''An Angel from Texas'' is a 1940

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Ray Enright Ray Enright (March 25, 1896 – April 3, 1965) was an American film director. He directed 73 films between 1927–53, many of them for Warner Bros. He oversaw comedy films like Joe E. Brown vehicles, five of the six informal pairings of Joa ...

and written by Fred Niblo Jr. and Bertram Millhauser, based on the hit 1925 play '' The Butter and Egg Man'' written by George S. Kaufman. The film stars Eddie Albert, Rosemary Lane,

Wayne Morris Wayne Morris (born Bert DeWayne Morris Jr. February 17, 1914 – September 14, 1959) was an American film and television actor, as well as a decorated World War II fighter ace. He appeared in many films, including '' Paths of Glory'' (1957), ' ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

and Jane Wyman. It was released by Warner Bros. on April 27, 1940.

Plot

Peter "Tex" Coleman, a dairy farmer from Texas, comes to New York with his mother's life savings to buy a hotel and be near his stagestruck sweetheart Lydia Weston. Upon his arrival, Tex finds that Lydia is not the stage star that her hometown thinks that she has become. Instead, she is working as a secretary for fast-talking producers Mac McClure and Marty Allen. Mac and Marty have a play set for rehearsal but no money to produce it, and their leading lady Valerie Blayne is threatening reprisals by her gangster boyfriend Pooch Davis if the show does not open on schedule. Tex agrees to invest his money in the show if Lydia is given the lead, and when Mac and Marty consent to his terms, the play goes into rehearsal as a drama with two leading ladies. When Valerie threatens Mac with bodily harm if she is not permitted to play the lead, Mac informs Tex that he will fire Lydia unless Tex buys the entire show. Sensing that the play could work as a

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

, Marty's wife Marge offers the money on the condition that Tex play the male lead. On opening night, the audience laughs uproariously as dynamite planted on stage by Valerie's vindictive boyfriend explodes, and the actors' performances are so bad that they are funny. As a comedy, the show becomes a smash success, but when a

plagiarism Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 ''Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close ...

suit is brought, Tex and Marge sell the show back to its eager producers and leave them holding the bag.

Cast

* Eddie Albert as Peter * Rosemary Lane as Lydia *

as Mac *

as Marty * Jane Wyman as Marge *

Ruth Terry Ruth Mae Terry (born Ruth Mae McMahon, October 21, 1920 – March 11, 2016) was an American singer and actress in film and television from the 1930s to the 1960s. She claimed her stage name came from Walter Winchell, who combined the names ...

as Valerie Blayne * John Litel as Quigley * Hobart Cavanaugh as Mr. Robelink * Ann Shoemaker as Addie Lou Coleman * Tom Kennedy as Chopper * Milburn Stone as 'Pooch' Davis

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', critic Thomas M. Pryor wrote: "The story is neither new nor exciting, and, except for the addition of some modern slang, is pretty much the same as when George S. Kaufman told it in 1925 via 'The Butter and Egg Man.' It has been smartly acted by a pleasant company, especially by Eddie Albert, Wayne Morris, Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman. Ray Enright has directed in a breezy, farcical manner."

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Angel from Texas, An 1940 films Warner Bros. films 1940 comedy films American comedy films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films Films directed by Ray Enright 1940s American films English-language comedy films Films scored by Howard Jackson (composer)