Author Dodie Smith probably far better known for her novel 101 Dalmatians was the author of the play Call It A Day which ran on Broadway in 1936 for 194 performances. Before that it had done well in London. Hollywood's British colony with some American leavening was drafted into casting this rather slight comedy which gave Olivia DeHavilland her first role top billed.
I took note of the fact that it was Cosmopolitan Productions that made this film at Warner Brothers studio. This of course was the company headed by William Randolph Hearst and I'd bet that he bought this one for Marion Davies. He always saw her years younger and as the virtuous heroine. Olivia was 21 when she made this film and Marion was 41. Funny thing is she might well have been cast in Frieda Inescourt's role as Olivia's mother, but W.R. would never have let her appear in film in a mother's role.
Olivia is the oldest of three Hilton children the others being Peter Willes and Bonita Granville. On the first day of spring the entire family get themselves into some innocent spring flings with various people except Granville who's just in love with love and acts as kibitzer to her siblings. Ian Hunter is an accountant who gets more than he bargained for when he tries to work on the taxes of actress Marcia Ralston while Inescourt gets the mojo going for neighbor Roland Young. Olivia develops a crush on artist Walter Woolf King though for the life of me I can't see why, but his wife Peggy King is bothered. Willes starts paying attention to neighbor Anita Louise.
The film is done in the cross cutting style originated by Intolerance though the stories involve the actions of one family.
Call It A Day was an amusing bit of fluff in its time, but it's aged rather badly. It didn't do Olivia DeHavilland's career any harm and I'm sure she was grateful for the time away from being the heroine in crinoline just waiting supper for the hero which was usually Errol Flynn at this point in her career. Still no one will ever consider this one being in her top 10 performances.
I took note of the fact that it was Cosmopolitan Productions that made this film at Warner Brothers studio. This of course was the company headed by William Randolph Hearst and I'd bet that he bought this one for Marion Davies. He always saw her years younger and as the virtuous heroine. Olivia was 21 when she made this film and Marion was 41. Funny thing is she might well have been cast in Frieda Inescourt's role as Olivia's mother, but W.R. would never have let her appear in film in a mother's role.
Olivia is the oldest of three Hilton children the others being Peter Willes and Bonita Granville. On the first day of spring the entire family get themselves into some innocent spring flings with various people except Granville who's just in love with love and acts as kibitzer to her siblings. Ian Hunter is an accountant who gets more than he bargained for when he tries to work on the taxes of actress Marcia Ralston while Inescourt gets the mojo going for neighbor Roland Young. Olivia develops a crush on artist Walter Woolf King though for the life of me I can't see why, but his wife Peggy King is bothered. Willes starts paying attention to neighbor Anita Louise.
The film is done in the cross cutting style originated by Intolerance though the stories involve the actions of one family.
Call It A Day was an amusing bit of fluff in its time, but it's aged rather badly. It didn't do Olivia DeHavilland's career any harm and I'm sure she was grateful for the time away from being the heroine in crinoline just waiting supper for the hero which was usually Errol Flynn at this point in her career. Still no one will ever consider this one being in her top 10 performances.