Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Radio review – TG – “You Can’t Take It With You” (1946) ***

The Kaufman Hart play hit a major chord with theatre goers in the 30s (and with filmgoers the same decade), with audiences attracted to its combination of family warmth, anti-materialism and isolationism. I’ve never been as great an admirer – it’s got some funny, “zany” stuff, but I guess my practicality gene kicked in. It’s alright for Grandpa to bludge, he’s got a rental income coming in. And why shouldn’t he pay tax? Where does he get water from? And roads, police.. not to mention protection from the Nazis (who are mentioned here so it’s clearly been updated to the present day). It’s a good adaptation of the play, with some of the original stage cast such as Josephine Hull reprising their roles but no big film names.

No comments: