Night of the Quarter Moon

With "Lizzie" ,Hugo Haas had begun to improve his cast : her habituée Cleo Moore and the love triangle she was part of with him and the likes of John Agar was replaced by great names such as Eleanor Parker , along with Richard Boone and Joan Blondell.

"Night of the quarter moon " can boast two famous singers :Julie London (also an actress) and Nat King Cole along with luminaries such as Agnes Moorehead. Both can be heard in the film.

The screenplay borrows one of the subplots of George Stevens' "giant" : Dennis Hopper and his Mexican wife Elsa Cardenàs who were snubbed by nouveau riche James Dean is his stately mansion ; Elsa Cardenàs was a true Mexican ,which is not London's case ,but the latter is convincing in this liberal melodrama. And heavy make -up helps.

Note that Miss London escapes a nude strip tease by the skin of her teeth for the second time (see also her western :"man of the west" by Anthony Mann)

Considering it was made in 1959 ,at the Civil rights Movement (1954-1968)time, it can be considered ,from that point of view,a courageous movie ; the trial is a good moment even though the judge seems a little too liberal ; another good idea is to show the wealthy family and the adamant mother replaced ,in the hero's delirium ,by his war enemies.

The ending avoids the de rigueur happy end : the fight has only begun for the couple.