Life Begins at Eight-Thirty (1942) User Reviews

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

[bombersflyup · 5/10 · 30 October 2019]

Life Begins at Eight-Thirty has its good moments and its bad, but incomplete.

The father/daughter relationship has substance and the acting's solid, bar Cornel Wilde and the characterization of Robert. The problem's that he's just a random guy, no personality, no importance in the film, just someone to make Kathy's life worthwhile, not anyone in particular. The romance is forced, as there's no chemistry between the two and some of their dialogue together absolutely woeful. There's more romance between the two old folks... and that's part of why it's incomplete. Does Kathy become happy spending the rest of her life with this no-one of a person and does Madden go on to perform or spend his remaining years a drunk.

Monty and Ida and Cornel are the Wilde bunch.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 6 April 2019]

An interesting comedy / drama starring the imperius Monty Woolley, the troubled Ida Lupino, the hunky Cornel Wilde and the no-nonsense Sara Allgood, this is a look into the struggles of theater actors in New York and the struggles they go through in their careers and as human beings. Hard-drinking Woolley has basically been reduced to a joke after a serious dramatic career ruined by his reputation as a lush. He is first seen in a Christmas sequence in a Santa suit, getting more intoxicated and basically telling off a group of laughing children preparing to sit on his lap as the parents, other bystanders and store floor walker look on in disgust. it sets the film up as a comedy, but the sight of Wooley completely blitzed indicates that this will be anything but funny as the plot develops.

Woolley is a widower with a lame daughter (Ida Lupino) who has shut romance off in her life because of her affliction. When woolies Old Flame, Sara Allgood, comes to visit, Lupino meets her nephew (Cornel Wilde), And a sweet romance blossoms. All good, reminding Woolley of their past, also stands up to Lupino who wants to run off and Mary Wilde, Jean makes a proposal to Woolley show the two young lovers can be together. An attempted comeback by Woolley to play King Lear is a complete for, and the question arises for Lupino whether she will spend the rest of her life taking care of her ailing father or try to find happiness for herself.

The four actors, along with Melville Cooper as woolies companion, give outstanding performances. There are plenty of laughs to keep this from becoming maudlin, and Woolley's character, who easily could have become another Sheridan Whiteside, shows more levels to make him much more human and sympathetic. Allgood's commanding strength gives her a truly wonderful character to sink her teeth into, and while she does come off rather bossy, you can see the motivation behind all of her actions which makes her completely likable. A great script and speedy direction makes this quite an enjoyable sleeper that will have you laughing and possibly in tears simultaneously.

Tedious drama

[Secondof5 · 5/10 · 4 October 2017]

I don't, as a rule, write reviews of films that I have seen, believing as I do that there are others who do a far better job than I could. With this one I thought I'd pitch in. This is a tedious drama and I have to say a waste of valuable time watching it. It stems from a bad script which often comes across as ludicrous and stilted. The story is a thin one that fails to engage any interest in the events as they unfold. It strives for sentiment and humour but fails masterfully. This has obviously hamstrung the direction and the acting. There are three strong leads here in Woolley, Lupino and Wilde but all are wasted. Sara Allgood is miscast and Melville Cooper appears for a minute at most. It finishes on a happy ending and I was happy to have finished with it. If you are reading this after watching it, then it is too late. If you are trying to decide whether it is worth the effort I have no hesitation in advising you it is not.

