Enter Laughing (1967)

A young would-be actor seeks his first break.

Director:

Carl Reiner

Writers:

Joseph Stein (play), Carl Reiner (novel)

Stars:

José Ferrer, Shelley Winters, Elaine May

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
José Ferrer	...	Harrison B. Marlowe (as Jose Ferrer)
Shelley Winters	...	Mrs. Emma Kolowitz
Elaine May	...	Angela Marlowe
Jack Gilford	...	Mr. Foreman
Janet Margolin	...	Wanda
David Opatoshu	...	Mr. Morris Kolowitz
Michael J. Pollard	...	Marvin
Don Rickles	...	Harry Hamburger
Richard Deacon	...	Pike
Nancy Kovack	...	Linda aka Miss B
Reni Santoni	...	David Kolowitz
Herbie Faye	...	Mr. Schoenbaum
Rob Reiner	...	Clark Baxter
Danny Stein	...	Spencer Reynolds
Milton Frome	...	Policeman

Storyline

David Kolowitz, a nice young man living with his parents in New York City in 1938, works at a machine repair shop. His parents want David to study to become a pharmacist. But what he really wants is to be an actor like his idol, Ronald Colman. One day, at his friend Marvin's suggestion, David tries out for a part in a play, and gets it, despite his obvious lack of acting experience (not to mention ability). True, it's a rather small part in a low-rent production. Leading the troupe is a washed-up, alcoholic actor who hires David at the urging of his actress-daughter, who finds David "cute." To play his part, David must come up with his own costume - a tuxedo - and pay the house five dollars a week, ostensibly for tuition. But it is David's first acting job, one which calls for him to "enter laughing." And if it doesn't work out - well, there's always pharmacy school.

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Plot Keywords:

subway | aspiring actor | reference to tyrone power | reference to ronald colman | reference to clark gable | 

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Taglines:

Can an innocent young man from the Bronx find sin and success on the Broadway stage?

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Onde começa o sucesso

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Acre Enterprises, Sajo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A favorite of the late Harold Ramis.

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Goofs

The story is taking place in 1938, but all the women's hairstyles, particularly those of Elaine May and Nancy Kovack are strictly 1967.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Mr. Foreman: It's up to you to do the Hah-cha-cha!

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Connections

References A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

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Soundtracks

Enter Laughing
by Quincy Jones, Mack David
Sung by Mel Carter

User Reviews

Very funny

The first few minutes of this movie were nearly perfection. And while the level of humor couldn't be sustained all the way through, since there had to be more dramatic and romantic moments in the middle, there is some truly great material here. The play within a play was the funniest I had seen since "Noises Off"--David may have entered, but we were the ones laughing.

All of the leading performers did such a good job it's hard to single anyone out. One exception is the actors in the play, but then they were supposed to be bad, which means they were good. The first actor to speak in in the play, however, did an excellent job.

Because of my familiarity with these people, I felt Don Rickles and Jack Gilford stood out. I actually did not know Jack Gilford for years except as the man in the Cracker Jack commercials, but I think he did a fine job here. Don Rickles only had two scenes, but his performance in one of them was one of the best of the movie. Hilarious. And he and David set up one of the best quotes.

Jose Ferrer also made an impact. Yes, he had good reason to yell half the time.He did it very well. Overall, his may have been the standout performance.

I didn't recognize Rob Reiner, son of director Carl, and forgot to look for him until I saw the closing credits. Fortunately, this was on my TiVo. He was one of those auditioning for the role David got. Only a couple of lines, but he was pretty good. No sign he would become great, but looking at him a second time, he could have done more.

This movie had lots of great music, like so many of the era. People just don't know everything Quincy Jones was capable of.

This was a real winner.