''Act One'' is a 1963 American film directed and screenwritten by

Dore Schary Isadore "Dore" Schary (August 31, 1905 – July 7, 1980) was an American playwright, director, and producer for the stage and a prolific screenwriter and producer of motion pictures. He directed just one feature film, '' Act One'', the film bio ...

and starring George Hamilton. It is the film version of the 1959 autobiographical book '' Act One'' by playwright

Moss Hart Moss Hart (October 24, 1904 – December 20, 1961) was an American playwright, librettist, and theater director. Early years Hart was born in New York City, the son of Lillian (Solomon) and Barnett Hart, a cigar maker. He had a younger brother ...

. A play based on the book premiered on Broadway in 2014. George Hamilton later complained that "Schary de-ethnicized the entire production and took out the brilliance for good measure".George Hamilton & William Stadiem, ''Don't Mind If I Do'', Simon & Schuster 2008 p 183

Plot

In 1929, 25-year-old Brooklynite Moss Hart lives with his parents and works hard in the summer so he has time to write plays in the winter. Hart is also encouraged by his friend, Joe Hyman, who occasionally lends him money as well as moral support. Eventually, after 4 years and 5 attempts at serious drama, he takes the advice of agent Richard Maxwell and “discards the mantle of

O'Neill The O'Neill dynasty (Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin, that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically the most prominent family of the Northern ...

and

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

and Shaw” to write a comedy, ''Once in a Lifetime''. Inspired by the newspaper headline “Talkies sweep Hollywood,” the play satirizes the Hollywood film industry's painful transition to sound. Hart's knowledge of the subject comes from immersing himself for months in “the pages of ''Variety'', the fan magazines and Louella Parsons' column.” Producer Warren Stone (a fictional version of

Jed Harris Jed Harris (born Jacob Hirsch Horowitz; February 25, 1900 – November 15, 1979) was an Austrian-born American theatrical producer and director. His many successful Broadway productions in the 1920s and 1930s include ''Broadway (play), Broadway' ...

) keeps him waiting all day, then tells him to leave the manuscript and return. Eventually they meet, and Stone mesmerizes Hart with his talk of what it means to be a playwright. When months pass without any word, Hart's friends sneak a copy of the play to

Sam Harris Samuel Benjamin Harris (born April 9, 1967) is an American philosopher, neuroscientist, author, and podcast host. His work touches on a range of topics, including rationality, religion, ethics, free will, neuroscience, meditation, psychedelics ...

, who agrees to produce it if

George Kaufman George Simon Kaufman (November 16, 1889June 2, 1961) was an American playwright, theater director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals for the Marx Brothers and others. ...

will collaborate and direct. Kaufman agrees, and so begins a partnership that will last until 1941. The

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

opening is a failure. Hart is distraught and Kaufman tells Hart that he has gone dry. Hart spends the day at the beach and comes to Kaufman with his new ideas for the second and third acts. Hart moves into Kaufman's house and they spend the summer reworking the play. It finally opens to rave reviews in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in September 1930. On opening night, Kaufman steps forward at the curtain call and says “80% of this play is Moss Hart.”

Cast

* George Hamilton as

Jason Robards Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill, Robards received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes ...

as George S. Kaufman *

Jack Klugman Jack Klugman (April 27, 1922 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He began his career in 1950 and started television and film work with roles in ''12 Angry Men'' (1957) and '' Cry Terror!'' (1958). D ...

as Joe Hyman *

Sam Levene Sam Levene (born Scholem Lewin; August 28, 1905 – December 28, 1980) was a Russian Empire-born American Broadway, film, radio, and television actor and director. In a career spanning over five decades, he appeared in over 50 comedy and dram ...

as Richard Maxwell *

Ruth Ford Ruth Ford (July 7, 1911 – August 12, 2009) was an American actress and model. Her brother was the Bohemianism, bohemian surrealist Charles Henri Ford. Their parents owned or managed hotels in the American South, and the family regularly move ...

Beatrice Kaufman Beatrice Bakrow Kaufman (January 20, 1895 – October 6, 1945) was an American editor, writer, and playwright. Although chiefly remembered as the wife of director, humorist, and playwright George S. Kaufman, she had a distinguished literary career ...

Eli Wallach Eli Herschel Wallach (; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. From his 1945 Broadway debut to his last film appearance, Wallach's entertainment career spanned 65 years. Origina ...

as Warren Stone (

) *

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as ''Ship o ...

as Lester Sweyd *Joseph Leon as Max Siegel *Martin Wolfson as Mr. Hart *

Sam Groom Samuel J. Groom is an American actor noted for his work on television. Groom was born in Columbus, Ohio. Groom portrayed Tom Eldridge in the CBS drama ''Our Private World'' (1965),. Following the cancellation of that prime-time serial, he rep ...

as David Starr (

) *Sammy Smith as Sam H. Harris *Louise Larabee as Clara Baum *

David Doyle David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

as Oliver Fisher *

Jonathan Lippe Jonathan Goldsmith (born September 26, 1938) is an American character actor. He began his career on the New York stage, then started a career in film and television. He appeared in several TV shows from the 1960s to the 1990s. He is best known ...

as Teddy Manson *

Bert Convy Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy (July 23, 1933 – July 15, 1991) was an American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for hosting ''Tattletales'', ''Super Password'' and ''Win, Lose or Draw''. Early life Convy was born in St. Louis ...

as Archie Leach *Sylvie Straus as Mrs. Hart *Arno Selco as Bernie Hart *Allen Leaf as Harry *Lulu B. King as Maid *Earl Montgomery as

Alexander Woollcott Alexander Humphreys Woollcott (January 19, 1887 – January 23, 1943) was an American drama critic and commentator for ''The New Yorker'' magazine, a member of the Algonquin Round Table, an occasional actor and playwright, and a prominent radio p ...

