This is a corny love story, no doubt about it. Colbert was at her prime, and MacMurray was on the way up. She was shapely, witty and ravishing as the Uptown NYC reporter, and he was sweat-laden, resolute and brawny in the mud somewhere below the Hudson. I saw it about thirty five years ago, and somehow it has stuck with me all these years. Now that I live in Massachusetts, where the taxpayer has just poured $16BN into a death hole below Boston, I just wish that old' Fred was still kicking so he could jump down in that glory hole and make it all right. Claudette could put the ink out on all the shady contractors and corrupt politicians. How come life isn't more like the movies?
23 Reviews
No Time for Love...Yeah Right!
JLRMovieReviews26 March 2012
Claudette Colbert is a photographer who takes pictures for Mirror Magazine. a current events and topics sheet of a kind. When she's sent on assignment to cover "sandhogs" who are tunneling for the city's sewer, etc. she discovers sweaty, shirtless men underground and Fred MacMurray is one of them. Of course, they do not hit it off well in the beginning. With his swagger, ego, and his obvious gruff way with women, the viewer can see he's used to a certain type of woman and to taking what he wants. But his he-man attitude is lost on her. Or so, she says. She winds up dreaming about this man that his co-workers call "Superman." Of course, the irony here is that Fred MacMurray would be the model that the creator of Captain Marvel took for his inspiration. But, getting back to the movie, this is quite a brisk and fun comedy, with enough sex appeal and quick dialogue to keep the viewer entertained and alert! While no classic, it's still a lot of fun with Fred and Claudette bickering and waiting until the last frame to kiss and make up. And, in the end, someone, who wants to visit them, asks "Can I come tomorrow night?" Claudette responds, "No. Not tomorrow night." Get carried away with people who think they've "no time for love."
Punches and lines
Sergeiii28 July 1999
If not exactly sophisticated, this highly entertaining farce still has both leads at their physical best and will doubtlessly please all lovers of screwball fare. The plot may be a bit on the thin side, but the humour (including some rather crude slapstick violence) is always effective. A particularly hilarious dream sequence with Colbert floating through the air in a veil is quoted in Terry Gilliam's Brazil.
Musical Chairs - Sandhog Style
bkoganbing30 August 2011
No Time For Love finds Claudette Colbert as an acclaimed news photographer who draws an assignment shooting pictures of the sandhogs digging a new river tunnel. When she photographs a beefy Fred MacMurray in a fight with some fellow workers, he draws a suspension and she falls for him.
But he's not part of her world, in fact she's engaged somewhat to Paul McGrath who is the publisher of the magazine she works for. But the two of them can't seem to get enough of each other's company, even with MacMurray putting some moves on burlesque dancer June Havoc.
MacMurray and Colbert were a pretty good screen team with films ranging from the very serious Maid Of Salem to the sophisticated Gilded Lily to the rustic The Egg And I. But No Time For Love just doesn't quite measure up to those other movies. At times the story just seems silly rather than funny.
Highlight of the film is the musical chairs game played sandhog style. Let's say this is a party game these guys both take seriously and party hearty with. There's also a nice scene where Colbert hires body builder Jerome DeNuccio to pose and make MacMurray jealous and he also deals with him sandhog style. Richard Haydn also has a nice part as a friend of Colbert's who thinks she and MacMurray are really suited for each other, try as they might to fight against it.
No Time For Love is a good film, but not up to the comedy standards the leads have both separately and together.
But he's not part of her world, in fact she's engaged somewhat to Paul McGrath who is the publisher of the magazine she works for. But the two of them can't seem to get enough of each other's company, even with MacMurray putting some moves on burlesque dancer June Havoc.
MacMurray and Colbert were a pretty good screen team with films ranging from the very serious Maid Of Salem to the sophisticated Gilded Lily to the rustic The Egg And I. But No Time For Love just doesn't quite measure up to those other movies. At times the story just seems silly rather than funny.
Highlight of the film is the musical chairs game played sandhog style. Let's say this is a party game these guys both take seriously and party hearty with. There's also a nice scene where Colbert hires body builder Jerome DeNuccio to pose and make MacMurray jealous and he also deals with him sandhog style. Richard Haydn also has a nice part as a friend of Colbert's who thinks she and MacMurray are really suited for each other, try as they might to fight against it.
No Time For Love is a good film, but not up to the comedy standards the leads have both separately and together.
Screwball comedy has MacMurray and Colbert floundering in mud...
Doylenf15 February 2009
Physical comedy of the kind we call screwball is evident throughout NO TIME FOR LOVE where Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray play a couple from opposite social circles. She's a magazine photographer, he's a sandhog working in a tunnel beneath the Hudson River. She's attracted to him at first sight but doesn't seem to know it--and we know he's going to fall for her after a bunch of mishaps happen.
The mishaps are piled one on top of another in typical screwball fashion with nobody making much sense. Certainly MacMurray's character is about as obnoxious and arrogant as any leading man Colbert was ever set up against, and she acts pretty irresponsibly in that tunnel where she gets up to her neck in trouble and mud--lots of mud.
But somehow, it's all very watchable with a cast that knows exactly how to play this sort of thing. Claude Binyon had a way with writing slight romantic comedies and he gives Colbert and MacMurray some bright lines to work with. Others fortunate enough to get some good moments are Richard Haydn, Ilka Chase, June Havoc and Rod Cameron. If you look closely you can spot Tom Neal in the background as one of the sandhogs.
It doesn't make a lot of sense when you stop to think about it, but it's fun while it lasts, thanks mainly to MacMurray and Colbert who can do this kind of romp effortlessly.
Funniest bit: As MacMurray exits in final scene carrying Colbert like a caveman over his back, Richard Haydn says: "I'll drop by for supper tomorrow night." "Not tomorrow night," says Colbert. Wink. Wink.
The mishaps are piled one on top of another in typical screwball fashion with nobody making much sense. Certainly MacMurray's character is about as obnoxious and arrogant as any leading man Colbert was ever set up against, and she acts pretty irresponsibly in that tunnel where she gets up to her neck in trouble and mud--lots of mud.
But somehow, it's all very watchable with a cast that knows exactly how to play this sort of thing. Claude Binyon had a way with writing slight romantic comedies and he gives Colbert and MacMurray some bright lines to work with. Others fortunate enough to get some good moments are Richard Haydn, Ilka Chase, June Havoc and Rod Cameron. If you look closely you can spot Tom Neal in the background as one of the sandhogs.
It doesn't make a lot of sense when you stop to think about it, but it's fun while it lasts, thanks mainly to MacMurray and Colbert who can do this kind of romp effortlessly.
Funniest bit: As MacMurray exits in final scene carrying Colbert like a caveman over his back, Richard Haydn says: "I'll drop by for supper tomorrow night." "Not tomorrow night," says Colbert. Wink. Wink.
A fun romp breaking down barriers of the modern woman and the macho image.
designranger1 October 2006
I have seen this movie many times and am searching for a copy. It is a favorite. Those who have loved Colbert and McMurry in their other pairings will thoroughly enjoy this romp. These two had an on-screen chemistry second only to Hepburn ad Tracy. If you loved "The Egg and I", you will enjoy "No Time for Love". Ilka Chase fans will enjoy her role as she always played her characters with such ease and reality. Colbert, like Roz Russel, always played the woman in command of her life who eventually gives into her leading man. The viewer must remember that "No Time for Love" was a contract movie cranked out at rapid pace by the studios for profit and in an era of war. These movies were needed to lighten the spirit of America and they still do that today.
Good
AAdaSC6 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Claudette Colbert is assigned a job to cover the building of an underground tunnel as a photo journalist. She sees Fred MacMurray working there and uses him as a model with the result that he is injured in an accident and brought to the surface to recover. On the way up he is involved in a fight which Colbert captures on camera. This picture makes it to the front page of her newspaper leaving MacMurray suspended. He has no job so Colbert hires him as her assistant. While working for her, he meets Darlene (June Havoc) and they begin to see each other. Colbert is engaged to Henry (Paul McGrath) but Fred and Claudette have fallen for each other. However, her sister, Hoppy (Ilka Chase), ruins things between them and they go their separate ways. We then find out that MacMurray is, in fact, an engineering entrepreneur and has invented a new machine that will help with underground mud slides. A trial for the press is staged - Colbert attends - it goes wrong but Colbert captures on camera that the machine is a success - and arranges it (without MacMurray knowing) so that MacMurray's machine is given a chance. Roger (Richard Hadyn), her piano playing friend, tells MacMurray what Colbert has done and he subsequently gatecrashes her engagement party. Colbert then chooses who she wishes to marry.
The film is a lightweight comedy with funny moments. MacMurray is very direct in his approach and Colbert is very determined. June Havoc is good as the chorus girl who falls in love with MacMurray. There are some unbelievable scenes, eg, Colbert making the underground workers play Musical Chairs - they just would not have done that! Colbert is funny as she delivers the film's final line.
The film is a lightweight comedy with funny moments. MacMurray is very direct in his approach and Colbert is very determined. June Havoc is good as the chorus girl who falls in love with MacMurray. There are some unbelievable scenes, eg, Colbert making the underground workers play Musical Chairs - they just would not have done that! Colbert is funny as she delivers the film's final line.
Delightful in every way
whraglyn-216 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Had no experience other than 'My Three Sons' of the acting of Fred MacMurray, and had not seen Claudette Colbert at all, before stumbling on this film on the old, (better!), AMC in the mid-'90s.
The story is fresh, the dialogue sparkling, the acting understated, the screenplay well paced, the direction deftly weaving together an improbable tale of rather unlikely characters into a story in which we are almost instantly interested.
The contrasts between the elitist, New York intellectuals of Colbert's trendy news magazine, and the blue-collar Sandhogs led by MacMurray are displayed with wit and charm rather than a heavy handed preaching about class differences.
The story is more than just the blooming romance between the leads.
There are numerous moments of action, suspense, male humor, female humor, and many quite amusing one-liners thrown out by supporting cast, so don't be put off by the 'Romance' categorization.
Far from being a cliché 'romance', it reminds me more of a screwball comedy with strong romantic elements.
The chemistry between Colbert and MacMurray is fascinating to watch as they develop the characters, through interaction with one another, from plot point to plot point.
The supporting cast is superlative. Each character has individual quirks which shine from scene to scene, yet they never upstage the leads.
Saw the two leads in 'The Egg And I' after seeing this film.
If you enjoyed Colbert and MacMurray in that film, you may enjoy the higher energy at all levels of their chemistry in this forgotten gem!
PS- If anyone has any clue about obtaining a copy if this film, in ANY format, please let me know here!
SPOILER WARNING!!! READ NO FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILER BELOW!
SPOILER WARNING!! SPOILER BELOW THIS LINE!!
Hilarious and psychologically insightful dream sequence! MacMurray as a sort of Superman; Colbert as a flighty Damsel In Distress, with a rare use of then-advanced special visual effects, add up to a near-genius scene in a very well made film!
The story is fresh, the dialogue sparkling, the acting understated, the screenplay well paced, the direction deftly weaving together an improbable tale of rather unlikely characters into a story in which we are almost instantly interested.
The contrasts between the elitist, New York intellectuals of Colbert's trendy news magazine, and the blue-collar Sandhogs led by MacMurray are displayed with wit and charm rather than a heavy handed preaching about class differences.
The story is more than just the blooming romance between the leads.
There are numerous moments of action, suspense, male humor, female humor, and many quite amusing one-liners thrown out by supporting cast, so don't be put off by the 'Romance' categorization.
Far from being a cliché 'romance', it reminds me more of a screwball comedy with strong romantic elements.
The chemistry between Colbert and MacMurray is fascinating to watch as they develop the characters, through interaction with one another, from plot point to plot point.
The supporting cast is superlative. Each character has individual quirks which shine from scene to scene, yet they never upstage the leads.
Saw the two leads in 'The Egg And I' after seeing this film.
If you enjoyed Colbert and MacMurray in that film, you may enjoy the higher energy at all levels of their chemistry in this forgotten gem!
PS- If anyone has any clue about obtaining a copy if this film, in ANY format, please let me know here!
