Meet Me Tonight

I love Noel Coward, so I was excited to see "Meet Me Tonight," a 1952 film, based on the play, comprising three separate stories and including some excellent actors: Valerie Hobson, Stanley Holloway, Nigel Patrick, Jessie Royce Landis, and others.

Unfortunately, the stories were filled with unpleasant characters and a lot of yelling and insults. The second one especially was a real downer.

The first story, about two lousy music hall performers (Kay Walsh and Ted Ray), didn't rely on us just taking Coward's word for it that they were bad - we saw every number. Intolerable.

The last story should have worked, but it doesn't, mostly due to the annoying performance of Jessie Royce Landis.

Not particularly well directed, in some cases not particularly well acted, and loathe as I am to say it, not particularly well written. It was nice to see the lovely Valerie Hobson, though. And for that, "Meet Me Tonight" gets a 6.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess! I saw this movie one night on Turner Classics, and thought I'd check out the IMDb write-up. I was surprised to see the negative comments about it, so I have to respond. I couldn't disagree more! It's definitely from another era, the British theatrical tradition of the '30s and '40s when Noel Coward was at his peak. I thought the writing and characterization was totally brilliant in all respects. Three short plays with unique, eccentric British characters involved in totally different slices of life. It's off-the-wall, satirical, cheeky black humor that's always ironic and engaging. All the actors are excellent, and obviously highly experienced veterans of the English stage. Consequently, this is definitely not a Hollywood production, and a lot of people might not appreciate it. But for anyone who appreciates the world of Noel Coward, I think it deserves top ratings.

Unfortunately for Noel Coward, the filming of three of his 1936 playlets was delayed for sixteen years and the coming of a new era in western civilization. Luckily, "Brief Encounter," based on the1936 playlet "Still Life," made it to the screen several years earlier more or less intact and went down in history as a classic. The three in this omnibus presentation survive only in tattered form. The best is the first – "Red Peppers," about a married song-and-dance team who constantly carp at one another offstage. It's an entertaining look behind the scenes of that bygone British institution, the music hall – second-rate variety thereof - which was already fading when Coward originally penned the piece. There is a sense of reality to it, for this was familiar turf to Coward and he probably encountered many individuals like the ones portrayed here in his youth as a journeyman actor on the English stage. Martita Hunt is a standout as an alcoholic veteran performer whose ego is far greater than her talent. The second segment is a straight-on filmed play of the domestic comedy "Fumed Oak." What was cartoonishly funny onstage is just awkward on screen. It lacks punch entirely. Even the redoubtable Stanley Holloway as the fed-up man of the house surrounded by jabbering suburban females cannot rescue it. The third, "Ways and Means," is an almost total disaster. More than the other two, this one tries to look like a movie but drowns in chatter. Nigel Patrick and Valerie Hobson are charming but they are not enough to make this slender tale of social parasites on the Riviera entertaining. Throughout all three the Coward wit pokes through often enough to hold the interest, but generally speaking this is a disappointing trio of adaptations.

In 1936, Noel Coward wrote nine short plays to be presented three per evening. Three of those plays are presented here: "Red Peppers" shows us the unglamorous side of provincial theatrical life (and includes the delightful song "Has Anybody Seen Our Ship?"); "Fumed Oak" is an acidic slice of marital non-bliss; and "Ways and Means" is a study of economic survival among the idle poor. All are sharply written and expertly acted by a cast of true pros, but ultimately the film disappoints. Perhaps it is because the three plays chosen are too alike, light comedies that are a bit heavy on the bickering. In the original stage presentation, one of the plays presented would have been a drama, perhaps the exquisite "Still Life" which was expanded and filmed separately as "Brief Encounter".

As a recording of a bit of theatrical history, the movie has some interest, but as pure entertainment, at least for modern audiences, it doesn't quite hit the mark.

This is a collection of three short Noel Coward plays, which I watched despite reading only bad reviews about it. Well, they were right, and here's another bad review. The first play, at 25 minutes, is quite tolerable - has some very corny jokes, as a pro, and some awfully contrived acting as a definite con. With different actors, this could have been quite good, because it was a pretty interesting little tale. It easily could have done with another fifteen or so minutes run time as well. The second play, at 20 minutes, was...well...I don't think I have the words. It was BAD, but compelling, in a bizarre way. One of those things that makes you keep asking, "my god, did he REALLY say THAT???" The third one, at 40 minutes, was the killer, not even the always delightful Valerie Hobson could save it; the last 5 minutes luckily made up for the other 35 minutes of pain.

Recommended only for the very bored ;)