Movies Like Blues in the Night (1941)

Blues in the Night is a 1941 crime, drama, music film from Anatole Litvak with a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Jam Session and Pete Kelly's Blues.

Crime Drama Music

Jam Session

1942

Duke Ellington and Orchestra perform 'C Jam Blues'.

6.2

MagicScore

Pete Kelly's Blues

1955

In 1927, a Kansas City, Missouri cornet player and his band perform nightly at a seedy speakeasy until a racketeer tries to extort them in exchange for protection.

6.1

MagicScore

Shoot the Piano Player

1960

Charlie is a former classical pianist who has changed his name and now plays jazz in a grimy Paris bar. When Charlie's brothers, Richard and Chico, surface and ask for Charlie's help while on the run from gangsters they have scammed, he aids their escape. Soon Charlie and Lena, a waitress at the same bar, face trouble when the gangsters arrive, looking for his brothers.

7.2

MagicScore

'Round Midnight

1986

Inside the Blue Note nightclub one night in 1959 Paris, an aged, ailing jazzman coaxes an eloquent wail from his tenor sax. Outside, a young Parisian too broke to buy a glass of wine strains to hear those notes. Soon they will form a friendship that sparks a final burst of genius.

7.1

MagicScore

The Cotton Club

1984

Harlem's legendary Cotton Club becomes a hotbed of passion and violence as the lives and loves of entertainers and gangsters collide.

6.5

MagicScore

Young Man with a Horn

1950

Taken in by the musical world as a young orphan, Rick Martin grows up with a desire to play pure jazz instead of the commercial gigs he lands, whilst also coping with the problems caused by his tempestuous marriage to an aloof heiress.

6.4

MagicScore

Chasing Trane

2017

An account of the life of the brilliant jazz musician John Coltrane (1926-67), a gifted saxophonist, an extraordinarily talented thinker whose original, avant-garde work has impacted and influenced people all over the world. A story about music's ability to entertain, inspire and transform.

7.3

MagicScore

Jazzclub - Der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm

2004

A musician tries to get by working several jobs.

5.7

MagicScore

Amy

2015

A documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented yet doomed songstress. We see her from her teen years, where she already showed her singing abilities, to her finding success and then her downward spiral into alcoholism and drugs.

7.6

MagicScore

#10

Let's Get Lost

1988

Documentary about jazz great Chet Baker that intercuts footage from the 1950s, when he was part of West Coast Cool, and from his last years. We see the young Baker, he of the beautiful face, in California and in Italy, where he appeared in at least one movie and at least one jail cell (for drug possession). And, we see the aged Baker, detached, indifferent, his face a ruin. Includes interviews with his children and ex-wife, women companions, and musicians.

7.0

MagicScore

#11

Mud

2013

Two teenage boys find a fugitive hiding out on an island in the Mississippi River and help him reunite with his lover and escape an avenging family and their armed posse.

7.1

MagicScore

#12

Nowhere to Go

1958

A professional thief is sprung from prison with the assistance of a new partner who wants to know where he's hid his loot.

6.7

MagicScore

#13

Sullivan's Travels

1941

Successful movie director John L. Sullivan, convinced he won't be able to film his ambitious masterpiece until he has suffered, dons a hobo disguise and sets off on a journey, aiming to "know trouble" first-hand. When all he finds is a train ride back to Hollywood and a beautiful blonde companion, he redoubles his efforts, managing to land himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he loses his memory and ends up a prisoner on a chain gang.

7.4

MagicScore

#14

Whiplash

2014

Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.

8.4

MagicScore

#15

The Blues Brothers

1980

Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised.

7.7

MagicScore

#16

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

2008

London, England, on the eve of World War II. Guinevere Pettigrew, a strict governess who is unable to keep a job, is fired again. Lost in the hostile city, a series of fortunate circumstances lead her to meet Delysia LaFosse, a glamorous and dazzling American jazz singer whose life is a chaos ruled by indecision, a continuous battle between love and fame.

6.8

MagicScore

#17

American Pop

1981

The history of American popular music runs parallel with the history of a Russian Jewish immigrant family, with each male descendant possessing different musical abilities.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

2021

During the same summer as Woodstock, over 300,000 people attended the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity. The footage from the festival sat in a basement, unseen for over 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America's history lost — until now.

7.6

MagicScore

#19

La La Land

2016

Mia, an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian, a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.

7.9

MagicScore

#20

Dixieland Droopy

1954

John Pettibone (Droopy), a dog whose love of Dixieland music is not appreciated by those around him, has a lucky meeting with Pee-Wee Runt and his All-Flea Dixieland band at the circus.

6.9

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Blues in the Night?

The top films similar to Blues in the Night by MovieMagicScore are Jam Session (6.2), Pete Kelly's Blues (6.1), Shoot the Piano Player (7.2). Each shares crime/drama/music themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Blues in the Night worth watching?

Blues in the Night holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.2/10 from 29 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Blues in the Night?

Blues in the Night (1941) is a crime, drama, music film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Priscilla Lane, Betty Field, Richard Whorf.

Where can I find more recommendations like Blues in the Night?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Jam Session Movies like Pete Kelly's Blues Movies like Shoot the Piano Player Movies like 'Round Midnight Movies like The Cotton Club Movies like Young Man with a Horn

About movies like Blues in the Night

This ranked list pairs Blues in the Night (1941), a crime and drama and music film from Anatole Litvak, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Priscilla Lane take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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