She Wouldn't Say Yes

She Wouldn't Say Yes
Directed by Alexander Hall[1]
Produced by Virginia Van Upp
Screenplay by
Story by
Starring
Music by Marlin Skiles
Cinematography Joseph Walker
Edited by Viola Lawrence
Production
company
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • November 29, 1945 (1945-11-29) (USA)
Running time
 87 minutes[2]
Country United States[2]
Language English

She Wouldn't Say Yes is a 1945 screwball comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring Rosalind Russell and Lee Bowman.[2]

Synopsis

A psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Lane, is leaving a military hospital after spending two weeks working with patients there. Before she leaves, she encounters a patient reading a comic strip by Michael Kent. The comic's character, the Nixie, encourages people to act on their impulses by whistling in their ear. Dr. Lane explains to the patient that it's not good to act on their impulses. Colonel Brady, another psychiatrist, mentions to Dr. Lane that her confidence as a professional comes from some problem that she has repressed.

Later, at Grand Central Station, Dr. Lane picks up her train ticket and gets knocked down by another customer who apologizes. Several bumps and bruises later, she leaves and the customer—who turns out to be comic writer Michael Kent—picks up his ticket. At the last minute, the clerk—acting on his impulse because of the Nixie—switches Kent's ticket to be the same compartment as Dr. Lane's ticket.

On the train, Kent and Dr. Lane bump into each other again while at the bar.[1]

Cast

Rosalind Russell from The Feminine Touch 1941

Rosalind Russell was cast in the part of Dr. Susan Lane, an unmarried psychiatrist, happy to be single. Russell had a prolific film career with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starting in 1934, when she signed a seven-year contract with them.[3] She had been nominated for an Academy Award three years earlier as Best Actress in a Leading Role for her part in My Sister Eileen.[4]

Lee Bowman played the part of Michael Kent, a cartoonist in the military that pens a comic strip, The Nixie, which encourages people to follow their impulses.

Production

The original working title for the film was Some Call It Love and was later changed to She Wouldn't Say Yes.[5] Production for the film began on May 8, 1945 and went through July 14. 1945.[6] Rosalind Russell had previously worked with director Alexander Hall on several films including My Sister Eileen from 1942[7] and This Thing Called Love from 1940.[8]

The release date of the film caused an anachronism in the plot: the traveling Kent character is en route to Japan, via San Francisco, and mentions at least three times he is "off to war"—but the war ended three months earlier.

Release

She Wouldn't Say Yes was released to theatres on November 29, 1945.[1][9] The film was adapted as a radio play for Screen Directors Playhouse and broadcast on June 2, 1950.[10] The radio play was released as an audiobook on cassette in 1977.[10]

Home media

She Wouldn't Say Yes was first released to the home video market on video cassette.[11] The movie was released to DVD on August 4, 2009[9] as part of the Icons of Screwball Comedy, Volume 1 set along with If You Could Only Cook, Too Many Husbands, and My Sister Eileen.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hall, Alexander; Van Upp, Virginia (1945). She Wouldn't Say Yes (Motion picture). Los Angeles, California, USA: Columbia Pictures. OCLC 28824410. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Crowther, Bosley (2010). "She Wouldn't Say Yes (1945)". The New York Times. New York City, New York, USA: Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  3. ↑ Sonneborn, Liz (January 1, 2002). A to Z of American Women in the Performing Arts. New York City, New York, USA: Infobase Publishing. p. 187. ISBN 9781438107905. OCLC 234079206. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  4. ↑ Jordan, Richard Tyler (April 1, 2004). But Darling, I'm Your Auntie M (reprint, illustrated ed.). New York City, New York, USA: Kensington Books. p. 5. ISBN 9780758204820. OCLC 55004149. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  5. ↑ Dick, Bernard F. (December 1, 2006). Forever Mame: The Life of Rosalind Russell. Jackson, Mississippi, USA: University Press of Mississippi. p. 93. ISBN 9781604731392. OCLC 219657481. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  6. ↑ AFI staff (2013). "AFI Catalog of Feature Films". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California, USA: American Film Institute. OCLC 772904208.
  7. ↑ Johnson, Randal; Stam, Robert (1995). Brazilian Cinema (2nd, illustrated, revised ed.). New York City, New York, USA: Columbia University Press. p. 356. ISBN 9780231102674. OCLC 32510683. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  8. ↑ Dick, Bernard F. (August 1, 2011). Hollywood Madonna: Loretta Young (illustrated ed.). Jackson, Mississippi, USA: University Press of Mississippi. p. 117. ISBN 9781617030796. OCLC 695560169. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  9. 1 2 Rotten Tomatoes staff (2013). "She Wouldn't Say Yes - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  10. 1 2 Russell, Rosalind; Averback, Hy (1977). She Wouldn't Say Yes (Audiobook on Cassette). Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA: Metacom. OCLC 12814678. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  11. ↑ Scheuer, Steven H. (1989). Movies on TV and Video Cassette 1989-1990 (13 ed.). New York City, New York, USA: Bantam Books. ISBN 9780553277074. OCLC 19855145. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  12. ↑ Mermelstein, David (September 7, 2009). "Eight Columbia Screwball Gems". The Wall Street Journal. New York Cuty, New York, USA: Lex Fenwick. ISSN 0099-9660. OCLC 781541372. Retrieved February 17, 2013.

Bibliography

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