Two for the Seesaw (1962)

Jerry Ryan is wandering aimlessly around New York, having given up his law career in Nebraska when his wife asked for a divorce. He meets up with Gittel Mosca, an impoverished dancer from ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

William Gibson (play), Isobel Lennart (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, Shirley MacLaine, Edmon Ryan

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Robert Mitchum	...	Jerry Ryan
Shirley MacLaine	...	Gittel 'Mosca' Moscawitz
Edmon Ryan	...	Frank Taubman
Elisabeth Fraser	...	Sophie
Eddie Firestone	...	Oscar
Billy Gray	...	Mr. Jacoby

Storyline

Jerry Ryan is wandering aimlessly around New York, having given up his law career in Nebraska when his wife asked for a divorce. He meets up with Gittel Mosca, an impoverished dancer from Greenwich Village, and the two try to straighten out their lives together.

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Plot Keywords:

divorce | dancer | melodrama | divorcee | urban setting | 

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Taglines:

a square from Nebraska? an off-beatnik from Greenwich Village? It just didn't figure... that they would... that they could... that they did!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cualquier día en cualquier esquina

Filming Locations:

149 W 4th St, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Argyle Productions, Mirisch Corporation, The, Seesaw Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on the Broadway play, which starred Anne Bancroft and Henry Fonda.

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Goofs

During one of first phone conversations between Gittel and Jerry, albums in her record rack don't come close to matching from shot to shot.

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Quotes

Gittel 'Mosca' Moscawitz: I gotta get outta here before you slug me.
Jerry Ryan: Slug you? That what you expect from your romances?
Gittel 'Mosca' Moscawitz: When it comes to men, I expect the worst.

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Connections

Referenced in The Sound of Music: From Fact to Phenomenon (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Second Chance"
Music by André Previn
Lyrics by Dory Previn
Sung by Jackie Cain (uncredited)

User Reviews

The rusty mechanisms (and theatricality) of the plot is saved by the leads...

The frustrating loop-de-loops of an uncertain love relationship between a Greenwich Village kook-dancer and a Midwestern suit-and-tie lawyer on the verge of divorcing his wife of 12 years. Though highly entertaining, this light-drama obviously derives from a play, as the lines of dialogue have not been reworked for the screen. It gets awfully pedantic at times; for instance, we know the characters' names, they know their names, so why do they keep saying to each other, "Jerry?", "Yes, Gittel?" "I'm sorry, Jerry." "I know, Gittel." The performances by Shirley MacLaine and Robert Mitchum are excellent (we like them even before their self-doubting, insecure characters take shape), but this stage-vehicle hasn't been turned into a star-vehicle. The leads banter back and forth in a curiously under-populated vacuum, however their increasingly tense conversations contain the startling ring of truth. Ted McCord's black-and-white cinematography provides a terrific compensation for the film's minor weaknesses; André Previn's "Apartment"-like score is rapturous as well. *** from ****