But Not for Me

One noteworthy thing about this movie is the use of music. Both the title song "But Not For Me" (also used in 'Four Weddings and a Funeral') and "You Make Feel So Young" pop up at various moments to good effect. Both songs date from the 1940s.

Any film with Lee J. Cobb is good according to me. And no one can fill out a tux like Gable. There's even a Joi Lansing walk through.

This film is somehow a B & W, 1950s version of 'Something's Gotta Give' - aging leading man and the Lili Palmer/Diane Keaton character. There's even a Long Island connection. If that sounds like an attractive idea, then it's worth a peek. Otherwise, the whole exercise will appear impressively dated.

Clark Gable is a Broadway producer who feels his age and is ready to retire. Added to it is the fact that his ex, Lilli Palmer, pops in constantly for the alimony and aggravates him. Carroll Baker is his secretary, who's using her job as a stepping stone in her acting career. When she discloses to him, she's been pining for him from the beginning. he jumps on this plot in a way to save a playwright's problems with his play - instead of an old man going after a young girl, switch it. The stars provide charm and a bit of the nostalgic feel for Gable's older films, like "Wife vs. Secretary," with similarities to boot. But the main problem of this film is that it goes on for far too long and is too talky. Barry Coe likes Carroll, but with her interest in Gable, she hardly gives Barry the time of day. With its predictable ending, this should have been much shorter with less talk and definitely less bickering. But not for that, this is a must-see film for Gable fans. You'll just feel wore out by the end.

A decent cast and intermittently witty script make up for the drab direction in this somewhat hackneyed backstage drama. But Not For Me is a perfect example of a "rainy-day film" - pleasant, undemanding entertainment with good stars and a happy ending. Gable looks worn-out in one of his final roles, but Lee J. Cobb is fine as a world-weary but good-hearted sourpuss writer - cast nicely against type. Baker is pleasant in a role requiring less dramatic range than in Giant (where she ate much of the scenery), while Lili Palmer is agreeable in support. Worth a look, but unlikely to grace one's Top 10 lists.

Two-and-a-half out of four, with an extra half for the lovely slice of cake I had with it.

Odd to find Clark Gable, in one of his final films, trying his damnedest to perk up such an outright piece of fluff. As a 50-ish theatrical producer fighting off the unwanted affections of his smitten juvenile secretary--and later using his predicament as the basis for a new play--Gable initially seems unsure of himself, though he does locate the dumb spirit of the piece and warms up midway through. As the lovestruck working girl, newcomer Carroll Baker is sweet but also stiff (and her hairstyle and clothes don't seem to match her age--she doesn't look like what other young ladies of this period resemble). Remake of 1935's "Accent on Youth" is hackneyed and coy, but the cast (including Lee J. Cobb and Lilli Palmer as Gable's ex-wife) manages to sell it despite shortcomings in the material and the handling. Gable and Palmer were both nominated for Golden Globes, and the picture was nominated for Best Comedy. **1/2 from ****

Charmer finds Gable at near the end of his career still fully in command of his star power as a somewhat roguish producer who is juggling both personal and professional issues.

Lilli Palmer is an excellent match for him, her continental charm playing off his brusk exasperation with surprising ease. She's so good it's a shame her role is rather small but she makes every moment she's on screen memorable and you miss her when she's out of the picture.

Lee J. Cobb likewise makes his modest role seem more than it is by filling it with his magnetic presence.

Carroll is sexy in a refined way, this was before she cast her lot in the sex symbol derby with junk like Harlow and The Carpetbaggers and wrecked her reputation as a serious actress for several years until she came back as a respected character actress.

The kind of breezy star vehicle that is rarely if ever made today, spotlighting the star but loaded with talent in almost every role. Competently directed and as an added bonus Ella Fitzgerald sings the title tune over the credits. For Gable fans this is a must!