Call It a Day: Difference between revisions

Call It a Day
Call It a Day
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Archie Mayo
Screenplay by	Casey Robinson ; Sheridan Gibney
Based on	Call It a Day; by Dodie Smith
Produced by	Henry Blanke ; Hal B. Wallis
Starring	Olivia de Havilland; Ian Hunter; Anita Louise; Alice Brady; Roland Young; Frieda Inescort;
Cinematography	Ernest Haller
Edited by	James Gibbon
Music by	Heinz Roemheld
Production; company	Cosmopolitan Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	April 17, 1937;
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

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Call It a Day is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Olivia de Havilland, Ian Hunter, Anita Louise, Alice Brady, Roland Young, and Frieda Inescort. Based on the 1935 play Call It a Day by Dodie Smith, the film is about a day in the life of a middle-class London family whose lives are complicated by the first romantic signs of spring.^[1]

Plot

As the first day of spring arrives with unseasonably warm weather, the Hilton household is briefly turned upside down. Eldest daughter Cath has fallen hopelessly in love with the married artist painting her portrait, father Roger has his head turned by glamorous film star Beatrice Gwynn when he assists her with her taxes, wife Dorothy has an offer to elope to India with her friend's brother shortly after meeting him and son Martin wants to go motoring around the Continent until he encounters the attractive girl next door. Even youngest daughter Ann has developed an obsession with the Victorian artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti. By the end of the day all is righted and a semblance of normality has returned.

Cast

Olivia de Havilland as Catherine 'Cath' Hilton
Ian Hunter as Roger Hilton
Anita Louise as Joan Collett
Alice Brady as Muriel West
Roland Young as Frank Haines
Frieda Inescort as Dorothy Hilton
Bonita Granville as Ann Hilton
Peggy Wood as Ethel Francis
Marcia Ralston as Beatrice Gwynn
Walter Woolf King as Paul Francis
Peter Willes as Martin Hilton
Una O'Connor as Mrs. Milson, the Housekeeper
Beryl Mercer as Mrs. Elkins, the Cook
Elsa Buchanan as Vera, the Maid
Mary Field as Elsie Lester, Roger's Secretary
May Beatty as Frank's Landlady
Sidney Bracey as Flower Shop Owner
Leyland Hodgson as Sir Harold
Robert Adair as Butler
Louise Stanley as Girl on Bus
Clarissa Selwynne as Annoyed Woman in Theater

Production

Soundtrack

"I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" (James Kendis, James Brockman, Nat Vincent, John W. Kellette) performed by Ian Hunter
"Isn't It Romantic?" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) performed by Marcia Ralston

Reception

In his May 7, 1937, review, The New York Times' Frank Nugent said that he "enjoyed" the "tolerant and quietly humorous piece", and praised the ensemble cast.^[2] Two months later, writing for Night and Day, Graham Greene gave the film a poor review and complained about the self-sanitized story of temptations rejected in the face of infidelity. Greene also complains of the use of clichéd dialogue, which includes the stale line, "Do you mind if I slip into something more comfortable?" which, Greene adds, "to our astonishment [leads to] the temptress reappear[ing] in just another evening dress."^[3]

References

^ "Call It a Day (1937) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
^ "THE SCREEN; One More Film of a Last Year's Play Comes to Town: This Being 'Call It a Day' at the Capitol". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
^ Greene, Graham (22 July 1937). "Parnell/Call it a Day". Night and Day. (reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome. Oxford University Press. pp. 155–156. ISBN 0192812866.)

External links

This 1930s comedy film–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "Call It a Day (1937) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2020-07-04.

[2] "THE SCREEN; One More Film of a Last Year's Play Comes to Town: This Being 'Call It a Day' at the Capitol". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-07-04.

[3] Greene, Graham (22 July 1937). "Parnell/Call it a Day". Night and Day. (reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome. Oxford University Press. pp. 155–156. ISBN 0192812866.)

