Tea for Two is a 1950 romantic comedy musical film directed by David Butler. The film stars Doris Day and Gordon MacRae and it was based on the stage musical No, No Nanette (1925).
Director: David Butler
Production Company: Warner Bros.
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Cast: Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Gene Nelson, Patrice Wymore, Eve Arden, Billy De Wolfe, S.Z. Sakall
US Box Office: $5,805,000 ($111,100,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Technicolor
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Release Date: September 2, 1950
Plot Summary: Early on in the Great Depression, wealthy Nanette Carter (Doris Day) is offered the lead role in a Broadway show by her sleazy ex-boyfriend Larry Blair (Billy De Wolfe) if she finances the play for $25,000. Also working on the play are goodhearted pianist Jimmy Smith (Gordon MacRae) and writer/dancer Tommy Trainor (Gene Nelson). Nanette wants to star in the play, but her Uncle Max (S.Z. Sakall), who is the source of her family’s money and unbeknownst to her nearly broke, is tired of Nanette’s excessive spending and makes a bet with her. Nanette can only get the money from him if she answers “No” to every question she is asked for the next 48 hours. Hilarity ensues and Nanette finds herself falling in love with Jimmy.
Production: In 1949, Warner Bros. producer William Jacobs began work on an adaptation of the 1925 stage musical No, No Nanette. This was the second film adaptation of the play after RKO’s No, No Nanette (1940) directed by Herbert Wilcox. The script for the film was written by Harry Clork, and was only very loosely based on the plot of the musical. The film was titled Tea for Two after one of the songs from the play.
Doris Day was cast in the lead role of Nanette Carter. Day was under contract with Warner Bros. at the time and she had starred in several previous musical films for the studio including Romance on the High Seas (1948) and My Dream is Yours (1949). Tea for Two was the first film in which Day received top billing. Singer and actor Gordon MacRae was chosen to play the role of Jimmy Smith, the leading man of the film. Eve Arden was cast as Pauline (Nanette’s assistant). She also had a role in No, No Nanette (1940), the previous film adaptation of the play, where she played a different character.
David Butler was chosen by Warner Bros. to direct Tea for Two. He had previously worked with Doris Day on It’s a Great Feeling (1949) and would later direct her in four more films. Composer and songwriter Ray Heindorf served as the musical director for Tea for Two. Aside from playing Tommy, Gene Nelson also served as one of the choreographers for the musical sequences (along with Eddie Prinz and LeRoy Prinz).
Filming on Tea for Two went from March to May of 1950. The film was shot mostly on set at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Tea for Two was the first film that Doris Day danced in. As a teenager, Day was injured in a car accident, so she had primarily focused on her singing career, but by the time of Tea for Two Day felt like she could try dancing again. The scene where Gene Nelson dances on the stairs during the “Oh Me! Oh My!” song was specifically meant to showcase his athletic dancing ability. Warner Bros. hoped that Nelson would become a popular dance star and give the studio their own equivalent to MGM’s Gene Kelly.
Fun Facts and Trivia: Tea for Two was the first of five films star Doris Day and Gordon MacRae. The other movies include: The West Point Story (1950), On Moonlight Bay (1951), Starlift (1951) and By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953). Day and S.Z. Sakall also appeared in four films together, with the other films being Romance on the High Seas (1948), My Dream is Yours (1949), and Lullaby of Broadway (1951). Gordon MacRae and Gene Nelson later appeared together in the musical film Oklahoma! (1955). Child actress Elinor Donahue, who would later become known for playing Betty Anderson in the sitcom Father Knows Best (1954-1960), played one of the children at the beginning of Tea for Two.
Reception: Tea for Two released on September 2, 1950. The film was a hit at the box office and it continued Doris Day’s run of successful musical comedy films for Warner Bros. Day and MacRae were later paired together for four more films. Tea for Two was not nominated for any Oscars, but Gene Nelson did win a Golden Globe award for “Most Promising Newcomer.”
The film received mainly positive reviews from critics at the time. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times gave Tea for Two a positive review. He thought that the film worked very well as light hearted entertainment and that Day and MacRae had good chemistry together, writing that the two “complement each other like peanut butter and jelly.” Virginia Graham of The Spectator also gave Tea for Two a positive review. Time Magazine thought that the film contained a lot of musical comedy clichés, but that the songs were still enjoyable.
Why You Should See It: Tea for Two is a fun and charming musical comedy film. The film is cute and it has plenty of funny moments. Doris Day gives a good performance in Tea for Two. She is charming and very likeable. Her singing is outstanding as well. The title song “Tea for Two” is particularly memorable. Gordon MacRae also does a good job acting and singing in the film. S.Z. Sakall and Billy De Wolfe are funny in their supporting roles and have a few strong stand-out scenes.