SPOILER WARNING!!! READ NO FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILER BELOW!
SPOILER WARNING!! SPOILER BELOW THIS LINE!!
Hilarious and psychologically insightful dream sequence! MacMurray as a sort of Superman; Colbert as a flighty Damsel In Distress, with a rare use of then-advanced special visual effects, add up to a near-genius scene in a very well made film!
like the pairing
SnoopyStyle12 May 2017
High-minded famed modern photographer Katherine Grant (Claudette Colbert) quits Mirror Magazine once again after arguing with the editor. Publisher Henry Fulton has a crush on her and forces him to apologize. She insists that she doesn't get preferential treatment and the editor promptly sends her into the tunnel construction under the river. Her presence causes an accident leading to meathead sandhog Jim Ryan (Fred MacMurray) getting into a fight. She starts dreaming about the hunk and decides to confront it. Henry releases a picture of Ryan fighting causes him to be suspended. Katherine hires him as her assistant and rom-com chaos ensues.
I like the pairing of Colbert and MacMurray. The actors have a nice chemistry with physical comedy and biting lines. The main drawback is that MacMurray doesn't fit the meathead role. He can play clueless but once he put on a suit and bow tie, he no longer fits the blue collar superman hunk character anymore. I would love to see this remade. This is a fun silly little rom-com.
I like the pairing of Colbert and MacMurray. The actors have a nice chemistry with physical comedy and biting lines. The main drawback is that MacMurray doesn't fit the meathead role. He can play clueless but once he put on a suit and bow tie, he no longer fits the blue collar superman hunk character anymore. I would love to see this remade. This is a fun silly little rom-com.
Ridiculous and trite, but it is fun to watch.
FISHCAKE26 August 2000
This sexist "romantic comedy" has very little going for it except the wonderful cast, and a few funny scenes such as the "sand hogs" playing their musical chairs game. Claudette and Fred surely do the best they can with hardly anything to work with. There are good production values all the way and the tunnel work looks very realistic. Hollywood was always ready to go the "whole hog" for very little result.
I love this movie!
rozebud-318 July 2013
Yes, it is dated and sexist and kinda clichéd. You can also say that for most comedies of this era. BUT - this is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. It has it all: snappy dialogue, perfectly delivered by a stellar cast; loads of broad physical humor; moments you won't believe got past the censors:
Ryan: it was so late when I finished, that-- Katherine: Finished what? Ryan: Are you kidding?
Colbert and MacMurray's supporting cast really shine too. June Havoc as the ditsy Darlene ("Hey, my face was open!"), Richard Haydn as Roger, the composer ("What am I supposed to do here, there isn't even a piano!") and of course, Ilka Chase as Katherine's sister Hoppy, who delivers one of the best comedic lines in movie history: "Doorbells should ring once, then electrocute the ringer."
This has been one of my favorite films for years, so I was thrilled when it was finally released on DVD as part of a Claudette Colbert collection. Do yourself a favor and pick it up...there are five other fun films in the collection, but none top "No Time for Love."
Ryan: it was so late when I finished, that-- Katherine: Finished what? Ryan: Are you kidding?
Colbert and MacMurray's supporting cast really shine too. June Havoc as the ditsy Darlene ("Hey, my face was open!"), Richard Haydn as Roger, the composer ("What am I supposed to do here, there isn't even a piano!") and of course, Ilka Chase as Katherine's sister Hoppy, who delivers one of the best comedic lines in movie history: "Doorbells should ring once, then electrocute the ringer."
This has been one of my favorite films for years, so I was thrilled when it was finally released on DVD as part of a Claudette Colbert collection. Do yourself a favor and pick it up...there are five other fun films in the collection, but none top "No Time for Love."
Star photographer meets tunnel digger
csteidler29 March 2018
Claudette Colbert is a busy, successful and rather self-satisfied photographer on a popular picture magazine. Sent to do a story on a crew tunneling under the river, she encounters brash and beefy laborer Fred MacMurray. Not surprisingly, the two complete opposites take an instant dislike to each other. It's equally not surprising when they can't stay away from each other.
Yes, the plot is pretty predictable, but Colbert and MacMurray manage to entertain nevertheless. Fred is the kind of guy who talks tough but is nobody's fool when it comes to using his brains when he needs to invent a new machine to get his work done. Claudette, on the other hand, lives the intellectual life among magazine editors and pianists-but, it turns out, isn't afraid to get her feet muddy when it comes to helping a friend.
Rhys Williams is a good sport as MacMurray's pal from the tunnel. June Havoc is just right as the dancer who hangs out with Fred but can't compete with Claudette: fun-loving, slightly obnoxious, and just sympathetic enough that we almost feel bad for her.
Highlights include a sequence in the tunnel where mud is seeping through the walls and MacMurray's team-and Colbert-are in it up to their waists. There's also a hilarious bit where Colbert convinces the men to play musical chairs instead of throwing a fight. (They try it, it turns into a fight.)
Quite enjoyable, overall, thanks mainly to the personalities of the two stars. Colbert and MacMurray really are hard to resist.
Yes, the plot is pretty predictable, but Colbert and MacMurray manage to entertain nevertheless. Fred is the kind of guy who talks tough but is nobody's fool when it comes to using his brains when he needs to invent a new machine to get his work done. Claudette, on the other hand, lives the intellectual life among magazine editors and pianists-but, it turns out, isn't afraid to get her feet muddy when it comes to helping a friend.
Rhys Williams is a good sport as MacMurray's pal from the tunnel. June Havoc is just right as the dancer who hangs out with Fred but can't compete with Claudette: fun-loving, slightly obnoxious, and just sympathetic enough that we almost feel bad for her.
Highlights include a sequence in the tunnel where mud is seeping through the walls and MacMurray's team-and Colbert-are in it up to their waists. There's also a hilarious bit where Colbert convinces the men to play musical chairs instead of throwing a fight. (They try it, it turns into a fight.)
Quite enjoyable, overall, thanks mainly to the personalities of the two stars. Colbert and MacMurray really are hard to resist.