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{About|the 1937 film|the 1935 play on which it was based|Call It a Day (play)}}{{short description|1937 film by Dodie Smith, Archie Mayo}}
+{{short description|1937 film by Dodie Smith, Archie Mayo}}
+{{About|the 1937 film|the 1935 play on which it was based|Call It a Day (play)}}
 {{Infobox film
 | name           = Call It a Day
 | image          = Call It a Day 1937 Poster.jpg
-| border         = yes
 | alt            =
 | caption        = Theatrical release poster
 | director       = [[Archie Mayo]]
-| producer       =
+| producer       = [[Henry Blanke]] <br> [[Hal B. Wallis]]
-| screenplay     = Casey Robinson
+| screenplay     = [[Casey Robinson]] <br> [[Sheridan Gibney]]
-| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Call It a Day (play)|Call It a Day]]'' (play)|[[Dodie Smith]]}}
+| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Call It a Day (play)|Call It a Day]]''|[[Dodie Smith]]}}
 | narrator       =
 | starring       = {{Plainlist|
@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 | cinematography = [[Ernest Haller]]
 | editing        = James Gibbon
-| studio         = [[Warner Bros.|Warner Bros. Pictures]]
+| studio         = [[Cosmopolitan Productions]]
-| distributor    = Warner Bros. Pictures
+| distributor    = [[Warner Bros.]]
-| released       = {{Film date|1937|04|17|USA}}
+| released       = {{Film date|1937|04|17}}
 | runtime        = 90 minutes
 | country        = United States
@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 }}
 '''''Call It a Day''''' is a 1937 American [[comedy film]] directed by [[Archie Mayo]] and starring [[Olivia de Havilland]], [[Ian Hunter (actor)|Ian Hunter]], [[Anita Louise]], [[Alice Brady]], [[Roland Young]], and [[Frieda Inescort]]. Based on the 1935 play ''[[Call It a Day (play)|Call It a Day]]'' by [[Dodie Smith]], the film is about a day in the life of a middle-class London family whose lives are complicated by the first romantic signs of spring.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Call It a Day (1937) - Overview - TCM.com|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3543/Call-It-a-Day/|access-date=2020-07-04|website=Turner Classic Movies|language=en}}</ref>
+==Plot==
+As the first day of spring arrives with unseasonably warm weather, the Hilton household is briefly turned upside down. Eldest daughter Cath has fallen hopelessly in love with the married artist painting her portrait, father Roger has his head turned by glamorous film star Beatrice Gwynn when he assists her with her taxes, wife Dorothy has an offer to elope to [[British India|India]] with her friend's brother shortly after meeting him and son Martin wants to go [[driving|motoring]] around the [[Continental Europe|Continent]] until he encounters the attractive girl next door. Even youngest daughter Ann has developed an obsession with the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] artist [[Dante Gabriel Rossetti]]. By the end of the day all is righted and a semblance of normality has returned.
 ==Cast==
@@ Line 64: / Line 67: @@
 ==Reception==
-In his May 7, 1937, review, [[The New York Times]]' [[Frank Nugent]] said that he "enjoyed" the "tolerant and quietly humorous piece", and praised the ensemble cast.<ref>{{Cite web|title=THE SCREEN; One More Film of a Last Year's Play Comes to Town: This Being 'Call It a Day' at the Capitol|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1937/05/07/94371941.html?pageNumber=29|access-date=2020-07-04|website=timesmachine.nytimes.com|language=en}}</ref> Two months later, writing for ''[[Night and Day (magazine)|Night and Day]]'', [[Graham Greene]] gave the film a poor review and complained about the self-sanitized story of temptations rejected in the face of infidelity. Greene also complains of the clichéd use of dialogue which includes the stale line "Do you mind if I slip into something more comfortable?" which, Greene adds, "to our astonishment [leads to] the temptress reappear[ing] in just another evening dress."<ref>{{cite journal |last= Greene|first= Graham|author-link= Graham Greene|date= 22 July 1937|title= Parnell/Call it a Day|journal= [[Night and Day (magazine)|Night and Day]]}} (reprinted in: {{cite book |editor-last= Taylor|editor-first= John Russell |editor-link= John Russell Taylor|date= 1980|title= The Pleasure Dome|publisher= Oxford University Press|pages= 155-156|isbn=0192812866}})</ref>
+In his May 7, 1937, review, [[The New York Times]]' [[Frank Nugent]] said that he "enjoyed" the "tolerant and quietly humorous piece", and praised the ensemble cast.<ref>{{Cite news|title=THE SCREEN; One More Film of a Last Year's Play Comes to Town: This Being 'Call It a Day' at the Capitol| work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1937/05/07/94371941.html?pageNumber=29|access-date=2020-07-04|language=en}}</ref> Two months later, writing for ''[[Night and Day (magazine)|Night and Day]]'', [[Graham Greene]] gave the film a poor review and complained about the self-sanitized story of temptations rejected in the face of infidelity. Greene also complains of the use of clichéd dialogue, which includes the stale line, "Do you mind if I slip into something more comfortable?" which, Greene adds, "to our astonishment [leads to] the temptress reappear[ing] in just another evening dress."<ref>{{cite journal |last= Greene|first= Graham|author-link= Graham Greene|date= 22 July 1937|title= Parnell/Call it a Day|journal= [[Night and Day (magazine)|Night and Day]]}} (reprinted in: {{cite book |editor-last= Taylor|editor-first= John Russell |editor-link= John Russell Taylor|date= 1980|title= The Pleasure Dome|publisher= Oxford University Press|pages= 155–156|isbn=0192812866}})</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 75: / Line 78: @@
 * {{IMDb title|0028679|Call It a Day}}
 * [http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3543/Call-It-a-Day/ Call It a Day] on [[Turner Classic Movies|TCM]]
-* {{allmovie title|86441|Call It a Day}}
 *[https://archive.org/download/TheaterGuildontheAir/Tgoa_46-06-02_ep039-Call_It_a_Day.mp3 1946 ''Theatre Guild on the Air'' radio adaptation of original play] at [[Internet Archive]]
@@ Line 83: / Line 85: @@
 [[Category:1937 comedy films]]
 [[Category:American comedy films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
 [[Category:American black-and-white films]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Archie Mayo]]
@@ Line 90: / Line 91: @@
 [[Category:Films set in London]]
 [[Category:Films based on works by Dodie Smith]]
+[[Category:1930s American films]]
 {{1930s-comedy-film-stub}}
+[[Category:Films scored by Heinz Roemheld]]