The Man Who Came to Dinner (1972 film)

Last updated
The Man Who Came to Dinner
Directed by Buzz Kulik
Screenplay by Sam Denoff
Bill Persky
Based on The Man Who Came to Dinner
1939 play
by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
Produced bySam Denoff
Starring Orson Welles
Lee Remick
Joan Collins
Music by Roy Budd
Production
companies
Foote, Cone and Belding Productions
Release date
  • November 29, 1972 (1972-11-29)
Running time
73 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Man Who Came to Dinner is a 1972 American TV adaptation of the 1939 play The Man Who Came to Dinner by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It was directed by Buzz Kulik for Hallmark Hall of Fame . [1] [2] The film was broadcast on November 29, 1972. [3]

Contents

Plot summary

Sheridan Whiteside, a sharp-tongued and famous radio critic, is on a lecture tour in Ohio when he slips on the icy steps of the home of the prominent Stanley family and breaks his hip. Forced to convalesce in their home during the Christmas holidays, Whiteside takes over the household, turning the Stanley home into a whirlwind of chaos.

The already dramatic situation is further complicated by a series of events: Whiteside’s secretary, Maggie Cutler, falls in love with a local newspaper reporter named Bert Jefferson. To keep Maggie from leaving his employ, Whiteside schemes to have his actress friend, Lorraine Sheldon, come and lure Bert away from Maggie. Additionally, Whiteside has to deal with a variety of eccentric characters who visit him during his convalescence, including the strange Professor Metz and the eccentric actor Beverly Carlton.

As Whiteside continues his manipulations and the Stanley home becomes more chaotic with penguins in the library and octopi in the cellar, it’s revealed that he has been well enough to leave for some time but has stayed for his own amusement and purposes. However, his ruses are eventually revealed, leading to a series of comedic confrontations and resolutions.

In the end, Whiteside leaves the Stanley household, but not before causing a final bit of mischief. As he’s departing, he slips on the icy steps again, implying that the entire comedic cycle might begin anew.

Cast

Wickes recreated the role she originated on Broadway in 1939 and which she played in the 1942 film version. [3]

Production

Orson Welles had been offered the role of Sheridan Whiteside on Broadway but turned it down because of the time commitment although he always loved the play. [4] Welles later said that declining the stage production was smart "because if you've seen the film you'll know it was awful and there was no way for anybody to be good in it." [3] The play was adapted and updated for the modern day by Sam Denoff and Bill Persky, who turned Whiteside into a TV talk show host. [4]

The story is based in Ohio but was videotaped in Southampton, England to accommodate Welles who did not want to return to the U.S. due to tax difficulties. [3]

Reception

The Los Angeles Times called it "a splendid romp". [5] Variety singled out the performances by Collins, Andrews, Wickes, Gough, Braden, and Knotts, while saying "None of the others in the extensive cast was less than good." [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Cotten</span> American actor (1905–1994)

Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of The Philadelphia Story (1939) and Sabrina Fair (1953). He then gained worldwide fame for his collaborations with Orson Welles on three films, Citizen Kane (1941), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), and Journey into Fear (1943), which Cotten starred in and for which he was also credited with the screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moss Hart</span> American playwright, librettist and theater director

Moss Hart was an American playwright, librettist, and theater director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monty Woolley</span> American actor (1888–1963)

Edgar Montilion "Monty" Woolley was an American film and theater actor. At the age of 50, he achieved a measure of stardom for his role in the 1939 stage play The Man Who Came to Dinner and its 1942 film adaptation. His distinctive white beard was his trademark and he was affectionately known as "The Beard."

Life with Father is a 1939 play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, adapted from a humorous autobiographical book of stories compiled in 1935 by Clarence Day. The Broadway production ran for 3,224 performances over 401 weeks to become the longest-running non-musical play on Broadway, a record that it still holds. The play was adapted into a 1947 feature film and a television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Remick</span> American actress (1935-1991)

Lee Ann Remick was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film Days of Wine and Roses (1962).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Knotts</span> American actor and comedian (1924–2006)

Jesse Donald Knotts was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on the 1960s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He also played Ralph Furley on the highly rated sitcom Three's Company from 1979 to 1984. He starred in multiple comedic films, including leading roles in The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964) and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966). In 2004, TV Guide ranked him number 27 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orson Bean</span> American actor (1928–2020)

Orson Bean was an American film, television, and stage actor. He was a game show and talk show host and a "mainstay of Los Angeles’ small theater scene." He appeared frequently on several televised game shows from the 1960s through the 1980s and was a longtime panelist on the television game show To Tell the Truth. "A storyteller par excellence", he was a favorite of Johnny Carson, appearing on The Tonight Show more than 200 times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Wickes</span> American actress (1910–1995)

Mary Wickes was an American actress. She often played supporting roles as prim, professional women, secretaries, nurses, nuns, therapists, teachers and housekeepers, who made sarcastic quips when the leading characters fell short of her high standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audra Lindley</span> American actress (1918–1997)

Audra MarieLindley was an American actress, most famous for her role as landlady Helen Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off The Ropers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joi Lansing</span> American actress (1929–1972)

Joi Lansing was an American model, film and television actress, and nightclub singer. She was noted for her pin-up photos and roles in B-movies, as well as a prominent role in the famous opening "tracking shot" in Orson Welles' 1958 crime drama Touch of Evil.

