Back in the 50s, television plays were occasionally adapted for the movies and Broadway. Chayefsky’s Marty became an Oscar-winning film; Middle of the Night was turned into a play, then became a feature. Marty was the story of a romance between two “uglies”; this is about a love affair between a middle aged widower and a young girl. It copies Marty’s structure quite closely – we meet the two separately, their relationship flowers to the surprise of all around them, family opposition sees them split up, they get back together. It’s written with heart and is effective – lonely people meeting each other, etc etc. Not quite as good as Marty because you get the feeling the two lovers here would have another chance of a drink at the last chance saloon whereas the Marty duo only had one shot at the title.
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