''The Mad Martindales'' is a 1942 American
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Alfred L. Werker
Alfred L. Werker (December 2, 1896 – July 28, 1975) was a film director whose work in movies spanned from 1917 through 1957. After a number of film production jobs and assistant directing, Werker co-directed his first film, ''Ridin' the Wind ...
and written by
Francis Edward Faragoh
Francis Edward Faragoh (born Ferenc Eduárd Faragó; October 16, 1898 – July 25, 1966) was a Hungarian-American screenwriter. He wrote for 20 films between 1929 and 1947. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1931 for Best Writing, A ...
. It is based on the 1939 play ''Not for Children'' by Wesley Towner. The film stars
Jane Withers
Jane Withers (April 12, 1926 – August 7, 2021) was an American actress and children's radio show host. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for ...
,
Marjorie Weaver
Marjorie Weaver (March 2, 1913 – October 1, 1994) was an American film actress of the 1930s through the early 1950s.
Early life, entrance into acting
Weaver was born in Crossville, Tennessee to John Thomas Weaver and his wife, Ellen (née Mar ...
,
Alan Mowbray
Alan Mowbray (born Alfred Ernest Allen; 18 August 1896 – 25 March 1969) was an English stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood.
Early life
Mowbray was born in London, England. He served with distinction in the British Army in W ...
,
Jimmy Lydon
James Joseph Lydon (May 30, 1923 – March 9, 2022) was an American actor and television producer whose career in the entertainment industry began as a teenager during the 1930s.
Early life
Lydon was born in Harrington Park, New Jersey on May 3 ...
,
Gig Young
Gig Young (born Byron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in ''Come Fill the Cup'' (1952) and '' Teacher's Pet'' ...
,
George Reeves
George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 – June 16, 1959) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series '' Adventures of Superman'' (1952–1958).
His death at age 45 from a g ...
and
Charles Lane. The film was released on May 15, 1942, by
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
.
Plot
Cast
*
Jane Withers
Jane Withers (April 12, 1926 – August 7, 2021) was an American actress and children's radio show host. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for ...
as Kathy Martindale
*
Marjorie Weaver
Marjorie Weaver (March 2, 1913 – October 1, 1994) was an American film actress of the 1930s through the early 1950s.
Early life, entrance into acting
Weaver was born in Crossville, Tennessee to John Thomas Weaver and his wife, Ellen (née Mar ...
as Evelyn Martindale
*
Alan Mowbray
Alan Mowbray (born Alfred Ernest Allen; 18 August 1896 – 25 March 1969) was an English stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood.
Early life
Mowbray was born in London, England. He served with distinction in the British Army in W ...
as Hugo Martindale
*
Jimmy Lydon
James Joseph Lydon (May 30, 1923 – March 9, 2022) was an American actor and television producer whose career in the entertainment industry began as a teenager during the 1930s.
Early life
Lydon was born in Harrington Park, New Jersey on May 3 ...
as Bobby Bruce Turner
*
Gig Young
Gig Young (born Byron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in ''Come Fill the Cup'' (1952) and '' Teacher's Pet'' ...
as Peter Varney
*
George Reeves
George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 – June 16, 1959) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series '' Adventures of Superman'' (1952–1958).
His death at age 45 from a g ...
as Julio Rigo
*
Charles Lane as Virgil Hickling
*
Kathleen Howard
Kathleen Howard (July 27, 1884 – April 15, 1956) was a Canadian-born American opera singer, magazine editor, and character actress from the mid-1930s through the 1940s.
Biography
Howard was born in Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Cana ...
as Grandmother Varney
*
Robert Greig
Robert Greig (December 27, 1879 – June 27, 1958) was an Australian-American actor who appeared in more than 100 films between 1930 and 1949, usually as the dutiful butler. Born Arthur Alfred Bede Greig, he was the nephew of Australian pol ...
as Wallace Butler
*
Brandon Hurst as Smythe Butler
*
Steven Geray
Steven Geray (born István Gyergyai, 10 November 190426 December 1973) was a Hungarian-born American film actor who appeared in over 100 films and dozens of television programs. Geray appeared in numerous famed A-pictures, including Alfred H ...
as Jan Van Der Venne
*
Victor Sen Yung
Sen Yung, later known professionally as Victor Sen Young (born Sen Yew Cheung; October 18, 1914 – c. November 9, 1980); one source lists his given name as Victor Cheung Young with the birth year 1915)) was an American character actor, best kn ...
as Jefferson Gow
*
Emma Dunn
Emma Dunn (26 February 1875 – 14 December 1966) was an English actress. After starting her acting career on stage in London, she became known for her works in numerous films and Broadway productions.
Career
Emma Dunn appeared onstage in ...
as Agnes
*
Hal K. Dawson as Hotel clerk
*
Don Dillaway
Donald Provost Dillaway (March 17, 1903 – November 18, 1982) was an American stage and film actor.
Early years
Dillaway's mother, billed as Nettie Gordon, sang in vaudeville. Because she and his father insisted on a professional career for h ...
as Lawyer
*Tom Yuen as Chang Gow
*
Otto Hoffman
Otto F. Hoffman (May 2, 1879 – June 23, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in almost 200 films between 1915 and 1944. He was born in New York City and died in Los Angeles, California, from lung cancer.
Hoffman's Broadway credit ...
as Pawnbroker
*
Alec Craig
Alexander Younger Craig (30 March 1884 – 25 June 1945) was a Scottish-born American character actor, particularly known for his roles in ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1935) and ''National Velvet'' (1944). He was particularly known for portraying ...
as Coachman
*
Harry Shannon as Policeman
*Dick French as Barber
*Jack Chefe as Barber
References
External links
*
1942 films
20th Century Fox films
American comedy films
1942 comedy films
Films directed by Alfred L. Werker
American black-and-white films
1940s English-language films
1940s American films
Films with screenplays by Francis Edward Faragoh
American films based on plays
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