The Big Night is a 1951 American Film Noir directed by Joseph Losey, and starring John Drew Barrymore (credited as "John Barrymore, Jr." in his first starring role), Preston Foster and Joan Lorring.
George La Main, just turned 17, suffers growing pains and is anxious to prove his manhood. That night, George's adored father Andy is savagely beaten by sportswriter Al Judge. Traumatized and unable to learn why it happened, George goes gunning for Judge. His mission becomes an odyssey through the town's seamy side, and his coming of age is more of a trial by fire than he bargained for.
The Big Tropes:
- A Birthday, Not a Break: On the night of his 17th birthday, George La Main goes gunning for the man who savagely beat his father: undergoing a traumatic passage into manhood in the process.
- Cane Fu: Al Judge beats George's father Andy with his cane badly enough to leave Andy laid up in bed.
- Coming of Age Story: On the night of his 17th birthday, George La Main goes gunning for the man who savagely beat his father: undergoing a traumatic passage into manhood in the process.
- Creator Cameo: Joseph Losey' assistant, future director Robert Aldrich, appears as the spectator at the boxing match who shares his whiskey with George.
- Extremely Short Timespan: As implied by the title, the film's action cover the events of one night: the night of George's 17th birthday.
- The Ghost: Andy's girlfriend Frances, whose absence at George's birthday party is commented on, even though Andy tells George not to worry about it. Her absence hangs over the film like, well, a ghost, until George learns that she is dead: Driven to Suicide by Andy's refusal to marry her.
- Gun Struggle: After confronting Judge, George decides he cannot shoot him because Judge believes his own story. As George drops the gun and turns to leave, Judge grabs it and turns it on him. The two struggle and the gun goes off, wounding Judge.
- Impersonating an Officer: At the arena, George sells his father's ticket but is accused of ticket scalping by a conman posing as a police officer, who takes the ticket money.
- Missing Mom: George is being raised by his father Andy. He believes his mother is dead, but, at the end of the film, Andy reveals that his mother had actually run off with another man. Andy had hidden the truth because he didn't want George growing up hating his mother.
- Mistaken for Racist: George is entranced by a Black singer and tries to compliment the singer as they leave, but he uses an unintentionally racist phrase that he regrets.
- Posthumous Character: Andy's girlfriend Frances, who has been missing throughout the movie is eventually revealed to have been Driven to Suicide.
- Shameful Strip: During George's 17th birthday party, influential sports columnist Al Judge, who walks with a cane, enters the bar and orders George's father Andy to strip off his shirt and kneel. Andy passively complies, and Judge savagely beats him with his cane.
- Spurned into Suicide: If Al Judge is to be believed, his sister Frances committed suicide after Andy refused to marry her.