<i>The Man Who Came to Dinner</i> Comedy in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart

The Man Who Came to Dinner is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of New York and London revivals. The first London production was staged at The Savoy Theatre starring Robert Morley and Coral Browne. In 1990, Browne stated in a televised biographical interview, broadcast on UK Channel 4, that she bought the rights to the play, borrowing money from her dentist to do so. When she died, her will revealed that she had received royalties for all later productions and adaptations of the play.

Henry David Jaglom is an English-born American actor, film director and playwright.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1972 film) 1972 live-action film adaption of Treasure Island

Treasure Island is a 1972 adventure film, based on the 1883 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film stars Orson Welles as Long John Silver, Kim Burfield as Jim Hawkins, Walter Slezak as Squire Trelawney, Rik Battaglia as Captain Smollett, and Ángel del Pozo as Doctor Livesey.

<i>Sherry!</i>

Sherry! is a musical with a book and lyrics by James Lipton and music by Laurence Rosenthal. The musical is based on the 1939 George S. Kaufman-Moss Hart play The Man Who Came to Dinner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Sheff</span> American film director

Stanley Sheff is a Hollywood born director and screenwriter. He has worked in television, stage and screen. His collaboration with Orson Welles eventually led Sheff to direct and co-write the cult sci-fi feature Lobster Man from Mars (1989) starring Tony Curtis, based on a title suggested by Welles. Feature films and television are not the only types of projects directed by Stanley Sheff. In the early 1980s, he produced, directed, and performed a popular comedy radio show for KROQ-FM radio in Los Angeles called "The Young Marquis and Stanley", a comedy show that was aired on Sunday evenings. He has appeared as Master of Ceremonies on stage and at live vintage dance events as his character Maxwell DeMille.

<i>The Man Who Came to Dinner</i> (1942 film) 1942 film by William Keighley

The Man Who Came to Dinner is a 1942 American screwball comedy film directed by William Keighley, and starring Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan and, as the titular character, Monty Woolley. The screenplay by Julius and Philip G. Epstein is based on the 1939 play The Man Who Came to Dinner by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. The supporting cast features Jimmy Durante and Billie Burke.

<i>The Love God?</i> 1969 film directed by Nat Hiken

The Love God? is a 1969 American comedy film starring Don Knotts and Edmond O'Brien. It was written and directed by Nat Hiken, who died between the completion of shooting and the film's release. The Love God? marked a change of pace for Knotts, who had exclusively appeared in family comedies, and was an attempt to integrate Knotts into the adult-oriented films that dominated the late 1960s and early 1970s.

<i>The Petty Girl</i> 1950 film by Henry Levin

The Petty Girl (1950), known in the UK as Girl of the Year, is a musical romantic comedy Technicolor film starring Robert Cummings and Joan Caulfield. Cummings portrays painter George Petty who falls for Victoria Braymore (Caulfield), the youngest professor at Braymore College who eventually becomes "The Petty Girl".

<i>Pursuit</i> (1972 American film) 1972 American TV series or program

Pursuit is a 1972 American made-for-television drama film that screened on the ABC network as an ABC Movie of the Week. It was Michael Crichton's first work as a director, though his theatrical directorial debut would not premiere until the following year. It is based on Crichton's 1972 novel Binary, which he published under the pseudonym John Lange.

Beatrice Colen was an American television and film actress. She may be best known for her television roles as roller-skating carhop Marsha Simms on Happy Days and as Etta Candy on the first season of Wonder Woman.

References

  1. INSIDE TV: Star of CBS Film to Make Broadway Bow Los Angeles Times 6 Oct 1972: e22.
  2. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Now? By MARK SHIVASLONDON. New York Times 26 Nov 1972: D13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Cox, Stephen; Marhanka, Kevin (2008). The Incredible Mr. Don Knotts. Cumberland House. pp. 115–117. ISBN   9781581826586.
  4. 1 2 ORSON WELLES PLAYS 'THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINER': Orson Welles: the perpetual who came to dinner 'THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER' Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 26 Nov 1972: r1.
  5. 'Dinner' Updated for Romp on TV Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 30 Nov 1972: e17.