Tea for Two (1950) - film review

In 1929, Larry Blair intends producing a hit Broadway musical but is having difficulty raising the finance.  He had hoped to persuade his girlfriend Nanette Carter, a wealthy socialite, to invest $25,000 in the show, but she seems strangely reluctant to part with her cash.  Finally, impressed with the numbers written by the show’s star, Jimmy Smith, Nanette agrees to stump up the money, providing she takes the leading female role.  What Nanette doesn’t know is that her Uncle Maximus has made some very unwise investment decisions with her money and, following the stock market crash, most of her fortune has evaporated.  Maximus coyly agrees to give Nanette the money she needs, providing she can go for 48 hours without saying Yes to anything...

Although heavy on clichés and somewhat lacking in plot, Tea for Tea still manages to be a highly entertaining musical comedy, buoyed up by a rich abundance of talent on both sides of the camera.  This was the first film in which Doris Day received top billing, and the first time she starred opposite Gordon MacRae, with whom she appeared in another four films.

The memorable flapper era numbers include I Only Have Eyes For You, I Want To Be Happy, Do, Do, Do, as well as the title number and The Charleston - all performed with great élan and vitality.   The story and characters veer towards the ridiculous but don’t let this spoil your enjoyment of a delightfully jaunty escapist romp.

© filmsdefrance.com 2009

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