Not to See Sandridge Again Edgar Lee
Lee Tracy as an Indignant Husband Who "Lives" Twenty Years of His Life Over Again.
https://www.nytimes.com/1933/08/26/archives/lee-tracy-as-an-indignant-husband-who-lives-twenty-years-of-his.html
Lee Tracy as an Indignant Husband Who "Lives" Twenty Years of His Life Over Again.
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August 26, 1933
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In "Turn Back the Clock," the present feature at the Capitol, there are moments that bring to mind Mark Twain's classic yarn, "A Connecticut Yankee at the Court of King Arthur" and also such plays as "The Road to Yesterday," "Captain Applejack," "Berkeley Square" and "The Wisdom Tooth." The hero of the current work, who glories in the name of Joe Gimlet, is, however, a conservative dreamer who conterts himself by living the last twenty years of his life over again.Edgar Selwyn and Ben Hecht have wrought a clever and jovial tale of Mr. Gimlet's trip into the past. They have arranged an amusing introduction to the "journey," which occurs while Gimlet is under the influence of an anesthetic on an operating table. The authors have seized upon the idea of their hero's knowledge of current events and customs to make their chronicle all the more effective.Lee Tracy was an inspired choice for the part of Gimlet, who is a slangy, good-natured fellow who keeps a cigar store and does not precisely dislike the taste of alcoholic beverages. His wife is a thrifty soul who is chiefly responsible for their savings of $4,000. One day Ted Wright, who hails from the same town as Gimlet did, enters the Gimlet shop, and the fact that the two have not set eyes on each other for twenty-two years leads to a party at which their wives and an old friend named Holmes are present.Wright is a banker who has feathered his nest nicely. He says that he would like to do a little something for Gimlet, and suggests an investment that will turn the Gimlets' savings into $20,000 in a couple of months. But Mrs. Gimlet refuses to take any chances with her money, with the result that her husband drinks more Napoleon brandy than he can stand, and after telling his wife that he wishes he could relive part of his life he goes out into the street and is bowled over by an automobile.The turning back of the clock while Gimlet is on the operating table is accomplished most adroitly, for the visions of the injured man are depicted with great effect, almost well enough to cause a spectator to drop off into a dream. Subsequently, Gimlet finds himself stalking the streets of Corliss, at home with his mother, going to work in a drug store and often eyed with no little suspicion by friends. Here is a man who is a World War veteran going back to 1910; a man who has observed drug-store soda fountains turned into lunch counters; a man Who knows of the Wall Street debacle.Gimlet's mother mentions that Roosevelt is back again. Gimlet wants to know where he has been and to his amazement the elderly woman says that Roosevelt has been in Africa. Joe asks which Roosevelt and is told there is only one—Teddy. From then on Gimlet realizes that he must be careful. Another hilarious bit is when Gimlet reads in a newspaper of Sarajevo and he cannot help saying that this incident led to the World War. They all think that he ought to be in a lunatic asylum. In liying his life over again he becomes a man of wealth who does not go to war, but is thoughtful enough to put a million dollars in the bank for the doughboys when they come back.The old-fashioned songs get on his nerves and he cannot help singing a few lines of "Tony's Wife." This is startling to others in the gathering. There are many other such ideas that are set forth with an appreciation for really good comedy. The return to his senses and the lesson he has learned are sketched in an imaginative fashion.Mr. Tracy's portrayal is eloquent. Mae Clark is pleasing as Mrs. Gimlet and Otto Kruger does well as Ted Wright. Peggy Shannon, C. Henry Gordon and Clara Blandick give suitable performances.On the Capitol Stage.Bob Hope, with stooges, appears to be the headliner on the Capitol stage this week, and that is all light if you've never seen Bob Hope. Also present are Lennie Hayton and Jean Sargent (the latter sings "Lazy Bones," "Stormy Weather" and several others), a Chester Hale ballet, Phil Spitalny and his orchestra and some more.
TURN BACK THE CLOCK, based on a story by Edgar Selwyn and Ben Hecht; directed by Mr. Selwyn; a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production. At the Capitol.Joe Gimlet . . . . . Lee TracyMary Gimlet . . . . . Mae ClarkeTed Wright . . . . . Otto KrugerPete Evans . . . . . George BarbierElvina Wright . . . . . Peggy ShannonMr. Holmes . . . . . C. Henry GordonMrs. Gimlet . . . . . Clara Blandick
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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/1933/08/26/archives/lee-tracy-as-an-indignant-husband-who-lives-twenty-years-of-his.html
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