Tea for Two

Tea for Two (David Butler, 1950) - I like Doris Day, but her cheery singing and cartoonish sensibility can't save this average musical, which is hamstrung by excessive comic relief, an unsuitable setting (the onset of the Great Depression - what an amusing scenario) and characters it's very difficult to root for. The set-up is this: Day dreams of being a Broadway star, and will get her big break if she can win a bet with uncle S.Z. Sakall to say "no" to every question she's asked for 36 hours. Not only do the writers fail to mine this promising premise to convincing dramatic ends, but they hardly wring any laughs out of it either. It's left instead for Billy "Oh no, not Billy De Wolfe" De Wolfe to provide the comic relief, which is not a situation I would like to revisit any time soon. The lack of thought that went into the script is epitomised by the staggeringly artless way a gaggle of fun late-'20s songs are crowbarred into the narrative. Still, the film is lit by that good score, much of it performed by frequent co-stars Day and Gordon McRae, and some impressive hoofing from Gene Nelson - with his staircase dance the obvious high spot. Terence Davies' favourite character actress, Eve Arden, snipes agreeably in support. Tea for Two is based on the stage musical No, No, Nanette (filmed in 1930 and 1940), which is the show-within-a-film here.

WARNING! - possibly a mini-"spoiler" contained herein: Doris Day and Gordon MacRae were a pleasant vocal match and their several movies together at Warner Bros. were an enjoyable alternative to M-G-M's overpowering supremacy as Hollywood's biggest manufacturer of movie musicals. In this one Eve Arden, once again, provides her patented brand of sly comedic support and she has one line, near the end of the unfolding of the nonsensical plot, that made the price of admission more than worth it. Just after Patrice Wymore, as Billy De Wolfe's girlfriend, outraged at his devious manipulations, delivers a resounding slap on one of his cheeks (Thank goodness he wasn't required to turn the other one!), Eve, looking sympathetically at Billy, emits a shocked "Oh!" then immediately transfers her gaze to Miss Wymore and continues, most solicitously, "Did you hurt your hand?" For my money, the best moment in the film! I saw Gene Nelson on stage in New York, quite a few years after this film was made, during the initial run of the memorable Stephen Sondheim/Harold Prince musical "Follies." His dancing was just as skilled, energetic and amazing as it was in this film over two decades earlier.

I've just watched this film for the first time having been able to buy the DVD. I've been such a huge fan of Doris Day and Gordon MacRae since the fifties so there is something magical about being able to view more of their films that I have never seen before. It's almost as if their careers have been extended to cover these missing decades to see previously unseen material. Perhaps other people know what I mean, I don't know. This was pure joy for me, a good quality DVD and the picture was quite sharp, not HD but still pretty good for it's age played on my Blu Ray player. Based on the play No No Nanette, it tells the flimsy story of Doris having to say NO until a certain time to win a bet with her uncle to fund a show, a lovely performance by S Z Sakall who provides much of the humour, as does Billy De Wolfe as the creepy stage manager. Eve Arden is the strong friend in the background and Patrice Wymore gives a spirited performance as Doris' rival for the lead in the show. There is a stunning dance routine by the underrated Gene Nelson (Will Parker in Oklahoma!) where he jumps onto a newel post on a winding staircase and tap dances up the banister, absolutely incredible. Not sure how he ranks along side Kelly, Astaire and O'Connor but he must be up there, although not so famous perhaps. This film contains some great hit songs which has to be the winner,particularly the title track, Tea for Two, and sung by Doris Day and my favourite baritone Gordon MacRae, it's just bliss. Anyone who is interested, just look on YouTube for Gordon MacRae and listen to that magnificent voice, no one like him.

I love musicals in general, but this is one of my favorites! Definitely 10 out of 10. With Doris Day in it... how can it go wrong! With an Uncle who is beside himself with the knowledge that her family money is gone and they are now broke, (because of the sudden "crash" of the stock market), he just can't bring himself to tell her. So when she wants to invest her money in a theatrical play (with herself in the lead), her Uncle makes her promise to say "No" to everything for 24 hours then he'll say OK. But.... Anything and everything happens in that 24 hours. Fun and light-hearted! A perfect combination of musical singing, acting,and comedy. I am just hoping Warner Bros will come out with it on DVD soon! hint hint :)

I am normally a very big fan of Doris Day, but this film was certainly not one of her best. The following year's "I'll See You in My Dreams" is so much better, plot-wise, music wise, and especially "acting-wise". Some of the songs are quite enjoyable to hear, however, the production numbers are very "clunkily" staged, and the fact that this film is supposed to be set in late 20's and no attempt is made at authentic period detail (except for the cars) is really quite annoying, and does takeaway from the overall enjoyment of the musical. Not terrible, but definitely not Doris' best. Surprisingly, I have heard that this was one of the biggest "hits" of 1950. Huh??