*Bill Desmond as

George Jean Nathan George Jean Nathan (February 14, 1882 – April 8, 1958) was an American drama critic and magazine editor. He worked closely with H. L. Mencken, bringing the literary magazine ''The Smart Set'' to prominence as an editor, and co-founding and ...

*Joe Demar as

Heywood Broun Heywood Campbell Broun Jr. (; December 7, 1888 – December 18, 1939) was an American journalist. He worked as a sportswriter, newspaper columnist, and editor in New York City. He founded the American Newspaper Guild, later known as The Newspaper ...

* Drummond Erskine as Franklin P. Adams * Kenneth Moss as

Robert E. Sherwood Robert Emmet Sherwood (April 4, 1896 – November 14, 1955) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He is the author of '' Waterloo Bridge, Idiot's Delight, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Rebecca, There Shall Be No Night, The Best Years of Our ...

Production background

Film rights were bought by Warner Bros, who assigned

George Axelrod George Axelrod (June 9, 1922 – June 21, 2003) was an American screenwriter, producer, playwright and film director, best known for his play ''The Seven Year Itch'' (1952), which was adapted into a film of the same name starring Marilyn Mon ...

to write the script. Eventually the project went to Dore Schary, who had known Hart for a number of years. "I've tried to deal with Moss as I knew him," said Schary. "The film is more about character than the theatrical world. But I think his story represents more than just a guy trying to success in a tough, creative field, It's about his frustrations in trying to reach a dream, and then it isn't what he expected when he gets there. You might call it a typical American theme." Dore Schary himself was the basis for the character "David Starr" (played by Sam Groom).

Anthony Perkins Anthony Perkins (April 4, 1932 – September 12, 1992) was an American actor, director, and singer. Perkins is best remembered for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's suspense thriller '' Psycho'', which made him an influential ...

and Dean Jones were early contenders for role of Moss Hart. George Hamilton was socially friendly with the family of Moss Hart, and Hart reportedly wanted Hamilton for the role.

Release

To promote the upcoming release of ''Act One'', George Hamilton appeared on a September 1963 episode of ''

I've Got a Secret ''I've Got a Secret'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show, ''What's My Line ...

'', a prime-time game show in which a panel of celebrities attempted to discover the guest's "secret." Hamilton's secret? The actor identified as Hamilton and grilled by the panel (who failed to guess his secret) was that he was not actually Hamilton at all but instead a dark-haired handsome sort-of-look-alike pretending to be Hamilton. The real Hamilton showed up at the end of the spot and earned the admiration of panelist Henry Morgan who expressed astonishment that any performer of Hamilton's stature was secure enough to take part in a stunt which, in essence, pointed up the fact that he was unrecognizable to a quartet of supposedly in-the-know celebrities.

Reception

Kitty Carlisle Kitty Carlisle Hart (born Catherine Conn; September 3, 1910 – April 17, 2007) was an American actress, singer, and spokeswoman for the arts. She was the leading lady of the Marx Brothers movie '' A Night at the Opera'' (1935) and was a regular ...

, Hart's widow, was unhappy with the film. When Schary showed it to her she said diplomatically, "Well, you did it," and later said she "we draw a veil" over the film. In 1997, she “expressed her disapproval in the April 5 ''New York Times,'' saying that she attempted to buy the film ‘to get it off the market.' “ James Woolcott wrote about the film in '' Vanity Fair'':

''Act One'' has a very ‘50s feel, more of a boxy affinity with the Golden Age of TV than anything released in a film canister. It abbreviates the birth pangs and floor-pacing agonies of '' Once in a Lifetime''’s gestation, the torturous rounds of re-writes and previews, sugarcoating everything about the romance of the theater that ''
All About Eve ''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr, although Orr does ...
'' had salted and pickled... Hamilton isn’t that bad, but playing an underdog of raging literal and metaphorical appetite, he purrs as a screen presence, his matinee-idol profile belying his character’s self-doubt. Nothing needy thumps around inside him. (Had ''Act One'' been made a decade later,
Richard Dreyfuss Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (; born Dreyfus; October 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for starring in popular films during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, including ''American Graffiti'' (1973), ''Jaws'' (1975), ''Close Encounters of the T ...
would have been perfect.) What makes this ''Act One'' work are the crafty scene-stealers cast against Hamilton’s ingenuous Hart: Eli Wallach... Jack Klugman... and, most of all, Jason Robards as George S. Kaufman. With high-top hair, skeptical eyebrows that lift like
Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...
’s, and a resigned posture suggesting a body that’s a dried rind, Robards’s Kaufman is an
Al Hirschfeld Albert Hirschfeld (June 21, 1903 – January 20, 2003) was an American caricaturist best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars. Personal life Al Hirschfeld was born in 1903 in a two-story duplex at 1313 Carr ...
caricature come to life. Wallach, Klugman, and Robards—each had a distinctive grain to his voice, a variable velocity in his delivery. The contrast between these shrewd operators and the freshman crew playing Hart’s smart-aleck pals—among them future star George Segal as Hart’s personal prophet of doom—gives the movie its rustling texture as a Hollywood artifact, nearly everybody in it destined for greater glories on-screen.,,

References

External links

* * * {{rotten-tomatoes, act-one1963, Act One 1963 films 1960s English-language films 1963 drama films American films based on plays American black-and-white films Warner Bros. films