No Time for Comedy

Plot

S.N. Behrman's hit Broadway show about a guy who writes hit Broadway shows comes to the screen in this comedy. Gaylord Esterbrook (James Stewart) is a reporter from Minnesota who writes a play about life in New York City -- a place he's never visited. To his surprise, a Big Apple producer wants to stage Gaylord's show and asks him to come to New York immediately. While Gaylord hardly seems like a Big City sophisticate, his regular-guy charm makes a big impression on leading lady Linda (Rosalind Russell), who is tired of jaded braggarts like her director, Morgan (Allyn Joslyn). Gaylord and Linda get married, and he becomes one of the most successful playwrights in town, but his new popularity goes to his head, and Linda wonders what happened to the man she married. However, Gaylord's career takes a turn for the worse when he meets Amanda (Genevieve Tobin), a snooty high society type who convinces him that he ought to be writing the Great American Tragedy instead of crowd-pleasing comedies. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Review

No Time for Comedy brings together James Stewart and Rosalind Russell and then has no idea what to do with them. This seems to be a classic example of casting a "name" player, in this case Stewart, simply because he is a name and not because he is right for the part in question. Stewart, as a matter of fact, was so far off that the character was substantially rewritten. A new beginning was added that gave a backstory to the character -- simple, innocent guy from the midwest conquers Broadway with sophisticated comedy -- that is appropriate to Stewart but louses up the feel of the material. It makes the audience feel at ease with Stewart, the down-home, reg'lar fella -- and thus makes the audience feel uncomfortable and at sea when Stewart begins behaving like an ass (and one that drinks too much, to boot). Comedy creates a war between what the audience expects and what it gets; if that had been the intention, it could have made for an interesting, exciting and incisive picture, rather than one that just feels confused. Russell doesn't have the same problem with her part that Stewart does with his, but she doesn't bring the fire and flair to the part that she could have. She's a little stiff, and while this doesn't damage the film terribly, it is a bit disappointing. Charlie Ruggles and Allyn Joslyn are quite good. Louise Beavers does very well in an embarrassing role, while Genevieve Tobin is far too mannered and artificial in a role that requires much more skillful playing. Much of the wit from the original play remains, and there are quite a few scenes that are very effective. These prove that No Time for Comedy could have been a superior film, rather than a muddled one which manages to be only moderately entertaining. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast

• James Stewart - Gaylord Esterbrook
• Rosalind Russell - Linda Esterbrook
• Genevieve Tobin - Amanda Swift
• Charlie Ruggles - Philo Swift
• Allyn Joslyn - Morgan Carrel

Louise Beavers - Clementine; Clarence Kolb - Richard Bensen; J.M. Kerrigan - Jim; Robert Greig - Robert; Frank Faylen - Cab Driver; Herbert Anderson - Actor; James Burke - Sergeant; Edgar Dearing - Sweeney; Lawrence Grossmith - Frank; Herbert Heywood - Doorman; Arthur Houseman - Drunk Wanting Directions; Olaf Hytten - Swift's Butler; Selmar Jackson - First-Nighter; Robert E. O'Connor - Desk Sergeant; John Ridgely - Cashier; Nella Walker - Theatregoer; Pierre Watkin - Theatregoer

Credit

Robert Lord - Associate Producer, Orry-Kelly - Costume Designer, William Keighley - Director, Owen Marks - Editor, Leo F. Forbstein - Composer (Music Score), Heinz Roemheld - Composer (Music Score), Leo F. Forbstein - Musical Direction/Supervision, Ernest Haller - Cinematographer, Hal B. Wallis - Producer, Jack L. Warner - Producer, Julius J. Epstein - Screenwriter, Philip G. Epstein - Screenwriter, S.N. Behrman - Play Author

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