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 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Robert Mitchum	...	Jerry Ryan
Shirley MacLaine	...	Gittel Mosca
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:

male female relationship | marital separation | greenwich village manhattan new york city | midlife crisis | fear of commitment | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Giving a drunken promotional interview for Ryan's Daughter (1970) to the young Roger Ebert in 1969, Robert Mitchum vented his low opinion of director Robert Wise: "Bobby even times a kiss with a stopwatch. He marks out the floor at seven o'clock in the morning, before anybody gets there. Lays it all out with a tape measure. True. It's very difficult to work that way. I worked with him and Shirley MacLaine and Shirley said, 'Why doesn't he go home? He's just in the way...' "

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Goofs

Gittle pours milk into a pan so she can make warm milk - but she only leaves it on stove for about five seconds.

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Quotes

Jerry Ryan: Well... so long, honey.
Gittel 'Mosca' Moscawitz: I love you, Jerry. As long as you live, remember the last thing you heard outta me was I love you.
Jerry Ryan: I love you too, infant.

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Connections

Featured in James Stewart, Robert Mitchum: The Two Faces of America (2017)

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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 ****

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Two for the Seesaw

Filming Locations:

New York Public Library - 476 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Argyle Productions, Seesaw Productions, Talbot Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1