The original Broadway play has even been revived on Broadway in the past 10 years! Of course, the story of an older man and a younger woman has been told many times over and over but not with such sophistication and panache. Herbert Marshall is a successful Broadway playwright who has depended on his longtime secretary Sylvia Sidney and is unaware that over the years, she has fallen in love with him because they are truly made for each other. Of course he hasn't realized it, and when she makes the confession, he's flattered but unsure of how to proceed due to the difference in their ages. Realizing that he's never going to commit to her, Sidney agrees to marry Philip Reed, the young juvenile in his play even though she is not in love with him. But circumstances bring Marshall and Sydney back together (along with Reed home Sidney has become completely bored with), and assistance from Marshall's droll butler Ernest Cossart helps as well.
When this was remade later with Bing Crosby and Nancy Olson and later with Clark Gable and Doris Day, the results were box office hits due to the popularity of the leading actors. But in retrospect, the only one that really stands the test of time as a sophisticated look at two intelligent people of different generations who start off with a working relationship, learn to admire each other and eventually work their way into love.
it's nice to see Sylvia Sidney playing a character who is not a tenement resident or suffering due to the man in her life (although there are definitely issues with her men here!), and movie fans who only know her as old ladies in "Beetlejuice" and "Mars Attacks!" Will be surprised by her charm as a young leading lady. Marshall is light and charming and sophisticated, and perfect for this role, the age not as noticeable as it would be with Crosby and Gable years later. Cossart steals much of the scenery, getting laughs with his emotional responses to employer Marshall. Astrid Alwyn is delightful as a dizzy dame who makes a play for Marshall when Sylvia is out of the picture. The forgotten but brilliant Wesley Euggles directs this smart comedy with sophistication and light wit, turning this into a classic that truly is worth rediscovering.
When this was remade later with Bing Crosby and Nancy Olson and later with Clark Gable and Doris Day, the results were box office hits due to the popularity of the leading actors. But in retrospect, the only one that really stands the test of time as a sophisticated look at two intelligent people of different generations who start off with a working relationship, learn to admire each other and eventually work their way into love.
it's nice to see Sylvia Sidney playing a character who is not a tenement resident or suffering due to the man in her life (although there are definitely issues with her men here!), and movie fans who only know her as old ladies in "Beetlejuice" and "Mars Attacks!" Will be surprised by her charm as a young leading lady. Marshall is light and charming and sophisticated, and perfect for this role, the age not as noticeable as it would be with Crosby and Gable years later. Cossart steals much of the scenery, getting laughs with his emotional responses to employer Marshall. Astrid Alwyn is delightful as a dizzy dame who makes a play for Marshall when Sylvia is out of the picture. The forgotten but brilliant Wesley Euggles directs this smart comedy with sophistication and light wit, turning this into a classic that truly is worth rediscovering.