The Entertainer

(US - Australia)

Stigwood/Persky-Bright. Director Donald Wrye; Producer Beryl Vertue, Marvin Hamlisch; Screenplay Elliott Baker; Camera James Crabe; Music Marvin Hamlish; Art Director Bob Mackichan

Jack Lemmon
Ray Bolger
Sada Thompson
Tyne Daly
Michael Cristofer
Annette O'Toole

This basically is the John Osborne play in which Laurence Olivier made such an impact. Setting is now America instead of England and period switched from Suez crisis days to 1944.

This time around it's Jack Lemmon as secondrate vaudevillian Archie Rice, desperately trying for laughs from nearly empty houses.

With debt problems, Archie meets Bambi Pasko, a young beauty with little talent but a rich father and starstruck mother. Archie persuades them to back a new show which will feature Bambi, whom he seduces, promising to marry.

Archie's father, Billy hears of the plan and he informs the Paskos Archie is already married; they immediately pull out of the new show, and when Billy realizes Archie will face prison, he agrees to return to the stage and saves the day.

Lemmon gives a fine performance as Archie, though is not so awful as he should be on stage.

(Color) Available on VHS. Extract of a review from 1975. Running time: 105 MIN.

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