- In New York in 1928, a struggling playwright is forced to cast a mobster's talentless girlfriend in his latest drama in order to get it produced.
- 1920s Broadway. Playwright David Shayne considers himself an artist, and surrounds himself with like minded people, most struggling financially as they create art for themselves, not the masses. David, however, believes the failure of his first two plays was because he gave up creative control to other people who didn't understand the material. As such, he wants to direct his just completed third play, "God of Our Fathers", insider scuttlebutt being that it may very well make David the toast of Broadway. With David having no directing history, David's regular producer, Julian Marx, can't find any investors,... until a single investor who will finance the entire production comes onto the scene. He is Nick Valenti, a big time mobster, with the catch being that his dimwitted girlfriend, non-actress Olive Neal, get the lead role. A hesitant David and Julian, who are able to talk Nick into them giving Olive one of the two female supporting roles instead, go along with the scheme hoping that the three other actors hired will be able to make up for any deficiencies posed by Olive. What makes Olive's situation worse for David is that Nick has placed a bodyguard named Cheech - a typical thug who kills if need be - on Olive, he a constant presence at the theater during rehearsals. David is unaware or mindfully ignorant of issues concerning the other actors. Helen Sinclair, who has the lead, is a diva of an actress, who hasn't had a hit in years. Regardless, she is slyly manipulating David to make the role more glamorous befitting her real life persona than the frigid character he has written. Gossip is that Warner Purcell, the only male among the cast, has a roller coaster of a weight problem. Currently on a low, Warner tends to eat and eat and eat when when he gets stressed. And Eden Brent, a happy-go-lucky actress, has a constant companion in her pet chihuahua, Mr. Woofulls, whose presence is a constant thorn in Helen's side. With one problem after another during rehearsals, one event seems to have the potential to turn the production around on a permanent upswing,... that is if David goes along with it, he resisting if only because it would mean that his artistic vision was wrong. Regardless, there is still the potential for something to go violently wrong with Nick solely looking out for Olive's interest, and Cheech a constant presence, he seeing and hearing everything that is happening.—Huggo
- New York, 1928. David Shayne is a playwright and his last two movies have bombed. He has a new play and wants to direct it himself. However, he is unable to find a financier for his play until Nick Valenti comes along. Slight problem - Valenti is a mobster, and he now insists that his talentless girlfriend, Olive Neal, get the lead role. Things are about to get very complicated.—grantss
- Set in 1920's New York City, this movie tells the story of idealistic young playwright David Shayne. Producer Julian Marx finally finds funding for the project from gangster Nick Valenti. The catch is that Nick's girl friend Olive Neal gets the part of a psychiatrist, and Olive is a bimbo who could never pass for a psychiatrist as well as being a dreadful actress. Agreeing to this first compromise is the first step to Broadway's complete seduction of David, who neglects longtime girl friend Ellen. Meanwhile David puts up with Warner Purcell, the leading man who is a compulsive eater, Helen Sinclair, the grand dame who wants her part jazzed up, and Cheech, Olive's interfering hitman / bodyguard. Eventually, the playwright must decide whether art or life is more important.—Reid Gagle
- David Shayne, a neurotic playwright, has just found a way to have his play produced. Mob boss Nick Valenti has faith that the play will bring in big bucks. Nick is a little stubborn, and demands that his wannabe actress girlfriend, bimbo Olive have a large part, but Olive is a terrible actress and a conceited moron. Above all that, David is caught in an affair with lead actress Helen Sinclair and constantly at odds with the cast and crew. Soon he finds himself taking writing tips from Olive's bodyguard Cheech, who turns out to be a great writer himself. When the cast is introduced to Cheech's rewrite (thinking it's David's) David starts getting amazing compliments. Knowing whom the real writer is, David starts to question whether or not he is a true artist.—Monte_Man167
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