Remember the Night–The End of a Perfect Day

Just to remind you, we will repeat the introduction.

The second song was published in 1910, and eight million copies of the sheet music were sold within one year; a total of twenty-five million copies were sold during Carrie’s lifetime. It was titled “A Perfect Day,” but was widely known as “The End of a Perfect Day.” It plays a critical role in the movie, Remember the Night (1940), as a hardened criminal, Lee Leander (played by Barbara Stanwyck), is forced to spend Christmas with her prosecutor, an assistant District Attorney named John Sargent (played by Fred MacMurray). While the criminal court in New York City is in recess, she is released into Sargent’s custody; and he is on his way back to visit his Mother (played by Beulah Bondi) in Indiana.

To Lee, the trip becomes a life’s journey; it is a period of reflection and revelation to her. More to the point, Lee is amazed at and by the power of love in a small Indiana town.

On the night of her arrival, after supper, the family moves to the parlor/living room, where Lee volunteers to play a piece on the piano that she knows. It is “A Perfect Day.” Willie, the handyman, played by Sterling Holloway, is smitten by the beautiful Lee and sings it to her in a pure tenor voice. The singing is both simple and moving at the same time. The rest of the family joins in; the lyrics were born out of sorrow but contain within them the promise of hope.

The acting is superb overall, but we ought to take special note of Holloway, whose picture is featured at the beginning of this post. He played comedic, bumbling, movie roles that fit his odd looks and high pitched voice; however, he was an accomplished Broadway actor and singer who introduced the Rodgers and Hart song “Manhattan” in The Garrick Gaieties (1925), produced by the Theatre Guild.

https://youtu.be/F391_23ysbU