The Boys from Syracuse (1940)
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100% of users liked it
(23 ratings)
Considering that it was adapted from a Broadway musical by Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart and George Abbott, The Boys From Syracuse must rank as a disappointment, though it manages to remain entertaining throughout its surprisingly brief 74-minute running time. Like its theatrical predecessor, the… More Considering that it was adapted from a Broadway musical by Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart and George Abbott, The Boys From Syracuse must rank as a disappointment, though it manages to remain entertaining throughout its surprisingly brief 74-minute running time. Like its theatrical predecessor, the film was inspired by Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors ("After a play by William Shakespeare long, long after" reads the opening title). In ancient Ephesus, young tyrant Antipholus (Allan Jones) sentences elderly merchant Aegeon (Samuel S. Hinds) to death unless the latter can come up with a handsome ransom. What Antipholus doesn't know is that Aegeon is his own father; he also doesn't know that he has a twin brother, also named Antipholus (and also played by Allan Jones) who has just arrived from Syracuse in search of dear old daddy. Further complicating matters is that Antiopholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse both have slaves named Dromio (Joe Penner)-likewise identical twins! The mistaken-identity angle is played to the hilt, with A. of E.'s wife Adriana (Irene Hervey), A. of S.'s girlfirend Phyllis (Rosemary Lane), and Dromio of Ephesus' main squeeze Luce (Martha Raye) ending up just as confused as everyone else. Only four of the original Rodgers & Hart songs were retained-"This Can't Be Love", "Falling in Love with Love", "Sing for Your Supper", and "Oh, Diogenes"-while two new ones were written for the film. Most of the best jokes are based on anachronisms, with Dromio the slave organizing a labor union (complete with placards), a cheering section at an execution shouting "Give him the ax", and a parchment newspaper bearing such headlines as "Ephesus Blitzkriegs Syracuse". Originally purchased by Universal as a vehicle for the Ritz Brothers, The Boys from Syracuse isn't any great shakes, but it would certainly be well worth seeing again (last telecast in the 1970s, it seems to have fallen off the face of the earth in recent years!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- A. Edward Sutherland
- Genres
- Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jul 31, 1940 Wide
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
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Cast
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Allan Jones
as Antipholus of Ephesus, Antipholus of Syr...
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Joe Penner
as Dromio of Ephesus, Dromio of Syracuse
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Martha Raye
as Luce
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Rosemary Lane
as Phyllis
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Charles Butterworth
as Duke of Ephesus
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Irene Hervey
as Adriana
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Alan Mowbray
as Angelo
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Eric Blore
as Pinch
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Samuel S. Hinds
as Angeen
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Eddie Acuff
as Taxi Cab Driver
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Larry J. Blake
as Announcer
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Spencer Charters
as Turnkey
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Bess Flowers
as Woman
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Doris Lloyd
as Woman
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Matt McHugh
as Bartender
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June Wilkins
as Secretary
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Tom Dugan
as Octavius
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Julie Carter
as Girl
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David Oliver
as Messenger