No time for comedy
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | No time for comedy |
| Original title | No time for comedy |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1940 |
| length | 93 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | William Keighley |
| script |
Julius J. Epstein , Philip G. Epstein |
| production | Jack L. Warner |
| music | Heinz Roemheld |
| camera | Ernest Haller |
| cut | Owen Marks |
| occupation | |
| |
No Time for Comedy (Original title: No Time for Comedy ) is an American comedy film from 1940. James Stewart and Rosalind Russell are directed by William Keighley in the lead roles. A play by Samuel Nathaniel Behrman served as a model .
action
A new play is due to be performed on New York's Broadway . Leading actress Linda Paige, producer Richard Benson and director Morgan Carrell have been waiting for weeks for the writer to arrive to fix the comedy’s weaknesses. Gaylord Esterbrook, a young small-town reporter from Minnesota who wrote the play, finally arrives at a rehearsal. He struggles to convince those present that he is actually the author, he seems much too naive and boyish. Linda likes his clumsy manner from the start. When Benson decides not to perform the play, Linda persuades the other actors and director Carrell to play the play for at least two weeks.
At the premiere of the play, Gaylord waits nervously in front of the theater. During a break he goes to a bar and orders champagne for the first time. Drunk he runs to the wrong theater where a tragedy is being staged. When he heard gunshots and a scream, he stormed into the theater and was dismayed by the production. In front of the theater he runs into Carrell and complains that Carrell had staged his comedy wrong. Carrell is amused by Gaylord's mistake, which causes the angry author to knock him down. Linda picks them up at the police station. Gaylord apologizes to Carrell and decides to go for a walk in Central Park . Linda accompanies him. Together they sit on a bench until dawn, waiting for the newspapers to deliver the first reviews of the play. The reviews turn out to be consistently positive and Gaylord learns that he owes it to Linda that the play was still performed. He gives her a kiss on the cheek, whereupon she makes him a marriage proposal.
After the wedding, Gaylord wrote three more hits, each with Linda playing the lead role. At an evening party he meets Philo Swift, who does business on Wall Street . Swift's wife, Amanda, immediately throws herself at Gaylord. She likes the idea of being an artist's muse. Gaylord, on the other hand, who doesn't like big city life, is fed up with just writing light comedies. He wants to write a dramatic and meaningful piece, so he is only too happy to welcome Amanda's flattery and encouragement. Linda learns from Philo Swift that Gaylord and Amanda meet regularly at his house. Linda arrives there, accompanied by Carrell, and confronts Amanda. When she starts to cry, Gaylord accuses Linda of mistreating Amanda and angrily leaves the house for Central Park. Linda then cries out at Swift.
Gaylord's drama is finally over and he asks Linda to honestly tell him her opinion on the play. She doesn't like it and asks him not to just throw away his talent for comedy. Disappointed, he replies that he intends to marry Amanda, because Linda is far too omniscient and arrogant for him anyway. The newspapers then announce that Gaylord is going to marry Amanda and that Linda and Philo want to walk in front of the altar. Linda and Philo are also in the audience at the premiere of Gaylord's drama. During the break, Linda realizes that the sober Philo does not suit her and that she still loves the idealistic small-town reporter, whom she continues to see in Gaylord. Contrary to his expectations, Gaylord's piece received only muted applause. The disappointed audience quickly leaves the theater. Only Linda stays in her seat. Amanda meanwhile leaves Gaylord alone behind the scenes and eagerly turns to Carrell, who, according to her, is not to blame for the failure of the play. When Gaylord takes the stage, Linda encourages him to give his prepared acceptance speech. Sobered and insightful, he says a few words. Moved, Linda finally rushes to him and suggests that he write a satire about city life for her. They make up and happily embrace each other.
background
Samuel Nathaniel Behrman's play No Time for Comedy ran successfully on Broadway in 1939 with Katharine Cornell and Laurence Olivier in the leading roles. For the screen adaptation of the Warner Brothers , Casey Robinson was originally supposed to write the script and Bette Davis to play the leading female role. Later, Marlene Dietrich was also discussed for the role of Linda. James Stewart and Rosalind Russell were eventually cast after MGM agreed to loan both actors to the Warner Brothers for Olivia de Havilland's service in Gone With The Wind . The script was ultimately written by twin brothers Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein , who focused on Stewart's role and adapted it to the actor's boyish image. It was directed by William Keighley , whose wife Genevieve Tobin played Amanda Swift. John Hughes appeared as the film architect .
The film premiered on September 7, 1940 in New York and went into US distribution a week later. The film was later also released in the United States under the title Guy with a Grin . In Germany, No Time for Comedy was first shown on TV on June 30, 1965 by ARD .
Reviews
Bosley Crowther of the New York Times described the film as "charming fun" and "lively and wistful comedy". The original Broadway play by Samuel Nathaniel Behrman had been advantageously expanded "by extensive and lively comedy". "As usual" is James Stewart "best". Rosalind Russell is "also excellent". Crowther also praised supporting actor Allyn Joslyn , who as a theater director "with a mixture of irony and spite" delivered a "delicious" performance.
Variety found that Rosalind Russell "stood out with her comedic talent and her classical beauty [...] as a dignified and confident performer". James Stewart is pretty much "the same Mr. Smith who went to Washington" and shines in his portrayal of the boyish author.
The film critic Leonard Maltin described the film in retrospect as a "routine, but old-fashioned adaptation of SN Behrman's play". Although it was properly produced, it appears "artificial". For the lexicon of international film , on the other hand , No Time for Comedy was an “excellent film adaptation of a Broadway comedy”.
Web links
- No Time for Comedy in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- No Time for Comedy at Turner Classic Movies (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ cf. Notes on tcm.com
- ↑ cf. Jay S. Steinberg on tcm.com
- ↑ “[...] the moment is always propitious for a charming jocularity of this sort. For here […] is a lively and wistful comedy for which every one would do well to find the time. [...] the narrative has been happily expanded, and the brittle and worldly wit of Mr. Behrman has been abbreviated in favor of more extensive and effervescent humorous action. […] As usual, Mr. Stewart is the best thing in the show […]. Miss Russell is excellent, too, in a cool, collected way, while Allyn Joslyn is a delightful compound of irony and venom as a theatrical director. " Bosley Crowther: 'No Time for Comedy,' a Gay Romance, With James Stewart and Rosalind Russell, at the Strand . In: The New York Times , September 7, 1940.
- ↑ “Combined with a deftness for handling comedy and a class type of beauty which is plenty well demonstrated right here, Russell emerges as a player of unusual dignity and authority. Stewart is pretty much the same Mr Smith who went to Washington. Cast in a role which was obviously tailored to his measure, he is topnotch in the characterization of the boyish playwright. " See No Time for Comedy . In: Variety , 1940.
- ↑ “Slick but dated adaptation of SN Behrman play […]. Smoothly done but artificial. " Leonard Maltin: Leonard Maltin's 2004 Movie & Video Guide . Plume, 2003, p. 1011.
- ↑ No time for comedy. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed October 28, 2019 .