A contender for . . .
ozmirage20 July 2012
. . . most gender-confused major-studio American movie of all time. Maybe the writers felt guilty about being male civilians in wartime, maybe they were just homophobic or closet cases; the fact is that the cast-list of this film falls into three gender categories: macho men who nance around at the smallest excuse; nelly men (and I do mean nelly: the butchest item among them is Hollywood-fey icon Richard Haydn); and neuter (Ilka Chase). Oh, make that four categories; at this point in her career, Claudette Colbert deserves one of her own.
This is not a good movie; the comedy is lame, the drama lamer. But for anyone interested in Tinseltown's erratic progress toward self-knowledge in sexual matters, it is required viewing. It certainly confirms the long- time rumor that director Mitch Leisen was gay. And for gay males of a certain age it includes a precious (in both senses of the word) sequence in which one of those pectoral-less Charles Atlas-style "strongmen" flexes for Colbert's camera in (I'm not making this up) a leopard-pattern posing peplum, on a set featuring (I tell you I'm not making this up) a plaster "broken" Greek column that must have been borrowed for the day from Athletic Model Guild. (No that can't be right; Bob Mizer didn't set up AMG until '45. Do you suppose he snapped it up after Paramount was through with it? If so, it's even more historically significant.)
Point for further study: 30s and 40s male stars like Clark Gable, Johnny Weissmuller, and Fred Macmurray were all pretty flat-chested. When did Hollywood discover pectorals?
This is not a good movie; the comedy is lame, the drama lamer. But for anyone interested in Tinseltown's erratic progress toward self-knowledge in sexual matters, it is required viewing. It certainly confirms the long- time rumor that director Mitch Leisen was gay. And for gay males of a certain age it includes a precious (in both senses of the word) sequence in which one of those pectoral-less Charles Atlas-style "strongmen" flexes for Colbert's camera in (I'm not making this up) a leopard-pattern posing peplum, on a set featuring (I tell you I'm not making this up) a plaster "broken" Greek column that must have been borrowed for the day from Athletic Model Guild. (No that can't be right; Bob Mizer didn't set up AMG until '45. Do you suppose he snapped it up after Paramount was through with it? If so, it's even more historically significant.)
Point for further study: 30s and 40s male stars like Clark Gable, Johnny Weissmuller, and Fred Macmurray were all pretty flat-chested. When did Hollywood discover pectorals?
Read Fisher Forrest's summary--it says it all
planktonrules16 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
When I read the summary of the featured review for this film by Fisher Forrest, it sure said it all--"Ridiculous and trite, but it is fun to watch". I couldn't have summed the film up any better.
Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray starred in seven movies together and while they are all a lot of fun, this one is certainly pretty silly and trite. However, given the actors' ability to make even bilge watchable, this film turned out pretty good thanks to their professionalism and talent. With lesser talent in the film it might have struggled to even earn a 4 or 5--the plot idea is that silly and forgettable.
Claudette plays a woman a lot like Clare Boothe Luce, though instead of writing articles for "Life" and "Vogue", Claudette is a high-powered photojournalist. Her boss doesn't particularly like her, so he assigns her to to a photo essay on 'sandhogs'--men who build tunnels. It's a dirty job but not wanting to be seen as too temperamental, she agrees to the assignment. Once there, the film starts to become a bit goofy. You see, when she sees the über-macho Fred without his shirt on and muscles bulging, she is smitten with a desire to go slumming! And her infatuation only gets worse when she seems him get into pointless fights that make absolutely no sense and are so very contrived. Although Colbert is prim and proper and would never admit that she likes to see Fred kick butt, it's obvious to everyone she is smitten. However, it takes another hour until the completely expected final clinch to occur.
The biggest deficits in the film are the silly clichés and ridiculousness of the relationship between these people from two totally different worlds. I assume some studio exec must have noticed this, too, as towards the end you find out that Fred isn't really a sandhog but a talented engineer who happens to like working in the muck--making the pairing seem not quite so silly and vulgar (after all, he's a college graduate!). Fun despite the terrible dialog and plot. However, don't think too much when you watch this film, as it might make your head explode!!
Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray starred in seven movies together and while they are all a lot of fun, this one is certainly pretty silly and trite. However, given the actors' ability to make even bilge watchable, this film turned out pretty good thanks to their professionalism and talent. With lesser talent in the film it might have struggled to even earn a 4 or 5--the plot idea is that silly and forgettable.
Claudette plays a woman a lot like Clare Boothe Luce, though instead of writing articles for "Life" and "Vogue", Claudette is a high-powered photojournalist. Her boss doesn't particularly like her, so he assigns her to to a photo essay on 'sandhogs'--men who build tunnels. It's a dirty job but not wanting to be seen as too temperamental, she agrees to the assignment. Once there, the film starts to become a bit goofy. You see, when she sees the über-macho Fred without his shirt on and muscles bulging, she is smitten with a desire to go slumming! And her infatuation only gets worse when she seems him get into pointless fights that make absolutely no sense and are so very contrived. Although Colbert is prim and proper and would never admit that she likes to see Fred kick butt, it's obvious to everyone she is smitten. However, it takes another hour until the completely expected final clinch to occur.
The biggest deficits in the film are the silly clichés and ridiculousness of the relationship between these people from two totally different worlds. I assume some studio exec must have noticed this, too, as towards the end you find out that Fred isn't really a sandhog but a talented engineer who happens to like working in the muck--making the pairing seem not quite so silly and vulgar (after all, he's a college graduate!). Fun despite the terrible dialog and plot. However, don't think too much when you watch this film, as it might make your head explode!!
Upon Stranger Class Warfare Farce
DKosty1233 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Katherine Grant (Claudette Colbert) is a Magazine Photographer getting ready to mail the magazine owner, so she is in the rich upper crust. Fred MacMurray (Mr. Ryan) is a work in the caves mud worker who gets dirty. The 2 meet when she gets an assignment to photo at the mine. She is strangely attracted to the "lug".
Colbert is always good at doing comedy (It Happened One Night for example) and she is good at this one too. Fred is a guy everyone thinks of more for television because of My Three Sons but he is plenty good in this one where Grant compares him to an empty chair (is this where Eastwood got his Barack Obama idea?).
