The Time of Your Life
(1948)
109 mins | Comedy-drama | 3 September 1948
Director:
H. C. PotterProducer:
William CagneyCinematographer:
James Wong HoweEditors:
Walter Hanneman , Truman K. WoodProduction Designer:
Wiard IhnenProduction Company:
Cagney Productions, Inc.The prologue to the film states: "This is a motion picture of many stories and plots...a living part of life itself." The onscreen credit state that the play was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and a Drama Critics Circle Award (although, as noted in Var, playwright William Saroyan refused to accept the Pulitzer award). In 1942, James Cagney and his brother William formed Cagney Productions. Actress Jeanne Cagney was their sister. According to the film's file in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library, PCA officers insisted that the play's tragic ending be revised for the film. Consequently, in the film's original script, "Blick" is shot dead by "Kit" in the alley behind the saloon. "Joe" then accompanies "Kit" to the police station to face arrest, and the film fades out. The Var review states: "After shooting a Johnston office version of the original finale, it was discovered in sneak previews that it `didn't play.' The heavy Saroyanism left audiences bewildered." Thus, the closing scenes were reshot. At the PCA's request, "Blick," who was originally a police detective, was made into a informer and blackmailer. Regarding the character of "Kitty," the PCA ordered that no reference to prostitution be made; thus, she is depicted as a "B" girl in the film, and the circumstance surrounding her criminal record in Chicago are never fully explained. ...
The prologue to the film states: "This is a motion picture of many stories and plots...a living part of life itself." The onscreen credit state that the play was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and a Drama Critics Circle Award (although, as noted in Var, playwright William Saroyan refused to accept the Pulitzer award). In 1942, James Cagney and his brother William formed Cagney Productions. Actress Jeanne Cagney was their sister. According to the film's file in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library, PCA officers insisted that the play's tragic ending be revised for the film. Consequently, in the film's original script, "Blick" is shot dead by "Kit" in the alley behind the saloon. "Joe" then accompanies "Kit" to the police station to face arrest, and the film fades out. The Var review states: "After shooting a Johnston office version of the original finale, it was discovered in sneak previews that it `didn't play.' The heavy Saroyanism left audiences bewildered." Thus, the closing scenes were reshot. At the PCA's request, "Blick," who was originally a police detective, was made into a informer and blackmailer. Regarding the character of "Kitty," the PCA ordered that no reference to prostitution be made; thus, she is depicted as a "B" girl in the film, and the circumstance surrounding her criminal record in Chicago are never fully explained.
A sign in front of Nick's Pacific Street saloon, restaurant and entertainment palace in San Francisco invites customers to come in and be themselves. Among the motley group that frequents Nick's saloon are: Joe, a wealthy man who helps lonely drifters who take refuge in the saloon; Joe's faithful friend Tom, who three years before Joe had nursed back to health, and who now runs errands for him; and Willie, who endlessly plays a marbles pinball machine. One day at Nick's, a woman who calls herself Kitty Duval wanders in and is befriended by Joe. She tells Joe that her real name is Katerina Koronovski, but became Kitty Duval when she toured the country as a burlesque singer and dancer. Joe asks Tom to dance with Kitty, and they fall in love. Meanwhile, Dudley Raoul Bostwick, a lovesick young man desperately trying to reach his girl friend, Elsie Mandelspiegel, on the telephone, dials the wrong number, and ends up telling a strange, lonely woman that he is going to kill himself if she does not marry him. The woman, Lorene Smith, eagerly arrives at Nick's, but when Dudley sees that she is a homely, middle-aged spinster, he pretends to be somebody else. Kitty and Tom go out, and while they are away, an informer named Freddy Blick questions Nick about a blonde named Kitty Duval who has a police record in Chicago. Next, Joe tells a beautiful stranger with the initials "M. L." that he was once in love with a woman named Mary, whom he met in Mexico City, but who was engaged to another man. For a moment, the woman imagines ...
A sign in front of Nick's Pacific Street saloon, restaurant and entertainment palace in San Francisco invites customers to come in and be themselves. Among the motley group that frequents Nick's saloon are: Joe, a wealthy man who helps lonely drifters who take refuge in the saloon; Joe's faithful friend Tom, who three years before Joe had nursed back to health, and who now runs errands for him; and Willie, who endlessly plays a marbles pinball machine. One day at Nick's, a woman who calls herself Kitty Duval wanders in and is befriended by Joe. She tells Joe that her real name is Katerina Koronovski, but became Kitty Duval when she toured the country as a burlesque singer and dancer. Joe asks Tom to dance with Kitty, and they fall in love. Meanwhile, Dudley Raoul Bostwick, a lovesick young man desperately trying to reach his girl friend, Elsie Mandelspiegel, on the telephone, dials the wrong number, and ends up telling a strange, lonely woman that he is going to kill himself if she does not marry him. The woman, Lorene Smith, eagerly arrives at Nick's, but when Dudley sees that she is a homely, middle-aged spinster, he pretends to be somebody else. Kitty and Tom go out, and while they are away, an informer named Freddy Blick questions Nick about a blonde named Kitty Duval who has a police record in Chicago. Next, Joe tells a beautiful stranger with the initials "M. L." that he was once in love with a woman named Mary, whom he met in Mexico City, but who was engaged to another man. For a moment, the woman imagines that she is Joe's Mary, and he admits that he is still in love with Mary before she says goodbye. Later, Tom returns, and after he tells Joe that he wants to marry Kitty, Joe sends him out to buy a gun. Kit Carson, an old cowboy, then enters and tells Joe fantastic tales of adventure from his youth and comments that Joe is the first person ever to believe them. Elsie finally arrives and agrees to marry Dudley, and they leave together. After Willie finally wins his perpetual game of marbles, he leaves the bar. When Tom returns with a gun, Joe sends him on a job interview as a truck driver. Kitty then comes back and confesses to Joe that she was never in burlesque, but was involved in "other" things that make her unworthy of Tom. While Joe is away collecting poetry to cheer up Kitty, Blick returns and accuses her of being Katerina Koronovski, an ex-convict who spent two years in prison. Kit comes to Kitty's defense, but Blick beats him up and throws him out of the saloon. Blick then forces Kitty to prove she was a burlesque dancer by insisting she perform her routine on the stage. After Blick orders her to take off her clothes, she admits who she really is, defiantly asking Blick if he has the courage to admit the same. After Joe returns, a fight starts in which Joe tries to shoot Blick with his defective gun, then knocks him out with his fists. Nick enters and throws Blick out, and Tom announces that he got the job and will marry Kitty. Nick then tears up his sign, saying "Enough is enough."
TOP SEARCHES
Casablanca
In the onscreen credits, actor S. Z. Sakall's name is incorrectly spelled "S. K. Sakall." HR news items add the following information about the production: ... >>
Arabian Nights
Arabian Nights opens and closes with a framing story featuring an elderly guardian relating the story of two rival brothers, Haroum-al-Raschid and Kamar al Zaman, to six ... >>
The Long Haul
Onscreen credits contain the following written acknowlegment: "The producer gratefully acknowleges the assistance and facilities made availabe to the producer by Leyland Motors Limited." Tom Morahan's onscreen credit reads ... >>
The Terminator
A full-page advertisement in the 24 Feb 1984 DV announced the recent start of principal photography, referring to the film by its working title, Terminator. ... >>