Uncle Max (S. Z. Sakall) expresses displeasure to his grandniece and grandnephew, who are making fun of their parents' outdated fashions, and begins telling the story of Nanette Carter (Doris Day), a Westchester County, New Yorksocialite with show business aspirations. In a flashback to the Roaring Twenties, she offers to invest $25,000 in a Broadway show if her boyfriend, producer Larry Blair (Billy De Wolfe), casts her in the starring role. What she doesn't realize is that Larry is two-timing her with ingenue Beatrice Darcy (Patrice Wymore), whom he envisions as the lead. When he accepts Nanette's offer, she imposes upon her wealthy, penny-pinching uncle, J. Maxwell Bloomhaus (Sakall) to lend her the money.
Uncle Max is willing to do so, on one condition. For the next 24 hours, Nanette must answer "no" to every question she's asked. Comic complications ensue when the cast arrives at Nanette's estate to rehearse, as composer and pianist Jimmy Smith (Gordon MacRae), who has romantic designs on Nanette, falls victim to the bet she's made with her uncle. Nanette wins, only to discover that Uncle Max lost all his money in the stock market crash. The only person still solvent is attorney William Early (Bill Goodwin). So, Nanette's assistant Pauline Hastings (Eve Arden) sets out to charm him into backing the show — and succeeds. The show 'No, No, Nanette' opens and is a rousing success.
Back in real-time, Uncle Max finishes his story right before Nanette and Jimmy return home to their two children.
Ray Heindorf served as musical director for the film, and the musical sequences were choreographed by Gene Nelson, Eddie Prinz, and LeRoy Prinz. Art direction was by Douglas Bacon and the costume designer was Leah Rhodes.
Both Gordon MacRae and Gene Nelson appeared together in the film version of Oklahoma! (1955).
Box office
According to accounting records at Warner Bros., the film earned $2,322,000 domestically and $1,330,000 foreign.[1]
Critical reception
In his review in The New York Times, Bosley Crowther called the film "pleasant entertainment," "a sprightly show," and "quite a genial production" and added, "Miss Day and Mr. MacRae . . . complement each other like peanut butter and jelly."[4]
In a review published for Time, the critic expressed sentiments about Tea for Two, highlighting its nostalgic depiction of a bygone era characterized by vibrant colors, the fashion trend of plus fours, the era of prohibition, and the infamous stock-market crash. The storyline of the production was noted for its abundant utilization of well-known tropes commonly found in musical comedies. While acknowledging its predictable nature, the reviewer commended the production's ability to serve as enjoyable entertainment during warm weather. Particularly, the reviewer found the rendition of classic melodies by acclaimed composers Vincent Youmans, George Gershwin, and Roger Wolfe Kahn to be the most captivating aspect of Tea for Two.[5]
^ abcWarner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 31 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
^'The Top Box Office Hits of 1950', Variety, January 3, 1951
