Playwright Gaylord Esterbrook scores a hit with his first Broadway play, both with the critics and with leading lady Linda Paige. He and Linda are happily married until a patroness of the ...
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Title: No Time for Comedy (1940)
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Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| James Stewart | ... | Gaylord Esterbrook | |
| Rosalind Russell | ... | Linda Paige Esterbrook | |
| Genevieve Tobin | ... | Amanda Swift | |
| Charles Ruggles | ... | Philo Swift (as Charlie Ruggles) | |
| Allyn Joslyn | ... | Morgan Carrell | |
| Clarence Kolb | ... | Richard Benson | |
| Louise Beavers | ... | Clementine | |
| J.M. Kerrigan | ... | Jim | |
 |
Lawrence Grossmith | ... | Frank (as Lawrence Grosmith) |
| Robert Greig | ... | Robert | |
| Frank Faylen | ... | Cab Driver | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
|
|
Bonnie Gaye Cowen | ||
Edit
Plot Summary
|
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See All (26) »
Storyline
Playwright Gaylord Esterbrook scores a hit with his first Broadway play, both with the critics and with leading lady Linda Paige. He and Linda are happily married until a patroness of the arts convinces Esterbrook to forget about comedy and concentrate on writing a tragedy. The end result nearly destroys his career and his marriage. Written by Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>
Plot Keywords:
screwball comedy | playwright | writing | manhattan new york city | male female relationship |Taglines:
A country boy takes over Broadway . . . until he gets into heart-trouble! See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
14 September 1940 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Guy with a Grin See more »Filming Locations:
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USACompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Linda Paige Esterbrook: For a man who's been up all night you look great!
Gaylord 'Gay' Esterbrook: Don't get the idea that I'm an authority on girls getting up in the morning.
Linda Paige Esterbrook: Well, I'm not the last word on men staying up all night either.
See more »
(1843) (uncredited)
from "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Played after the wedding
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The original New York production starred Katherine Cornell as Linda and Lawrence Olivier as Gaylord Estabrook. See more »Goofs
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. See more »Quotes
Gaylord 'Gay' Esterbrook: [after spending the night after the play on a park bench] Hey, you don't look bad for a girl who's just getting up in the morning!Linda Paige Esterbrook: For a man who's been up all night you look great!
Gaylord 'Gay' Esterbrook: Don't get the idea that I'm an authority on girls getting up in the morning.
Linda Paige Esterbrook: Well, I'm not the last word on men staying up all night either.
See more »
Soundtracks
The Wedding March(1843) (uncredited)
from "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Played after the wedding
See more »
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...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.