This movie is not new but considering this is 1943, it has not aged as badly as others. While it is not Fred's best movie role (I'd choose Double Indemnity as that one) this film is quite good as a screwball comedy. It recently ran on TCM and has not been run that often before to my knowledge. It is pretty good, though the strange photo studio shots with the phony strongman are really a bit odd.
Colbert is always good at doing comedy (It Happened One Night for example) and she is good at this one too. Fred is a guy everyone thinks of more for television because of My Three Sons but he is plenty good in this one where Grant compares him to an empty chair (is this where Eastwood got his Barack Obama idea?).
This movie is not new but considering this is 1943, it has not aged as badly as others. While it is not Fred's best movie role (I'd choose Double Indemnity as that one) this film is quite good as a screwball comedy. It recently ran on TCM and has not been run that often before to my knowledge. It is pretty good, though the strange photo studio shots with the phony strongman are really a bit odd.
Colbert "clicks" with MacMurray in this near farce
SimonJack25 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
"No Time for Love" is the middle of seven movies Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray made together. The two stars clicked in all of them; and in this one, Colbert clicks her camera to get photos of MacMurray. He plays Jim Ryan, a tough Irish sandhog whose brawn and handsome looks are attractive to a certain type of girl. But, Colbert's Katherine Grant is not of that type. The classes clash in this very witty, fast and furious comedy.
The film has a very good supporting cast as well. Katherine's sister, Hoppy, is played by Ilka Chase. The two live amidst the fashionable and proper of Upper Manhattan. Their crowd is mostly a silly, highbrow retinue of the rich and lazy. On the fringe are some eccentric hangers-on. Ryan's circle includes a bunch of rough and tumble construction workers, several of whom have some very funny lines. They include Rhys Williams as Clancy, Grant Withers as Pete Hanagan, John Kelly as Morrisey, and Alan Hale Jr. as the Union Checker.
Katherine thinks she belongs in her crowd of snobs and effete daytime boozers. But, she doesn't seem to fit well. When she gets an assignment to shoot the workers digging a highway tunnel beneath the East River, she meets Ryan. From then on, the sparks fly as a very snappy dialog takes us between a number of funny scenes. My favorite has little dialog. Katherine, her friend Henry (played by Paul McGrath) and Clancy go back into a tunnel flooded with muck to find her camera. I can see that Colbert is wearing long wading boots under her dress, but still, she slogs, wades and pushes her way through the mud until she's covered in it. The cast must have had a blast on the set shooting some of these scenes.
There's a riotous scene at Murphy's Restaurant when Katherine steps in to stop the "boys" from another fight. Instead, they play musical chairs. As Henry plays "Mary had a Little Lamb" on the piano, the burly men circle a row of chairs. All mayhem breaks out when the music stops. After a second round of this, the boys gang up on Morrissey who refused to leave the game. As the brawl moves outside the dining room, Ryan says to Katherine, "You're right. This is a lot better than fighting." She then pivots around and lands a slap square on his face that knocks him out of his chair. He gets back up, sits down, and exclaims with a big grin on his face, "Well!"
Another hilarious scene occurs when Katherine has a special shooting assignment. She has hired Ryan to help her carry equipment, set up props, etc. The dialog leads into the hilarity. Katherine: "No, we're working right here." Ryan: "Oh, anything good?" Katherine: "Special assignment. The Body Beautiful." Ryan: "Oh, where is she?" Katherine: "Who?" Ryan: "The ..what you said." Katherine walks off smiling and Mr. America enters wearing leopard skin trunks. The look on MacMurray's face is worth a long laugh. He and the muscle man go at each other with lines, and Ryan bumps into him, slugs him in the stomach and drops a light on his head.
Katherine breaks them apart and tells Ryan to leave the guy alone. Katherine: "Ryan, clean this mess out of the way." Ryan: "You just told me not to touch him." Katherine: "You know what I'm talking about. Now do it." In another scene, Ryan has borrowed Katherine's car for the night to impress his date. He just wants to leave it parked outside her apartment. Then ensues a hilarious phone conversation between the two. Then there's a scene when Katherine has a dream sequence. It's a laugh- out-loud riot – and a very good job of special effects for 1943. After a night of dreams, Katherine is sitting at the breakfast table when Hoppy comes in. Hoppy finds Katherine carrying on a hilarious conversation with an imaginary Ryan, and correcting his oafish table manners. This movie is dotted with little gems like that throughout.
This film came out in 1943. I wonder if the filmmakers didn't already have another film for the two stars lined up in four years – "The Egg and I." In her opening scene in "No Time for Love," Colbert's Katherine is taking still photos of a solitary egg. Was it just coincidence, or another little witty insert?
The repartee in this film runs to the very last line. This is one very funny, enjoyable film. The whole cast shines. And, while Colbert is her usual fine self, I think MacMurray's performance was over the top funny. I don't see how any of the cast could keep a straight face in most scenes. Or, perhaps they had to shoot many retakes?
The film has a very good supporting cast as well. Katherine's sister, Hoppy, is played by Ilka Chase. The two live amidst the fashionable and proper of Upper Manhattan. Their crowd is mostly a silly, highbrow retinue of the rich and lazy. On the fringe are some eccentric hangers-on. Ryan's circle includes a bunch of rough and tumble construction workers, several of whom have some very funny lines. They include Rhys Williams as Clancy, Grant Withers as Pete Hanagan, John Kelly as Morrisey, and Alan Hale Jr. as the Union Checker.
Katherine thinks she belongs in her crowd of snobs and effete daytime boozers. But, she doesn't seem to fit well. When she gets an assignment to shoot the workers digging a highway tunnel beneath the East River, she meets Ryan. From then on, the sparks fly as a very snappy dialog takes us between a number of funny scenes. My favorite has little dialog. Katherine, her friend Henry (played by Paul McGrath) and Clancy go back into a tunnel flooded with muck to find her camera. I can see that Colbert is wearing long wading boots under her dress, but still, she slogs, wades and pushes her way through the mud until she's covered in it. The cast must have had a blast on the set shooting some of these scenes.
