Two for Tonight


1h 1m 1935

Film Details

Genre
Adaptation
Comedy
Musical
Release Date
Sep 13, 1935
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Paramount Productions, Inc.
Distribution Company
Paramount Productions, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the play Two for Tonight by Max Lief and J. O. Lief (production undetermined).

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 1m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels

Synopsis

Mrs. J. S. K. Smythe's three sons, John "Buster" Da Acosta, "Pooch" Donahue and Gilbert Gordon, are all musically inclined, and are products of different marriages. With the hope of selling one of their songs to rescue their broke family, the brothers sneak onto the estate of Alexander Myers, who is renowned for selecting the biggest music hits in the country, and serenade him, unaware that he is deaf. Gil serenades while perched in a tree until Bobbie Lockwood crashes her plane into the tree. Gil is hospitalized and Bobbie gives his mother a promissory note for $50,000 for his injuries. When Gil runs into Bobbie with his wheelchair while on the hospital grounds, he discovers that she is the secretary to theatrical agent Harry Kling, and that she will have to pay him in small installments. After his recovery, she arranges a meeting for him with Kling, who agrees that the story of how he met Bobbie would make a great play, as long as it stars his girl friend Lilly Bianca. Kling goes to Europe and allows the Smythe family to reside in his mansion during his absence while they write the play. When Gil becomes stumped for more material, Kling's butler, Homps, who was a producer in Budapest until the Depression, advises him to "let life be his playwright." In the meantime, Lilly misses the boat she was to board for Europe, and on her return, flirts incessantly with Gil, thereby inspiring Bobbie's jealousy. At a dinner club with Lilly, Gil writes down every occurrence to use as material for the play. In order to get more lurid material, he makes a prank call to the police department and causes a "seltzer war" at the restaurant, which results in his arrest. Bobbie takes dictation from Gil in his jail cell, and the band from the nightclub in the next cell helps him write the song "Aladdin." Gil is released, and Kling returns from Europe, but becomes enraged when he sees Lilly kissing Gil and cancels the deal, not realizing that Gil was merely thanking her for providing story material. Homps and Gil's mother have fallen in love, and as Homps's uncle has just died and left him an inheritance, Homps decides to produce Gil's play. Homps enlightens Gil to the fact that he and Bobbie are in love and encourages him to use this love to finish his play. When Bobbie leaves the house for good, Gil chases her to a train crossing but is unable to follow her any farther. She returns, however, and she and Gil kiss and make up, thereby creating a happy ending for their play and a new beginning for their lives.

Film Details

Genre
Adaptation
Comedy
Musical
Release Date
Sep 13, 1935
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Paramount Productions, Inc.
Distribution Company
Paramount Productions, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the play Two for Tonight by Max Lief and J. O. Lief (production undetermined).

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 1m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels

Quotes

Trivia