''An Angel from Texas'' is a 1940

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 Ray Enright and written by

Fred Niblo Jr. Fred Niblo Jr. (January 23, 1903 – February 18, 1973) was a successful American screenwriter. He received an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for the film ''The Criminal Code'' (1931) with Seton I. Miller. Niblo retired fr ...

and Bertram Millhauser. The film stars

Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', ...

, Rosemary Lane,

Wayne Morris Wayne Morris (born Bert DeWayne Morris Jr. February 17, 1914 – September 14, 1959) was an American film and television actor, as well as a decorated World War II fighter ace. He appeared in many films, including ''Paths of Glory'' (1957), '' ...

, Ronald Reagan and

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)"Actress, P ...

. The film was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

on April 27, 1940. The film is based on the hit 1925 play ''

The Butter and Egg Man ''The Butter and Egg Man'' is a 1925 play by George S. Kaufman, the only play he wrote without collaborating. It was a Broadway hit during the 1925–26 season at the Longacre Theatre. Adapted to film six times, it is still performed on stages toda ...

'', written by George S. Kaufman.

Plot

Peter "Tex" Coleman (

), a butter and egg man from Texas, comes to New York with his mother's life savings to buy a hotel in the big city and be near his stage struck sweetheart, Lydia Weston ( Rosemary Lane). Upon his arrival, Tex finds Lydia working as a secretary for a couple of fast-talking producers rather than being the stage star that her home town thinks she has become. Tex is just the angel for whom sharpshooter producers Mac McClure (

) and Marty Allen ( Ronald Reagan) have been waiting, because they have a play set for rehearsal but no money to produce it, and their leading lady, Valerie Blayne ( Ruth Terry), is adding to their problems by threatening reprisals from her gangster boyfriend, Pooch Davis ( Milburn Stone), unless the show opens on schedule. Tex agrees to invest his money in the show if Lydia is given the lead, and when Mac and Marty consent to his terms, the play goes into rehearsal as a drama with two leading ladies. When Valerie threatens Mac with bodily harm unless she plays the lead, Mac informs Tex that he is going to fire Lydia unless he buys the entire show. Sensing that the play would work as a farce, Marty's wife Marge puts up the money on the condition that Tex play the male lead. True to Marge's instincts, on opening night, the play has the audience rolling in the aisles as dynamite planted on stage by Valerie's vindictive boyfriend explodes, and the actors' performances are so bad that they are funny. As a comedy, the show becomes a smash success, but when a plagiarism suit looms on the horizon, Tex and Marge sell the show back to its eager producers and leave them holding the bag.

Cast

as Peter * Rosemary Lane as Lydia *

as Mac * Ronald Reagan as Marty *

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)"Actress, P ...

as Marge * Ruth Terry as Valerie Blayne *

John Litel John Beach Litel (December 30, 1892 – February 3, 1972) was an American film and television actor. Early life Litel was born in Albany, Wisconsin. During World War I, he enlisted in the French Army and was twice decorated for bravery. Ba ...

as Quigley *

Hobart Cavanaugh Hobart Cavanaugh (September 22, 1886 – April 26, 1950 ) was an American character actor in films and on stage. Biography He was born in Virginia City, Nevada on September 22, 1886. Cavanaugh attended the University of California. He worked in ...

as Mr. Robelink *

Ann Shoemaker Ann Shoemaker (born Anne Dorothea Shoemaker; January 10, 1891 – September 18, 1978) was an American actress who appeared in 70 films and TV movies between 1928 and 1976. She portrayed Sara Roosevelt, mother of Franklin D. Roosevelt, in b ...

as Addie Lou Coleman *

Tom Kennedy Thomas or Tom Kennedy may refer to: Politics *Thomas Kennedy (Scottish judge) (1673–1754), joint Solicitor General for Scotland 1709–14, Lord Advocate 1714, Member of Parliament for Ayr Burghs 1720–21 * Thomas Kennedy, 9th Earl of Cassilis ...

as Chopper * Milburn Stone as 'Pooch' Davis

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Angel from Texas, An 1940 films Warner Bros. films 1940 comedy films American comedy films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films Films directed by Ray Enright 1940s American films