No Second Act

Moss Hart's Act One, a memoir of his early days in the theatre, was a bestseller in 1959.  Still in print today, it's a delightful book, charming and witty.  A movie version was released in 1963 but is barely remembered.  Now that I've seen it, I know why.

I was curious to see how it would be adapted.  For one thing, the book is in two parts.  The first half is Hart's early days, trying to get a toehold in the theatre.  The second half is a compelling account of how his first Broadway hit, Once In A Lifetime, came to be.

The movie wisely sticks to the second half, but that's one of the few good decisions made by Hart's old friend Dore Schary, who wrote, directed and produced.  Schary had been a successful screenwriter and playwright, and also head of MGM, so it's surprising this production is so flatfooted.  And even though he follows the book rather closely, so many moments that are funny or dramatic in print simply don't play on screen.

He's not helped by his stiff star George Hamilton.  Some of the supporting cast isn't bad--Eli Wallach (as Jed Harris stand-in Warren Stone), George Segal, Jack Klugman and especially Jason Robards as George S. Kaufman--but with a plot that never builds momentum, the performers are stranded.  The sets and costumes aren't much either--I never believed this was happening in 1929. It's also got an overactive score from Skitch Henderson.

So by all means, check out the book.  But if you never get a chance to see the movie, you're not missing much.  Hart himself never saw the film--he died in 1961.  Too bad, since I bet Dore would have asked for some notes from his old pal, and Moss was a great script doctor.