Benedito Dias Rodrigues
Musical comedy is pleasant to watch like Tea for Two,the plot in interesting and apart Doris Day who is a star the supporting casting is strong enough to hold the picture,S Z Sakall is amazing who are in trouble with the financial problems and Billy the Wolfe is a priceless acting as crook....but the songs is weak really...Gordon MacRae isn't a good enough. But the gags situations is funny and have beauty girls everywhere!!
MartinHafer
In the early 50s, Gordon MacRea and Doris Day made a couple cute period pictures together--"By the Light of the Silvery Moon" and "On Moonlight Bay". Both were essentially one long story about a nice family in the 1910s. There was singing but mostly the emphasis was on the comedy and character development. Just before they made these two wonderful films, they also made "Tea for Two" and, although pleasant, the film is clearly not in league with their later collaborations. Why? Because story and character development clearly are NOT that important--it's the music. Now for me, I like musicals but the story always must take precedence.This story is told through a long flashback when Uncle Max (Cuddles Sakall) tells a group of kids (which includes a very young Elinor Donahue) the story of how Nanette (Day) lost her fortune and then miraculously got it back all because of a Broadway musical and a bet that Nanette cannot go 48 without saying 'no' to every question posed to her.The plot, to put it lightly, is feather-light. It makes very little sense and seems to be there simply as a plot device to justify all the music by Day and MacRae. Some of that, by the way, is very nice. Oddly, however, the title song is, at least to me, one of the weakest tunes in the film. I did enjoy Sakall---as pretty much everyone enjoys him in films. Overall, enjoyable fluff but absolutely nothing more.
edwagreen
Absolutely delightful musical starring Doris Day, Gene Nelson and Gordon MacRae. The plot is a delight as well, where heiress Doris Day loses her fortune in the 1929 stock market crash, but her doting uncle, the fabulous S.Z. Sakall, will not tell her and in fact wages $25,000 that she can stop saying yes.What makes this film a delight is the wonderful supporting cast. Besides Sakall there is the wonderful Eve Arden and Billy DeWolfe, wise-cracking as always, and DeWolfe shines in his Charleston rendition.The musical arrangements are wonderful and Gordon MacRae belts out the title song with vigor as well as others. Gene Nelson proved what a great hoofer he was. Remember him just 3 years before in a bit part in the memorable "Gentleman's Agreement," when he pushes aside a nasty person who has made an anti-Semitic statement? This is quite a change for him in just 3 years.Patrice Wymore shows that she can be as nasty as ever.No wonder they called S.Z. Sakall cuddles, he was so adorable. Thank the Lord he was able to flee from Europe with his wife during the holocaust period.
moonspinner55
In her fifth movie, Doris Day finally achieved top-billing, yet she shares the screen equally with a talented ensemble cast, with everyone working hard to inject some sparkle into a wafer-thin concoction. Inspired by the 1920s stage hit "No, No, Nanette" (itself filmed in 1940), this plays out as sort of the backstage story, with Doris betting her wealthy uncle that she won't say 'yes' for 48 hours in exchange for show-money. Unbeknownst to her, uncle S.Z. Sakall has been nearly ruined by the 1929 stock market crash which, incidentally, hasn't kept all the hoofers from hanging up their tap shoes (they're the merriest group of poor, working dancers I've ever seen!). Pleasant tunes, colorful costumes and fun dance routines (including a hair-raising bit with Gene Nelson on a staircase) can't really add excitement to the proceedings, which seems to have been made as a matinée quickie. Day shines (as usual), but her relationships with the men (Nelson, Gordon MacRae, and Billy De Wolf) are unclear, with De Wolf in particular a real wild card (would you believe him as a ladies' man stage producer?). Eve Arden has some funny asides, and the wrap-up is cute, but "Tea for Two" vanishes from the cup just as quickly as it is poured. ** from ****
AD
