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The Time Of Your Life [1948]

Starring: James Cagney, William Bendix, Wayne Morris, Jeanne Cagney, Broderick Crawford
Director: H.C. Potter
Format: Black & White Full Screen PAL
Released: 01 Jul 2002
RRP: £16.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

A bar where everybody knows your name, circa 1948 - By: Lawrance M. Bernabo, 22 Aug 2003
"The Time of Your Life," based on the play by William Saroyan, shows us a group of eccentrics who hang out in a San Francisco waterfront bar & philosophize about life. James Cagney plays Joe, a barfly who believes in encouraging everybody to fulfill their dreams. Whether this means encouraging an old man named "Kit Carson" (James Barton) to spin his fanciful tales about the old west or conning Nick (William Bendix), the bartender, into giving Harry (Paul Draper), the vagabond dancer, a part-time job. The film is filled with fine character actors, such as Ward Bond & Broderick Crawford, & including Cagney's sister Jeanne as Kitty Duval & Natalie Schafer, the future Mrs. Howell on "Gilligan's Island," as the Society Lady. Admittedly, this film is not everybody's cup of tea, although Saroyan was particularly pleased with how his play translated to the film, even though the original ending was reshot. This story takes place in a bar that is obviously more reminiscent of "Cheers" than it is a Eugene O'Neill play like "The Iceman Cometh." I would even argue that Cagney's character is one of the least interesting people in the story, although he is certainly an amiable enough fellow. The important thing is that this bar is a nice place to visit for a while. This 1948 film directed by H. C. Potter features photography by James Wong Howe. Oh, & the piano player is reallly good too.