There's a riotous scene at Murphy's Restaurant when Katherine steps in to stop the "boys" from another fight. Instead, they play musical chairs. As Henry plays "Mary had a Little Lamb" on the piano, the burly men circle a row of chairs. All mayhem breaks out when the music stops. After a second round of this, the boys gang up on Morrissey who refused to leave the game. As the brawl moves outside the dining room, Ryan says to Katherine, "You're right. This is a lot better than fighting." She then pivots around and lands a slap square on his face that knocks him out of his chair. He gets back up, sits down, and exclaims with a big grin on his face, "Well!"
Another hilarious scene occurs when Katherine has a special shooting assignment. She has hired Ryan to help her carry equipment, set up props, etc. The dialog leads into the hilarity. Katherine: "No, we're working right here." Ryan: "Oh, anything good?" Katherine: "Special assignment. The Body Beautiful." Ryan: "Oh, where is she?" Katherine: "Who?" Ryan: "The ..what you said." Katherine walks off smiling and Mr. America enters wearing leopard skin trunks. The look on MacMurray's face is worth a long laugh. He and the muscle man go at each other with lines, and Ryan bumps into him, slugs him in the stomach and drops a light on his head.
Katherine breaks them apart and tells Ryan to leave the guy alone. Katherine: "Ryan, clean this mess out of the way." Ryan: "You just told me not to touch him." Katherine: "You know what I'm talking about. Now do it." In another scene, Ryan has borrowed Katherine's car for the night to impress his date. He just wants to leave it parked outside her apartment. Then ensues a hilarious phone conversation between the two. Then there's a scene when Katherine has a dream sequence. It's a laugh- out-loud riot – and a very good job of special effects for 1943. After a night of dreams, Katherine is sitting at the breakfast table when Hoppy comes in. Hoppy finds Katherine carrying on a hilarious conversation with an imaginary Ryan, and correcting his oafish table manners. This movie is dotted with little gems like that throughout.
This film came out in 1943. I wonder if the filmmakers didn't already have another film for the two stars lined up in four years – "The Egg and I." In her opening scene in "No Time for Love," Colbert's Katherine is taking still photos of a solitary egg. Was it just coincidence, or another little witty insert?
The repartee in this film runs to the very last line. This is one very funny, enjoyable film. The whole cast shines. And, while Colbert is her usual fine self, I think MacMurray's performance was over the top funny. I don't see how any of the cast could keep a straight face in most scenes. Or, perhaps they had to shoot many retakes?
Ms. Colbert goes underground
nelsonhodgie20 February 2021
Sexy sophisticated photographer Colbert falls for lunkhead tunnel worker. A variation on the old independent city girl falls for ordinary joe that worked in both Mr. Smith and Mr.Deeds Goes to Town. The scenes inside the construction tunnel are pretty well done and Colbert is always great . McMurry is a little hard to swallow as the hunky construction "Superman!?" I think I'm in better shape and I'm 59. Still both are excellent comedy actors so it makes this enjoyable enough.
No Time for Love; Plenty for Enjoyment ***1/2
edwagreen18 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Claudette Colbert plays a photographer who meets Fred MacMurray at an assignment below a tunnel by the Hudson River. Her mistake causes him to get suspended, and the real fun begins when she hires him as her assistant.
The scene with MacMurray sabotaging the picture with the body builder is hysterical; June Havoc is great as a chorus girl with designs on MacMurray; Ilka Chase plays her society sister, and Richard Haydn, a friend, who really has Colbert's interest at heart.
MacMurray is great here as the laborer who falls for Colbert.
The picture is a good one as it shows an emancipated woman and a free-thinking man finding love. Of course, there is always her snobby and stuffy boyfriend, her boss, but we know how he is done away with in films.
The scene with MacMurray sabotaging the picture with the body builder is hysterical; June Havoc is great as a chorus girl with designs on MacMurray; Ilka Chase plays her society sister, and Richard Haydn, a friend, who really has Colbert's interest at heart.
MacMurray is great here as the laborer who falls for Colbert.
The picture is a good one as it shows an emancipated woman and a free-thinking man finding love. Of course, there is always her snobby and stuffy boyfriend, her boss, but we know how he is done away with in films.
Time Is The Longest Distance Between Two People.
rmax30482314 July 2012
Thoroughly mediocre and predictable. Claudette Colbert is a photographer for a Life Magazine clone. (Kids: Still photographs were very popular in 1943 because nobody had hand-held video cameras yet.) Her assignment: Take pictures of the "Sandhogs" working in caissons under the East River. An accident, Sandhog Fred MacMurray is fired, and Colbert hires him as an assistant out of guilt. Guess what happens by the end.
There's no real point in going on about this movie because it doesn't deserve any close scrutiny. MacMurray is a he-man who gets into fist fights with his fellow sweaty, shirtless Sandhogs all the time, but it's never serious. He decks three of them at once. Colbert -- well, Claudette Colbert seemed to be forever getting caught up in some plot with a bemuscled, beef-brained behemoth, didn't she? Beginning with "It Happened One Night," with no-nonsense Clark Gable, and continuing through the next decade with "No Reservations", co-starring a no-nonsense John Wayne.
I can't recommend it but my taste is warped and some may find the movie tinged with pique. If so, they haven't seen a movie in a long time.
There's no real point in going on about this movie because it doesn't deserve any close scrutiny. MacMurray is a he-man who gets into fist fights with his fellow sweaty, shirtless Sandhogs all the time, but it's never serious. He decks three of them at once. Colbert -- well, Claudette Colbert seemed to be forever getting caught up in some plot with a bemuscled, beef-brained behemoth, didn't she? Beginning with "It Happened One Night," with no-nonsense Clark Gable, and continuing through the next decade with "No Reservations", co-starring a no-nonsense John Wayne.
I can't recommend it but my taste is warped and some may find the movie tinged with pique. If so, they haven't seen a movie in a long time.
No time for a good script, apparently
ofumalow10 January 2022
This is one of those "snooty society dame learns what's what from a a real working-class joe" comedies that were never bettered after "It Happened One Night," so it's kind of depressing to see that film's lead Colbert in an inferior imitation. The comedy here is pretty lowbrow, which would be OK in a knockabout B-grade film, but comes off lazy and stupid in a glossy Paramount "A" for two major stars. A year before "Double Indemnity," MacMurray plays another two-fisted lout in less mortal peril from a glamorous dame, a hard-hat tunnel-digging "sandhog" to her glossy-magazine photographer. He could do comedy, obviously, but the characters and writing don't do him or Colbert any favors.
