Blithe Spirit

Noel Coward's famous macabre stage comedy gets somewhat cut down for this TV adaptation but survives handily, aided by Coward's direction, an appreciative live studio audience, and an excellent cast, headed by Coward himself. As Charles, he nails the comedy lines, as how couldn't he, and he paces it swiftly; even the camerawork is unusually sophisticated for 1956. He loathed working with Colbert-"I'd wring her neck, if she had one," he's famously alleged to have said-but she plays Ruth expertly, and even gets exit applause on a key scene. He got along fine with Lauren Bacall, and she's a seductive, husky-voiced Elvira, though her accent varies a bit. Mildred Natwick might be the funniest Madame Arcati I've seen, and I've seen Angela Lansbury; she underplays, and exhibits a joie de vivre that other Arcatis haven't quite mastered. The noted British character actress Brenda Forbes is also on hand, and young Marion Ross keeps up with her estimable fellow players. Other Blithe Spirits are out there-David Lean's quite successful film version, and a somewhat flat 1966 TV remake-but this one has the immediacy of a live play, and it would be hard to top the comic playing here.