The Horn Blows at Midnight

1945

1h 18m

Comedy

List

64%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

64%

Audience Score

100+ Ratings

A trumpet player in a radio orchestra (Jack Benny) falls asleep during a commercial and dreams he's the angel Athanael. The beautiful angel Elizabeth (Alexis Smith) delivers Athanael to the head of heaven's orchestra, where he's told to return to earth and blow his trumpet at midnight, thus marking the end of the world. When he fails his assignment, he becomes a fallen angel, and though he's given a second chance, his fellow fallen angels conspire to keep him from completing his mission.

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

The script is neither satire nor good, fresh, fanciful corn. It is a batch of old-fashioned nonsense put together without distinct charm.

Aug 6, 2020

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Variety Staff

Variety

This one is a lightweight comedy that never seems able to make up its mind whether to be fantasy or broad slapstick.

Mar 26, 2009

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

It's bad, all right, but also weirdly compelling...

Jan 1, 2000

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Nathan Rabin

The Dissolve

The same brazen, idiosyncratic qualities that made Midnight a bomb at the time of its release also make it a quirky, unconventional, audacious winner in history's more forgiving, indulgent eyes.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 9, 2013

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Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

Underrated fantasy, with inventive finale.

Jul 17, 2009

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

So-so fantasy screwball comedy.

Rated: C+

Jan 7, 2008

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Audience Member

A wild surreal fantasy full of interesting characters both angels and devils!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Audience Member

The best comedy movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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s r

Quirky, but not something I want to see again.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

ashley h

The Horn Blows at Midnight is a funny film. It is about Athaniel who dreams he's a trumpet player in Heaven's celestial orchestra. Jack Benny and Alexis Smith give amazing performances. The screenplay is well written. Raoul Walsh did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the humor and music. The Horn Blows at Midnight is a must see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Benny made the box-office failure of this movie into a running gag on his radio show. But the joke's on the audience because this movie isn't nearly as terrible as Benny or his writers made it out to be. The story of an angel sent to Earth to bring about the end of the world turns into screwball comedy with Benny firmly at the center of things, hamming things up. It's not nearly as good as some of Benny's other cinematic works, but it's still worth seeing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

My favorite of all of Benny's movies. An underrated classic!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Raoul Walsh

Director

Jack Benny

Athanael

Alexis Smith

Elizabeth

Guy Kibbee

Radio Director

Dolores Moran

Violinist

Allyn Joslyn

Second Trumpeter

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Synopsis

A trumpet player in a radio orchestra (Jack Benny) falls asleep during a commercial and dreams he's the angel Athanael. The beautiful angel Elizabeth (Alexis Smith) delivers Athanael to the head of heaven's orchestra, where he's told to return to earth and blow his trumpet at midnight, thus marking the end of the world. When he fails his assignment, he becomes a fallen angel, and though he's given a second chance, his fellow fallen angels conspire to keep him from completing his mission.

Director: Raoul Walsh
Producer: Jack L. Warner
Screenwriter: Sam Hellman, James V. Kern
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 6, 2018
Runtime: 1h 18m