This very early Doris Day effort is a re-working of the stage show, "No, No, Nanette!". In order to get her chance to appear in a musical, Nanette has to promise to say 'no', for a prescribed period of time, to everything that is asked of her. Set notionally in 1929, the period of the original show, but barely even attempting historical accuracy, the film is really only a vehicle for Doris, Warners' new star. So little regard is had to period feel that Doris performs one number in a New Look dress. Soft-focus close-ups and jerky dialogue trundle the action from one musical set piece to the next. The opening number in the rehearsal room is well-presented, with an attractive New York cityscape beyond the window and a nice 'infinite regression' effect in the wall mirrors. Doris sings and dances appealingly throughout, especially in "Crazy Rhythm" (in which Gene Nelson has a terrific athletic dance solo). Gordon MacRae as Tommy gives us his usual thoroughly dependable (if uninspiring) male lead, and Patrice Wymore does her customary 'beautiful bad girl' as Bea Darcy. Pauline the wise-cracking secretary is played by Eve Arden (27 years later, the principal of Rydell High in "Grease"). The 'Charleston' sequence is a knockout, and Gene Nelson's bannister dance in "Oh Me, Oh My!" is astonishingly good. The character of Mabel Wylie (Virginia Gibson) is introduced, but then not persevered with, suggesting that some plot sections were later edited out. Verdict - A pleasant Doris vehicle with songs cleverly embedded in a so-so plot.

Doris Day is great in this movie. She's full of life, she's sparkling, her singing is great (as is her dancing). Also Eve Arden is very funny. That's about it for the good things. Otherwise the film has a stupid plot; unmemorable songs; and Gordon MacRae is (suprisingly) horrible as the male lead. He was so good in "Oklahoma!" and "Carousel". My guess is that this was early in his career before he learned how to act and, truthfully, he has no character to play. So, it's a very pleasant movie, but nothing great. An acceptable time-waster.

Doris Day was involved in many musicals at Warners from 1948 onwards, and 'Tea for Two' is a typical example. Set in the stock market crash of 1929, this variation on 'putting on a show' has Day as both an heiress and a stage-struck singer and dancer, supported by her friends Jimmy the composer (Gordon MacRae, later to appear to good effect in 'Oklahoma' and 'Carousel'), and Tommy the hoofer (Gene Nelson, the cut-price Fred Astaire who ended up directing Elvis' minor musicals). The score is nice but not that memorable - 'Tea for Two', 'No, No, Nanette', 'I Want To Be Happy', 'Do, Do, Do' - while the story, loosely based on the play No, No, Nanette concerns rivalries, lost investments, and a comic uncle (SZ Sakall, who played the same part in countless films throughout the 1940s and 1950s). Billy de Wolfe and Patrice Wymore round out the cast as a heel of a producer and his sniping leading lady. As a film, 'Tea for Two' passes the time and boasts some great costumes and colour, even if most of the film doesn't have a 1929 feel. And the bookending sequences, with Sakall telling a tale to a roomful of children, doesn't quite sit with the rest of the material. But it isn't bad.

In her fifth movie, Doris Day finally achieved top-billing, yet she shares the screen equally with a talented ensemble cast, with everyone working hard to inject some sparkle into a wafer-thin concoction. Inspired by the 1920s stage hit "No, No, Nanette" (itself filmed in 1940), this plays out as sort of the backstage story, with Doris betting her wealthy uncle that she won't say 'yes' for 48 hours in exchange for show-money. Unbeknownst to her, uncle S.Z. Sakall has been nearly ruined by the 1929 stock market crash which, incidentally, hasn't kept all the hoofers from hanging up their tap shoes (they're the merriest group of poor, working dancers I've ever seen!). Pleasant tunes, colorful costumes and fun dance routines (including a hair-raising bit with Gene Nelson on a staircase) can't really add excitement to the proceedings, which seems to have been made as a matinée quickie. Day shines (as usual), but her relationships with the men (Nelson, Gordon MacRae, and Billy De Wolf) are unclear, with De Wolf in particular a real wild card (would you believe him as a ladies' man stage producer?). Eve Arden has some funny asides, and the wrap-up is cute, but "Tea for Two" vanishes from the cup just as quickly as it is poured. ** from ****

Doris Day at her best! This film made me a fan. I love you Doris...and hope you are blessed knowing you've lifted my spirits many times. The color is out of this world in this bright cheerful film too.