Never Too Late

Warner Bros. Business plans seem to go like this produce a Frank Sinatra movie (with Sinatra having his own building on the lot, a Troy Donahue movie, and having the movie version of a hit play: My Fair Lady, Camelot, Music Man, A Majority Of One, Gypsy etc.

Jack Warner bought the movie rights to this play and Never Too Late WB wanted Spencer Tracy and Kate Hepburn to star but Tracy declined to to health and Kate wanted to be with Tracy. Other actresses such as Roz Russell, Susan Hayward,were considered for the role Maureen O Sullivan played.on the stag. The film was produced with Paul Ford and Maureen O' Sullivan with Connie Stevens getting 2md billing behind Ford. The Film was produced starring Paul Ford, and Connie Stevens and Jim Hutton and two lovely professional actresses Maureen O Sullivan and Jane Wyatt. Ms. Stevens worked her way up the ladder at WB first being Cricket Blake on Hawaiian Eye and then a series of WB movies with Troy Donahue: Parrish, Susan Slade and Palm Sprigs Weekend. This film brought Connie over the title star billing. She is gorgeous in this movie and was cast because she was lovely to look at and a fine actress. And because Ford and O Sullivan had no pull with teenage audiences. This comedy is enjoyable but not laugh out loud funny.

Jim Hutton free of his MGM contract worked steadily around town and was fine in this film. I can't say Jim Hutton ever gave a bad performance. Hutton worked with the best: Cary Grant, John Wayne, Steve McQueen, Burt Lancaster, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Roz Russell, George Peppard Lana Turner. Jane Fonda Yvette Mimieux, and most successfully Paula Prentiss.

This film was the subject of a lawsuit as the creators of this film objected to All In The Family as a riff off this storyline; they lost.

PS. This has nothing to do with Never Too Late but both Hutton and Stevens wanted to play they young couple in Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf at WB. Jack Warner gave no encouragement to Hutton but told Stevens to talk to Mike Nichols to no avail.