Nor does the material do much for Leisen, a gay director who voluntarily or otherwise adopts the usual mainstream Hollywood formula for class warfare: The upper classes are all gay (or, worse, women), and the lower classes are all he-men (apparently their women are scarce) who talk like they stepped out of Damon Runyon story. There's a really silly dream sequence where Macmurray is Superman (or something like), and you keep expecting a song or two to likewise liven up the predictable "I hate you you great big ape, oh I...love you!!!" progress, but that never arrives. It's a watchable but completely contrived and uninspired waste of first class talent all around, even if it does get somewhat better toward the end by turning into a sort of action thriller. It must have done all right at the time, though, since the same director and stars were back against the next year in "Practically Yours."
Nor does the material do much for Leisen, a gay director who voluntarily or otherwise adopts the usual mainstream Hollywood formula for class warfare: The upper classes are all gay (or, worse, women), and the lower classes are all he-men (apparently their women are scarce) who talk like they stepped out of Damon Runyon story. There's a really silly dream sequence where Macmurray is Superman (or something like), and you keep expecting a song or two to likewise liven up the predictable "I hate you you great big ape, oh I...love you!!!" progress, but that never arrives. It's a watchable but completely contrived and uninspired waste of first class talent all around, even if it does get somewhat better toward the end by turning into a sort of action thriller. It must have done all right at the time, though, since the same director and stars were back against the next year in "Practically Yours."
Fred MacMurray Tightens Up
wes-connors15 July 2012
In New York City, "Mirror" magazine photographer Claudette Colbert (as Katherine Grant) is scolded for not including enough "leg" in her pictures. Apparently, Ms. Colbert's termination is par for the course, and she remains a successful employee. For her next assignment, Colbert is sent to photograph men digging an underground tunnel. The muscular "sandhogs" think women in the dangerous workplace are bad luck; consequently, they adopt homosexual mannerisms. Sure enough, an accident occurs. Colbert meets arrogant Fred MacMurray (as Jim Ryan). Called "Superman" by co-workers, after the comic book character, Mr. MacMurray is tall and muscular. He beats up weaker men and forces a kiss on Colbert...
A aroused Colbert has dreams featuring MacMurray as a flying super-man. She hires him as her personal photographer's assistant. MacMurray shows off a great physique in a long shirtless scene; for most of his career, he was seen in suit and tie. Reportedly, "No Time for Love" inspired the creation of Fawcett's super-hero "Captain Marvel" (herein, he is clearly meant to evoke National/DC comics' "Superman"). When people noted the film was released in 1943, too late to inspire "Captain Marvel", the association was dropped. MacMurray is still said to have inspired the hero, however. He does look the part, although neither "Captain Marvel" nor "Superman" would act like the violent, womanizing character he plays.
**** No Time for Love (11/10/43) Mitchell Leisen ~ Claudette Colbert, Fred MacMurray, Ilka Chase, Richard Haydn
A aroused Colbert has dreams featuring MacMurray as a flying super-man. She hires him as her personal photographer's assistant. MacMurray shows off a great physique in a long shirtless scene; for most of his career, he was seen in suit and tie. Reportedly, "No Time for Love" inspired the creation of Fawcett's super-hero "Captain Marvel" (herein, he is clearly meant to evoke National/DC comics' "Superman"). When people noted the film was released in 1943, too late to inspire "Captain Marvel", the association was dropped. MacMurray is still said to have inspired the hero, however. He does look the part, although neither "Captain Marvel" nor "Superman" would act like the violent, womanizing character he plays.
**** No Time for Love (11/10/43) Mitchell Leisen ~ Claudette Colbert, Fred MacMurray, Ilka Chase, Richard Haydn
Make time for this one
jarrodmcdonald-14 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray enjoyed a successful collaboration which began in 1935. For the next fourteen years the two stars would turn out a series of box office hits, all of them in the romantic comedy vein except one. These comedies had a specific formula, usually a variation on the boy-gets-girl plot. Situations were often outlandish, and the duo would encounter serious complications before the happily ever after inevitably occurred.
In NO TIME FOR COMEDY, Miss Colbert plays a glamorous career woman. She earns a substantial salary and develops a reputation as one of the country's most renowned magazine photographers. The character is said to be inspired by Margaret Bourke-White. We learn Colbert won't refuse any assignment, even ones where her publisher boyfriend (Paul McGrath) sends her to snap pictures of men working the city's most dangerous jobs.
This is where Mr. MacMurray comes into the story. He's a construction foreman with knowledge in engineering; and he leads a group of rough and tumble men. Not only do they labor despite hazardous conditions, the temperatures in an underground tunnel beneath New York's Hudson River are quite hot. What's interesting about this set-up is how the job environments of the two main characters are so dramatically different. The contrast couldn't be greater.
Director Mitchell Leisen has a background in set design, so we see Colbert's apartment and office space elaborately furnished and decorated. She operates in a hoity-toity yet somewhat sterile atmosphere. She is not alone here, though; she has assistance from her sister (Ilka Chase) and receives visits at all hours from her numerous upper-class friends, which include Richard Haydn.
Meanwhile MacMurray toils under harsh and thankless conditions. He is usually seen without his shirt on, breaking sweat and busting his butt...trying to get his project completed on time. When Colbert first arrives to photograph him and his crew, the two do not exactly hit it off. Part of this is because the guys think that when a woman shows up down in the tunnel, it's bad luck and she's a jinx. Their superstitions seem verified when an accident soon takes place.
The romantic and comedic elements take shape when MacMurray arrogantly assumes that Colbert has the hots for him. He all but accuses her of lusting after him, since he is just so darn desirable and women can't help but be drawn to him. She insists she finds him repulsive, regardless of how much skin he bares. In fact, she calls him an ape several times in the movie. These are meant to be insults, but he takes these remarks as compliments. What's a girl to do? The trouble escalates when she experiences a dream that Freud would have a field day analyzing. It involves a chair in her bedroom that she told him has more personality than him!
