This Could Be the Night (1957) Plot Summary Explained

Anne needs extra cash and accepts the secretarial position with Rocco despite her respectable teaching career. The job is part-time, allowing her to maintain her classroom life while earning additional income. Her decision to work for an ex-bootlegger and horse-playing gambler sets up the central tension between her respectable identity and the underworld world she enters.

• anne leeds
• secretary job
• nightclub work
• extra money

Rocco keeps his affection hidden because of his age and the complexity of their situation. As an ex-bootlegger running a Broadway nightclub, he feels he isn't suitable for a prim schoolteacher like Anne. His love remains private throughout the film, expressed only through quiet kindness and protection behind the scenes rather than overt declaration.

• rocco
• unrequited love
• secret feelings
• age difference

Tony fears commitment and the idea of marriage. Although he cares for Anne, he cannot guarantee her the stable life she deserves. His blunt rejection, saying he doesn't love her and never will, is his way of pushing her away to protect both of them from a relationship he believes cannot work.

• tony armotti
• rejection
• commitment fear
• marriage fear

After Anne leaves, Tony's feelings for her begin to surface. When danger emerges in the form of a police raid on a gambling den where Anne now works, Tony tracks her down because he cannot ignore his concern for her safety. The crisis forces him to act on feelings he previously suppressed.

• tony finds anne
• police raid
• danger
• rescue

The police raid a gambling den where Anne has been working after leaving the nightclub. Tony helps her escape the raid, demonstrating his protective nature. This event serves as the turning point where Tony's actions prove his true feelings despite his earlier words.

• police raid
• gambling den
• escape
• crime

After Tony helps her escape the police raid, he convinces her to return to the job she left. He articulates his care for her and insists they can face the future together. Anne decides to return, drawn back by both the appeal of stable employment and the lingering emotional connection she has with both Rocco and Tony.

• anne returns
• job offer
• reconciliation
• future together

Yes, Tony's actions suggest he does love Anne despite his initial denial. He rejects her partly because he fears commitment and doubts he can provide for her properly. His change of heart becomes evident when he risks his safety to rescue her during the police raid and convinces her to return.

• tony love
• tony feelings
• change of heart

Rocco is described as having a heart of gold because despite his rough exterior as an ex-bootlegger and gambler, he is genuinely kind and protective. He treats Anne with care behind the scenes, keeps his love for her hidden out of respect for their differences, and maintains a protective attitude toward his staff and the club.

• rocco character
• kindness
• ex-bootlegger
• broadway nightclub

Anne returns to work at Rocco's nightclub, resuming her role alongside the staff. The film ends with the relationships left in a delicate equilibrium, Anne back at work, Rocco's quiet love enduring, and Tony's feelings now acknowledged. It's a happy ending with renewed ties, though the love triangle remains somewhat unresolved.

• ending
• love triangle
• relationships
• resolution

Tony lives in a walkup apartment above the nightclub, with the stairs to his home tucked away in the alley behind the club. This living arrangement underscores the rough-edged world of the nightclub and reflects his position as a younger partner in the business, fully embedded in the club's chaotic underworld rather than living a separate, respectable life.

• tony apartment
• walkup
• alley
• nightclub life