Sentimental Kind of Film

[Mike-764 · 8/10 · 14 December 2006]

Former stage actor Madden Thomas has been off the stage for eight years primarily due to his drinking habits. At the beginning of our film, he is fired from the seasonal job as a department store Santa for drinking on the job. Living w/ his daughter Kathy, Thomas is visited by playwright Robert Carter, who thinks he can build Thomas' career again by giving him a small part in a new play. Even though he still continues to drink, Madden is helped by Kathy, Robert, and Robert's aunt Alma (who was a former lover of Madden) to gain the confidence to stop drinking and take his life & career more seriously. Madden is given that chance when he is to play the title role in a production of King Lear, but when he discovers that Kathy & Robert are planning to wed and leave for Los Angeles, he gets plastered on the opening night, which drives Kathy to her patience limit (even blaming him for her lame leg). When this anger strains the marriage, it is up to Madden to make the right judgment concerning his life and those around him. This is an enjoyable piece of sentiment, while having its heart wrenching moments, it does leave a nice feeling at the end of the film. I think this is the best role Woolley ever had, and is finely supported by Lupino, Wilde, & Allgood. Pichel's direction, while it doesn't go overboard on the melodrama like many of his other films, is disjointed through most of the film since little is mentioned of the character's recent actions which impact certain scenes in the film. Rating, 8.

A big departure for Monty Woolley....and a really superb film.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 2 October 2015]

While his name isn't exactly famous today, Monty Woolley was one of the best supporting actors of his age (not B-movies...more like 'A Minus movies'). He also starred in some wonderful lower-budgeted films that are joys to watch today. Because of this, I have tried to see every one of his films. When I found "Life Begins at Eight Thirty" today, however, I was surprised. His films normally are light comedies or wonderful family films. He also did make a couple musicals...but I didn't think he made serious dramas--ones with a dark tone like this movie.

Woolley plays Madden Thomas--a well-respected and famous actor who decided long ago to abandon his stage career in favor of the bottle. Being a drunk has its advantages...stage fright certainly is no longer an issue and he doesn't have to deal with disappointments! He and his daughter, Kathy (Ida Lupino), live in a crappy apartment and scrape to make ends meet. However, a kind neighbor, Robert Carter (Cornell Wilde) remembers Madden--and he's determined not only to help him get work but to bring his daughter out of her shell. It seems that Kathy has a MINOR problem with a limp...and she sees it as a huge impediment. What's to come of this sad Thomas clan? And, what is the truth about Kathy's leg?

In many ways, Woolley plays pretty much the same sort of character he played in "The Man Who Came to Dinner"....but with a tragic and dark side that makes his funny rants and eccentric behavior anything but funny. It's a strange juxtaposition--but one that works well. The film in many ways, however, is more a Lupino film as she gets a very meaty role--a chance to show everyone that she has a lot more depth than her earlier films showed. She is, at times, the perfect enabler. I also really liked Wilde's character--he was blunt yet caring. He didn't put up with excuses and seemed like a swell guy.

There are many wonderful moments in this film. Each of the three main characters gets a chance to have a little speech, of sorts where they pour themselves out in front of the cameras--real chances to act! Additionally, the film handles addiction very well--very honestly and without quick and easy resolutions (like in "Lost Weekend" where serious alcoholism is seemingly solved at the end of the picture). Well worth seeing and a highly underrated and very entertaining film.

The cast elevates the material

[mls4182 · 8/10 · 4 December 2021]

Should we be judging a 80 year old film with 21st century cynicism? Then why watch?

Yes, this film is a little bit trite, a little sentimental, but it won't kill you. Except for for some clever lines expertly delivered by Monty, the writing isn't exceptional. The cast is great and they make you care about the characters.

Sara Allgood is an absolute treasure.

Ham On Wry

[writers_reign · 8/10 · 25 February 2018]

To stumble across this film some three quarters of a century after it was released is a delight. It's a real time-capsule, a throwback to a time when pure entertainment was paramount and even though cast and crew were punching a clock and churning out product they were, in most cases, adept at pretending - and convincing - they were having a blast and when they got it right, as they do here, it was easy to believe they went on living the same on-screen lives even when the cameras stopped turning. I've always been a great admirer of Ida Lupino in all three capacities in which she functioned - writer, director, actress - and though for me she was unforgettable as Marion Cass in The Big Knife she was also effective in 'smaller' films like Out Of The Fog. She appeared with Cornel Wilde several times arguably most memorably in Jean Negulesco's Roadhouse and here they have real chemistry. Monty Woolly had established a persona so indelibly that he was able to phone it in but he takes the darker elements in his stride. In short, serendipity on time and a half.