As Colbert tosses and turns in her sleep, the dream (nightmare?) continues. She falls off the chair and needs help getting up. A figure appears in the sky out of nowhere. It's a bird. No wait. It's a plane. No wait. It's Superman. No wait. It's MacMurray dressed as Superman. Supposedly this riotous dream sequence was filmed in an enclosed area by Leisen and his cinematographer Charles Lang. For its time, the special effects and editing are rather advanced. Plus it's clear that MacMurray and Colbert are having a blast filming it.
As the story continues, Colbert realizes this man and his brazen attitude have seeped into her subconscious. Of course it doesn't help when he turns up at her place one day and asks to see the chair that she compared him to...she takes him to the bedroom to see it (big mistake) and that is when he impulsively kisses her. As if that were not enough, he informs her and her sister that he's been suspended without pay because one of the photographs that had been published in her company's magazine was not very flattering. She now feels responsible for his temporary unemployment.
In the next part, she hires him as an assistant until his suspension ends. It's not the best idea she's ever had...they still don't really get along, and he certainly knows nothing about photography. But she figures she can teach him. There's an amusing bit when a bodybuilder (Rex Ravelle) shows up at her studio for a spread she's shooting. Of course, macho MacMurray is a bit annoyed with this he-man Mr. Universe type jerk.
Another reason Colbert hired MacMurray to assist her is because she thinks that she will see all the man's flaws up close and personal. If that happens, then she'll come to dislike him so much that she'll never have another dream or fantasy about him. You know where this is going...She only falls for him more in spite of her best efforts not to do so. A further complication occurs when they go out on a new assignment, in which she's scheduled to photograph a bunch of chorus girls at a Broadway theater. During these scenes, a sexy chorine (June Havoc) catches MacMurray's eye, and they begin dating. This makes Colbert jealous.
However, we know that MacMurray and Colbert will still end up together to facilitate a happy ending. But getting there is a lot of fun. The dialogue is frequently witty, sparks fly, and there is a playful way that Leisen and his team put the material across on screen. No one escapes Cupid who has all the time in the world for love.
In NO TIME FOR COMEDY, Miss Colbert plays a glamorous career woman. She earns a substantial salary and develops a reputation as one of the country's most renowned magazine photographers. The character is said to be inspired by Margaret Bourke-White. We learn Colbert won't refuse any assignment, even ones where her publisher boyfriend (Paul McGrath) sends her to snap pictures of men working the city's most dangerous jobs.
This is where Mr. MacMurray comes into the story. He's a construction foreman with knowledge in engineering; and he leads a group of rough and tumble men. Not only do they labor despite hazardous conditions, the temperatures in an underground tunnel beneath New York's Hudson River are quite hot. What's interesting about this set-up is how the job environments of the two main characters are so dramatically different. The contrast couldn't be greater.
Director Mitchell Leisen has a background in set design, so we see Colbert's apartment and office space elaborately furnished and decorated. She operates in a hoity-toity yet somewhat sterile atmosphere. She is not alone here, though; she has assistance from her sister (Ilka Chase) and receives visits at all hours from her numerous upper-class friends, which include Richard Haydn.
Meanwhile MacMurray toils under harsh and thankless conditions. He is usually seen without his shirt on, breaking sweat and busting his butt...trying to get his project completed on time. When Colbert first arrives to photograph him and his crew, the two do not exactly hit it off. Part of this is because the guys think that when a woman shows up down in the tunnel, it's bad luck and she's a jinx. Their superstitions seem verified when an accident soon takes place.
The romantic and comedic elements take shape when MacMurray arrogantly assumes that Colbert has the hots for him. He all but accuses her of lusting after him, since he is just so darn desirable and women can't help but be drawn to him. She insists she finds him repulsive, regardless of how much skin he bares. In fact, she calls him an ape several times in the movie. These are meant to be insults, but he takes these remarks as compliments. What's a girl to do? The trouble escalates when she experiences a dream that Freud would have a field day analyzing. It involves a chair in her bedroom that she told him has more personality than him!
As Colbert tosses and turns in her sleep, the dream (nightmare?) continues. She falls off the chair and needs help getting up. A figure appears in the sky out of nowhere. It's a bird. No wait. It's a plane. No wait. It's Superman. No wait. It's MacMurray dressed as Superman. Supposedly this riotous dream sequence was filmed in an enclosed area by Leisen and his cinematographer Charles Lang. For its time, the special effects and editing are rather advanced. Plus it's clear that MacMurray and Colbert are having a blast filming it.
As the story continues, Colbert realizes this man and his brazen attitude have seeped into her subconscious. Of course it doesn't help when he turns up at her place one day and asks to see the chair that she compared him to...she takes him to the bedroom to see it (big mistake) and that is when he impulsively kisses her. As if that were not enough, he informs her and her sister that he's been suspended without pay because one of the photographs that had been published in her company's magazine was not very flattering. She now feels responsible for his temporary unemployment.
In the next part, she hires him as an assistant until his suspension ends. It's not the best idea she's ever had...they still don't really get along, and he certainly knows nothing about photography. But she figures she can teach him. There's an amusing bit when a bodybuilder (Rex Ravelle) shows up at her studio for a spread she's shooting. Of course, macho MacMurray is a bit annoyed with this he-man Mr. Universe type jerk.
Another reason Colbert hired MacMurray to assist her is because she thinks that she will see all the man's flaws up close and personal. If that happens, then she'll come to dislike him so much that she'll never have another dream or fantasy about him. You know where this is going...She only falls for him more in spite of her best efforts not to do so. A further complication occurs when they go out on a new assignment, in which she's scheduled to photograph a bunch of chorus girls at a Broadway theater. During these scenes, a sexy chorine (June Havoc) catches MacMurray's eye, and they begin dating. This makes Colbert jealous.
However, we know that MacMurray and Colbert will still end up together to facilitate a happy ending. But getting there is a lot of fun. The dialogue is frequently witty, sparks fly, and there is a playful way that Leisen and his team put the material across on screen. No one escapes Cupid who has all the time in the world for love.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
