I have fangs? Do I purr? What jungle am I from? You don't know a thing about me.
[Peggy watches as Mae leaves to meet Earl]
Joe Doyle: [to Peggy] Maybe you'd like to go with her.
Peggy: Maybe.
Joe Doyle: That ring on your finger - what'd you put it there for? A decoration?
Peggy: She has a right to do what she wants to if she's in love.
Joe Doyle: In love! Listen to me, blondie. The woman I marry, she don't take me on a wait and see basis. I ain't a dress she's bringin' home from the store to see if it fits and if it don't, back it goes. In my book marriage is a two-way proposition: you're just as much responsible as I am. So, that little eye is gonna roam... if what you think is Joe's alright until somethin' better comes along... honey, you better take another streetcar. Well, what's it gonna be?
[she starts to cry and hugs him tight]
Earl Pfeiffer: Mae - what do you *really* think of me?
Mae Doyle D'Amato: [coolly] You impress me as a man who needs a new suit of clothes or a new love affair - but he doesn't know which.
Earl Pfeiffer: [stung] You can't make me any smaller. I happen to be pre-shrunk.
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Clash by Night Facts
Shot in 1951, not released until 1952.
As this was one of Marilyn Monroe's first starring roles, she was still under an acting coach and wanted her on the set to help her in scenes. She would stand behind director Fritz Lang and tell her when a scene was good enough, as opposed to listening to Lang, and when the director saw what was doing on he got furious and demanded she leave the set (at the time this coach also worked for 20th Century Fox). After Monroe complained and wouldn't act without her, Lang allowed the coach to return to the set, on the condition that she not direct Monroe.
When Mae and Jerry are in the movies, Mae tells him "this is where we came in" and they walk out. It was common in the 1950s for viewers to walk in during a picture, watch it till the end and then wait for the picture to play again and leave when it gets to the part they came into the theater.
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