A few years ago I was summoned to the home of a prominent film director for dinner. The house was lovely, a large scale estate probably dating back to the silent era.
It appeared as if the director had just moved in, judging by the lack of furniture. We dined at a card table on pasta topped with jarred sauce (Prego, I think) but the company was delightful and we had been promised a screening… And besides, our host seemed to have designs on one of his female guests and I suspect the rest of us were serving as buffers.
So, after supper we trooped into the screening room, sans seats, and plopped ourselves down on the floor – picnic style – to watch DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY. It was funny and sad and “delicately morbid”. Loved it, fabulous evening, frat boy spaghetti and all.
DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY, directed by Mitchell Leisen, starring Frederic March, Evelyn Venable, and Guy Standing, based on the Italian play by Alberto Casella… Cinematography by Charles Lang