Edward G. Robinson gained so much renown as a snarling movie gangster that most people forget what a fine and versatile actor he really is. In 1956, after 25 years in Hollywood, he has returned to the Broadway theater where his career began and, without a cop on his trail or a gat on his hip, gives a touching performance as a lovelorn widower. In Middle of the Night. Robinson is designated as "The Manufacturer," a 53-year-old New Yorker who falls deeply in love with "The Girl," aged 24. A sensible family man who lives quietly with his spinster sister, The Manufacturer torments himself with doubt and tempers his passion with caution before he decides whether he can bridge the years and marry The Girl.
The first stage play by Paddy Chayefsky, a talented television writer whose Marty was made into a memorable, prizewinning movie, Middle of the Night is long on human understanding and a little short on content. But forcefully directed by Producer Joshua Logan and given stature by Robinson's acting, it adds up to a rewarding display of theatrical skill.
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