No Time for Comedy (1940)

Director:

William Keighley

Writers:

S.N. Behrman (play)
Julius J. Epstein (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 September 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A country boy takes over Broadway . . . until he gets into heart-trouble!

Plot:

Playwright Gaylord Esterbrook scores a hit with his first Broadway play, both with the critics and with leading lady Linda Paige...

Plot Keywords:

Playwright | Writing | Husband Wife Relationship | New York City | Broadway New York City

Cast

James Stewart	...	Gaylord 'Gay' Esterbrook
Rosalind Russell	...	Linda Paige Esterbrook
Charles Ruggles	...	Philo Swift (as Charlie Ruggles)
Genevieve Tobin	...	Amanda 'Mandy' Swift
Louise Beavers	...	Clementine, Actress in Show / Linda's Maid
Allyn Joslyn	...	Morgan Carrell, the Director
Clarence Kolb	...	Richard Benson
Robert Greig	...	Robert, Benson's Butler
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Jim, the Bartender
Lawrence Grossmith	...	Frank, Actor in Show (as Lawrence Grosmith)
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Desk Sergeant
Herbert Heywood	...	Joe, the Doorman
Frank Faylen	...	Cab Driver
James Burke	...	Desk Sergeant
Edgar Dearing	...	Sweeney, a Policeman

Also Known As:

A Guy with a Grin (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #6279)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The original play by S.N. Behrman opened in Indianapolis, Indiana, on 31 March 1939.

Goofs:

Continuity: At one point in the movie, Gaylord is at his home and discovers Amanda Swift's phone number is written down on a phone list in his wife's handwriting. His wife, Linda, had just left with Morgan Carrell for dinner at the Swift's home. Then the scene shifts to Amanda Swift's home and Gaylord is there.

Quotes:

Clementine, Actress in Show: I saw your last picture, Mr. Carrell.
Morgan Carrell, the Director: Yes?
Clementine, Actress in Show: Oh, yeah.
Morgan Carrell, the Director: What'd ya think?
Clementine, Actress in Show: [sighs] yeah.

Soundtrack:

Devil May Care

What are Jimmy Stewart and Roz Russell doing at Warner Brothers...

...and why doesn't Warner Brothers know what to do with them? This feeble adaptation of a Broadway hit is comedy-drama of the clumsiest kind, veering uncertainly and arbitrarily between one genre or the other with no grace or logic. Nor are the stars well used: Despite his natural charm, Stewart can't hide the fact that his character is basically a lush and a spoiled child. Russell keeps doing irritating Greer Garson great-lady things, pointing her nose and clipping her diction and suffering with a noble smile. Louise Beavers, another trouper, is made to do demeaning dumb-maid stuff. Then there's that noisy Warner Brothers music, telling us exactly how to feel every damn minute.

One grace note: Charles Ruggles and Genevieve Tobin, who were paired so well in "One Hour with You" nearly a decade earlier, are coincidentally back in similar parts. He's as dry a light comedian as you could ask; she makes much out of little. But the movie keeps yelling how charming it's being, and trying to pass off boilerplate dialogue as repartee. 'Tain't funny, and it's not convincing as drama, either.