Not the Real Santa Claus

[summamaxima · 10/10 · 31 August 2007]

Unlike Edmund Gwenn's portrayal of Kris Kringle on Macy's parade float, Monte Woolleys's Santa Claus was like the alcoholic one Kris replaced at the start of "Miracle on 34th Street". In this film, "Life Begins at Eight-thirty" (that's curtain time for old-time stage professionals) Monte's Thespian character, Madden Thomas, does a between-jobs gig as Department Store Santa, who secretly sips his much-needed "courage", smuggled in from the neighborhood saloon, through a hose from hot water bottle concealed behind his beard. When an uppity customer gasps indignantly upon hearing this Santa letting out a long loud belch, Monte leans down toward her, demanding sarcastically, "What did you expect madame -- chimes?"

The 28 Year Old Ida Lupino

[The-Lonely-Londoner · 18 September 2003]

As an actress, Ida Lupino doesn't do it for me. It's only because she had something to say as a director in the 50's and 60's that I've decided to observe her acting roles in the 40's. This film has no other entertainment value than for research purposes.

Charming character-driven picture

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 16 December 2022]

This isn't exactly a holiday film, though the initial scenes do take place at Christmastime. Monty Woolley plays a washed up actor who dons a Santa suit and listens to kids' wishes in a department store. He is no lovable Kris Kringle-- he is an incorrigible drunk who takes one too many sips from a flask hidden inside his costume. Too intoxicated to know better, he starts to become a very disagreeable representative of the North Pole and is promptly fired.

It's a memorable way to start the story. As we learn in the next part, he and his daughter (Ida Lupino) needed him to hold on to that job, since money has been hard to come by. The daughter is mostly homebound and unable to work full-time, since she is a cripple.

I find it interesting that actress Ida Lupino would take this type of role on loan-out from home studio Warner Brothers-- mostly because she was playing sexy bad girls during this time. She had suffered from polio when she was younger and knew what it was like to have difficulty walking. Kudos to her for stepping outside her comfort zone...I guess this is what we call acting.

The two leads share good rapport on screen. The script is based on a hit London play by Emlyn Williams that had a short run on Broadway. The Broadway version was presented with a different title, 'Yesterday's Magic,' and featured Paul Muni as the out-of-work father, along with Jessica Tandy as the afflicted daughter.

While dear old dad is trying to get off the sauce for good and back on his feet financially, the daughter falls for a new tenant in their apartment building. This role is played by Cornel Wilde at the start of his Hollywood career.

Miss Lupino and Mr. Wilde would re-team at Fox a few years later for the noir thriller ROAD HOUSE. Here Wilde's character is somewhat subdued though very much excited by the prospect of getting to know Lupino better, despite her obvious handicap.

There is a good subplot involving Wilde's aunt (Sara Allgood). She comes to visit her nephew and reveals that she had a past with Woolley's character. They both had been in a hit touring production when they were younger, and as a young actress she not only idolized Woolley but secretly loved him. She's been carrying a torch for him all these years.

The relationships between the two couples in the story progress when Woolley has been offered a role in a new play. This is his chance to make a big comeback, and he will succeed if he is able to remain sober.

The mysterious benefactor of the play turns out to be Allgood...and after Woolley swallows his pride, he admits he needs her in his life and that they should be married. At the same time, Lupino and Wilde have realized their feelings and are also slated to spend the long haul together.

LIFE BEGINS AT EIGHT-THIRTY-- so named because that is when actors get ready for the curtain to go up-- is a charming character-driven picture that has a lot to offer the audience. It is not a well known movie, but hopefully some of you reading this review will check it out!