No, No, Nanette (1940 film)

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No, No, Nanette
"No. No, Nanette" (1940 film).jpg
Directed by Herbert Wilcox
Written by Ken Englund (screenplay)
Produced byMerrill G. White (associate producer)
Herbert Wilcox (producer)
StarringSee below
Cinematography Russell Metty
Edited by Elmo Williams
Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • December 13, 1940 (1940-12-13)
Running time
96 minutes
126 minutes (Ontario, Canada)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$570,000 [1]
Box office$940,000 [1]

No, No, Nanette is a 1940 American film directed by Herbert Wilcox and based on both the 1919 stage play No, No, Nanette and the 1930 film No, No, Nanette . It was one of several films the British producer/director made with Anna Neagle (whom he married in 1943) for RKO studios in the U.S. [2]

Contents

Plot

Personable Nanette helps her philandering millionaire uncle Jimmy out of several embarrassing situations with beautiful women he's promised careers to; and in the process, Nanette becomes romantically involved with both a musical comedy producer, and a young artist.

Cast

Production

Victor Mature was borrowed from Hal Roach. [3]

Soundtrack

Reception

Box office

Although the film was popular, its cost meant it made a small loss of $2,000. [1]

Critical

Variety wrote:

Musical comedies rarely have much story. That's all right. No one expects them to. Plot is compensated for in a hit tune show by good music. That's an elementary show business lesson taught in a class that producer Herbert Wilcox must have skipped. In making a film version of the 1925 Broadway hit ... Wilcox saves all the book but very little of the music. 'Tea for Two' and 'I Want to Be Happy', as well as the title tune, 'No, No, Nanette' have been reduced to virtually incidental music. Even at that, Wilcox has been fortunate. Nanette has a pretty good plot as musical comedy plots go. He has erred, however, in complicating it instead of simplifying it, as was needed. Wilcox has been lavish, however, in instilling production values in Nanette and there's no denying, despite their age, the lilt of the Vincent Youmans tunes. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931–1951', Historical Journal of Film Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p56
  2. "No, No, Nanette – Film from RadioTimes".
  3. Schallert, Edwin (August 21, 1940). "Kane to Produce Here; Withers Film on List". Los Angeles Times. p. 17.
  4. "Hommage-Valse, Op.21 (Hermann, Florian)". International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP) / Petrucci Music Library.
  5. "Review: 'No, No, Nanette'". Variety. January 1, 1940.