TEA FOR TWO (1950) - Missing credit.... (1 Viewer)

[Chuck Pennington]

TEA FOR TWO (1950) was on TCM last night, but it appears that a screen credit has been obscured! Robert Osbourne introduced it as being "inspired by the old 1920's musical NO, NO NANETTE", but there isn't a credit to be found on the film. Was it originally in the place where now there is just a blurry blob? Why? Some websites state it is an adaptation of the play, and others say it is just an interesting re-working of it, and yet others state that it is merely inspired by the play.

Weird thing is that the movie isn't on DVD in the U.S., but it apparently was released in the U.K. briefly...

 

[CineKarine]

All I know for sure is that the film was only inspired by the play or rather by its music; the film plot has nothing whatsoever to do with the theater version. The film even added songs by Gerswhin and other songwriters to the Vincent Youmans score.

Day and MacRae actually starred in a condensed radio version of the original No, No, Nanette story (as part of MacRae's Railroad Hour series of musical and operetta adaptations).

 

[Chuck Pennington]

Review of NO, NO NANETTE (1940 film version)
http://www.answers.com/topic/no-no-n...=entertainment

"Heroine Nanette (Anna Neagle) entering into a financial arrangement whereby she must answer "No" to every question during a 24-hour period. It's all for the sake of her rogueish uncle (Roland Young), who's heavily in debt thanks to a gaggle of gold-digging chorines. Nanette's task is complicated by her romantic entanglements involving an artist (Richard Carlson) and a flashy theatrical producer (Victor Mature). The songs include "I Want to Be Happy", "Tea for Two" and the title number. Unlike the previous Neagle-RKO Radio-Herbert Wilcox collaboration Irene, No, No, Nanette fizzled at the box office. For many years, the film was withdrawn from circulation because of Warner Bros.' 1950 remake, the Doris Day vehicle Tea for Two."

Still, every synopsis os the original play I have found is VERY different:

From http://www.stageagent.com/shows.php?id=722:

"Even though Jimmy Smith has become a millionaire due to his bible publishing business, his wife Sue remains frugal and has little desire for money. Her main concern is raising their adopted daughter, Nanette, into a respectable lady. Nevertheless, Jimmy doesn't know what to do with all his money so he decides to become the beneficiary for three beautiful women. After a while, Jimmy realizes that he is bound to get himself in trouble. He enlists the help of his lawyer friend, Billy, to try and get rid of the three women. When Sue and Billy's wife, Lucille, discover this fact, they assume that Billy and Jimmy are having affairs with these women. Meanwhile, young Nanette, who has an untapped wild side, is being pursued by a suitor, Tom Trainor. Eventually, Billy and Jimmy explain the situation and are forgiven by their wives. Likewise, Nanette and Tom sort out their difficulties and decide to be married."

Still, does anyone know exactly what is being obscured in the opening credits on the TCM (and I'd wager all video releases) version of TEA FOR TWO? And why is it being obscured?

 

[John Skoda]

I've got the laserdisc release, and the credit is obscured there too. I think the credit acknowledged the play NO, NO, NANETTE as source material, which I don't think was really the case in terms of the story. Songs came from there, yes.

Maybe this got blurred around the time of the 1970's Broadway revival for some legal reason. I can't imagine this was originally released in theaters with the credits looking like this!

 

[Chuck Pennington]

I wonder why it was released in the UK on DVD but not in the US? And why is it already out of print when it apparently was just released a yr or two ago over there...

 

[Roger Rollins]

That card originally read:

Screen Play by Harry Clork

The smudged out credit read:

Suggested by the play "No, No, Nanette," by Frank Mandel, Otto Harbach, Vincent Youmans and Emil Nyitray

Notably missing is the name of lyricist Irving Caesar, who was co-credited as lyricist for the original Broadway score of "No, No, Nanette".

Yet also receiving credit are Frank Mandel and Emil Nyitray, who wrote the play "My Lady Friends" on which the libretto on "Nanette" was based.

Since the film's only connection to the original Nanette are some character names, and the use of several songs (either on screen or as underscore), Caesar didn't get an 'author' credit on that card, but Mandel and Nyitray did, I'd bet there was some kind of snit raised, and hence the smudge, which is probably on the original neg.

Given what TCM ran last night was the same master as the laserdisc (down to the dirt and scratches), It seems likely that Warner will restore TEA FOR TWO for another Doris Day set somewhere in the next year or two.

 

[David Grove]

I'd like to buy another Doris Day collection sooner than that.


(Shameless plug)


DG

 

[Kanny Daye]

Does anybody have a screenshot of the unblurred title card? I don't know if it was once here in the first post as the images are gone.

 

[Joel Arndt]

Warner Archive reissued the DVD in 2017. Following is the link on Amazon. It had been released as part of a multi-disc TCM Spotlight collection in 2009 which is still available apparently.

See on Amazon

The elements used for this look pretty rough in comparison to other Day films, but if anyone can work miracles with 3-strip Technicolor for Blu-ray releases it's WBMPI. Would love to own this on Blu.

And the smudged title card has been there since at least VHS days.