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"Enter Laughing" is a delightful film based on Carl Reiner's book about his own early show business experiences. The 1967 film stars Shelley Winters, Elaine May, Jose Ferrer, Jack Gilford, Don Rickles, David Opatashu, Janet Margolin, and introduces the attractive Reni Santoni as "Don Coleman," aka David Kolowitz.The film I believe is supposed to take place in the late 1930s - the first frame is a 1938 Photoplay cover of Tyrone Power - but in all honesty, the clothing and atmosphere only suggest that era. David is a young man living at home, and his parents want him to be a pharmacist. He's not thinking about much of anything except getting laid. He works for a more than tolerant boss (Gifford), flirts with a beautiful secretary in the building (Nancy Kovack, who became Nancy Mehta) and sneaks time on the phone with his girlfriend (Margolin) and imitating Ronald Coleman to her. He decides to try acting and goes to a drama school audition. The school is actually a playhouse run by the seen better days Harrison Marlowe (Jose Ferrer) and his too old to be an ingenue but she's one anyway daughter Angela (Elaine May) starring in a play currently running. At the moment, they're short a leading man. Looking over the prospects - "Clark Baxter," "Spencer Reynolds" and "Don Coleman," she wants Coleman. Unfortunately, David (as Coleman) auditions by reading the stage direction "Enter laughing" as a line.The hilarity then begins, with David trying to learn an entire script in two days, never having acted before, trying to find his way on stage and being literally thrown on by the stage manager and practicing love scenes with Angela.The cast is a riot, and if Santoni is a bit wrong for the role, so be it. He has a sweetness and a guilelessness that come across very well. He went on to enjoy a prolific television career and today, at 69, he's still working.The acting is great, with Elaine May hilarious as Angela, Shelley Winters and David Opatoshu wonderful as his long-suffering parents and Gifford as his boss. Ferrer as the insufferable Marlowe is perfect.The comedy remains fresh after 40 years. Recommended.
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