Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)

After spending three years in an asylum, a washed-up actor views a minor assignment from his old director in Rome as a chance for personal and professional redemption.

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Charles Schnee (screenplay), Irwin Shaw (novel)

Stars:

Kirk Douglas, Edward G. Robinson, Cyd Charisse

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kirk Douglas	...	Jack Andrus
Edward G. Robinson	...	Maurice Kruger
Cyd Charisse	...	Carlotta
George Hamilton	...	Davie Drew
Daliah Lavi	...	Veronica (as Dahlia Lavi)
Claire Trevor	...	Clara Kruger
James Gregory	...	Brad Byrd
Rosanna Schiaffino	...	Barzelli
Joanna Roos	...	Janet Bark
George Macready	...	Lew Jordan
Mino Doro	...	Tucino
Stefan Schnabel	...	Zeno
Vito Scotti	...	Assistant Director
Tom Palmer	...	Dr. Cold Eyes
Erich von Stroheim Jr.	...	Ravinksi (as Erich Von Stroheim Jr.)

Storyline

Former film star Jack Andrus is released from a sanitarium where he has lived for the previous three years, suffering from alcoholism, a traumatic automobile accident, and a severe mental breakdown. He's been offered two weeks of work in Rome by Maurice Kruger, his old director, who himself is near the end of his fading career and under pressure from his parsimonious Italian producer to finish his picture on time and under budget. Jack is also pressed from a manipulative ex-wife, a rising but self-destructive young star, the director's shrewish wife, and a temperamental Italian diva who requires handling with kid gloves. When the Kruger suffers a heart attack, Andrus views the opportunity as a last chance at the redemption of his personal life and professional career.

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Plot Keywords:

italy | circular staircase | drunken driving | mentor protege relationship | running to catch an airplane | 

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Taglines:

Another town - another love - another chance...He is Jack Andrus, a stranger in Rome, running from one love, looking for others, hoping for an answer to the terrible question in his heart.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jo Van Fleet was originally considered as Kruger's wife but the casting of Claire Trevor was hoped would rekindle the chemistry she showed opposite Robinson in the earlier "Key Largo," for which she won an Oscar.

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Goofs

In most of Jack's driving scenes, his steering inputs, or lack thereof, don't match what's going on in the rear-projection background. This is most obvious when he goes on his drunken, reckless drive with Carlotta as his passenger.

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Quotes

Jack Andrus: Hey, why don't you stop going around with guys who give you black eyes?

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Crazy Credits

The following acknowledgment appears on screen in the opening credits: "We are grateful to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, copyright owners, for permission to use the Academy Award statuette."

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Connections

Referenced in The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968)

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Soundtracks

Auld Lang Syne
(uncredited)
Words written by Robert Burns in 1788 to traditional Scots song
Sung by Kirk Douglas and Edward G. Robinson at Al Fresco cafe

User Reviews

Don't forget George Macready!!

No one has mentioned the magnificent performance of George Macready as the agent, nor the devastating scene near the beginning of the film where he and Douglas have a chance encounter at an airport. To put it politely, in that scene Macready takes Douglas to task for past failures...it is one of the most brutal bits in all film history. Macready always knew how to make his mark, no matter how small the role! I recently enjoyed seeing him in his third film, The Story of Doctor Wassell, where he had a very small part as a Dutch army officer...striking and vivid, and that smooth chilly voice of his has never been equaled in all of filmdom.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

September 1962 (UK)

Also Known As:

2 Weeks in Another Town

Filming Locations:

Excelsior Hotel, Via Vittorio Veneto, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$3,959,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1