By Violet LeVoit
Enter Laughing
Brief Synopsis
An aspiring actor gets a job with a broken-down theatre company.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Carl Reiner
Director
Jose Ferrer
Mr. Marlowe
Shelley Winters
Mrs. Kolowitz
Elaine May
Angela
Jack Gilford
Mr. Foreman
Janet Margolin
Wanda
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Adaptation
Release Date
Jan
1967
Premiere Information
New York opening: 31 Jul 1967
Production Company
Acre-Sajo Co.
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the play Enter Laughing by Joseph Stein (New York, 13 Mar 1963), which was based on the novel Enter Laughing by Carl Reiner (New York, 1958).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 52m
Sound
Mono
Color
Color (Pathécolor)
Synopsis
In the 1930's, a teenage Bronx boy, David Kolowitz, works in Mr. Foreman's machine shop as a helper and delivery boy. Most of his time, however, is spent daydreaming of an acting career in which he imagines himself to be a latter-day Ronald Colman. His parents are unsympathetic with David's aspirations, preferring that he become a pharmacist. But, determined to be a part of the theater, David answers an ad for a job as a paying apprentice in a seedy theater troupe headed by gin-guzzling Mr. Marlowe. Mr. Marlowe's daughter and leading lady, Angela, uses her pseudo-glamour to keep David in the company when he begins to develop cold feet. By day he continues to work for Mr. Foreman, albeit aimlessly, while by night he rehearses for his first stage appearance. His girl friend, Wanda, although understanding his desire to become an actor, is jealous of both Angela and the sexy Miss B, the secretary to Harry Hamburger, to whom David makes frequent deliveries. Meanwhile, David's parents are frantically trying to borrow money so as to induce him to withdraw from the play and begin his study of pharmacy without further delay. Nevertheless, the play does go on, with David using his new stage name of Ron Colman; and Mr. and Mrs. Kolowitz, Wanda, and David's buddy, Marvin, are all in the audience. Despite many mishaps--missed lines, missed entrances, and the stiffness of David's acting--everyone goes backstage after the performance to congratulate the new actor. And David's parents, of course, both agree that he was the best one in the show.
Director
Carl Reiner
Director
Cast
Jose Ferrer
Mr. Marlowe
Shelley Winters
Mrs. Kolowitz
Elaine May
Angela
Jack Gilford
Mr. Foreman
Janet Margolin
Wanda
David Opatoshu
Mr. Kolowitz
Michael J. Pollard
Marvin
Don Rickles
Harry Hamburger
Richard Deacon
Pike
Nancy Kovack
Miss B
Reni Santoni
David Kolowitz
Herbie Faye
Mr. Schoenbaum
Rob Reiner
Clark Baxter
Danny Stein
Spencer Reynolds
Milton Frome
Policeman
Lillian Adams
Theatergoer
Mantan Moreland
Subway rider
Patrick Campbell
Butler
Peter Brocco
Lawyer Peabody
Crew
Joseph Biroc
Director of Photography
James Z. Flaster
Sound
Jack Haynes
Sound
Morris Hoffman
Set Decoration
Quincy Jones
Composer
Quincy Jones
Music
Virginia Jones
Hairstyles
Ben Lane
Makeup Supervisor
Betty Levin
Script Supervisor
David Mack
Composer
Charles Nelson
Film Editor
Kurt Neumann
Assistant Director
Kurt Neumann
Associate Producer
Carl Reiner
Producer
Carl Reiner
Screenwriter
Charles J. Rice
Sound Supervisor
Walter M. Simonds
Art Director
Joseph Stein
Screenwriter
Joseph Stein
Producer
Photo Collections
1 Photo
Enter Laughing - Movie Poster
Enter Laughing - Movie Poster
Videos
Movie Clip
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Adaptation
Release Date
Jan
1967
Premiere Information
New York opening: 31 Jul 1967
Production Company
Acre-Sajo Co.
Distribution Company
Columbia Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the play Enter Laughing by Joseph Stein (New York, 13 Mar 1963), which was based on the novel Enter Laughing by Carl Reiner (New York, 1958).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 52m
Sound
Mono
Color
Color (Pathécolor)
Articles
Enter Laughing (1967) -
Carl Reiner's roman a clef about a Jewish kid from the Bronx disappointing his parents by choosing show business instead of pharmacy school had a successful run on Broadway after being adapted for the stage, with Alan Arkin playing the lead. But when it came time to cast the film version, Arkin was deemed too old to play the teenage hero. After casting unknown Puerto Rican actor Reni Santoni, Reiner wooed Shelley Winters, Michael J. Pollard, Don Rickles, and Jose Ferrer to round out the cast of his directorial debut. Shot in the Bronx on a shoestring in 32 days, it's a treat to see this cast stretch beyond type -- Jose Ferrer as a flamboyant impresario? Shelley Winters as a Jewish mother? -- but especially so for Elaine May, who flexes creative muscles never seen before as a wiggly, breathy vamp keen on this new kid. Watch for a beardless Rob Reiner in his first movie role, too.
By Violet LeVoit
By Violet LeVoit
Enter Laughing (1967) -
Carl Reiner's roman a clef about a Jewish kid from the Bronx disappointing his parents by choosing show business instead of pharmacy school had a successful run on Broadway after being adapted for the stage, with Alan Arkin playing the lead. But when it came time to cast the film version, Arkin was deemed too old to play the teenage hero. After casting unknown Puerto Rican actor Reni Santoni, Reiner wooed Shelley Winters, Michael J. Pollard, Don Rickles, and Jose Ferrer to round out the cast of his directorial debut. Shot in the Bronx on a shoestring in 32 days, it's a treat to see this cast stretch beyond type -- Jose Ferrer as a flamboyant impresario? Shelley Winters as a Jewish mother? -- but especially so for Elaine May, who flexes creative muscles never seen before as a wiggly, breathy vamp keen on this new kid. Watch for a beardless Rob Reiner in his first movie role, too.
By Violet LeVoit
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Location scenes filmed in Los Angeles and New York City.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Winter January 1, 1967
Released in United States Winter January 1, 1967
