No Time for Comedy (1940) in Color — Starring James Stewart & Rosalind Russell

No Time for Comedy (1940) — Buy This Classic in Color

No Time for Comedy (1940) is a witty romantic comedy starring James Stewart and Rosalind Russell, directed by William Keighley. Stewart plays a small-town playwright who becomes a Broadway sensation but struggles with the desire to write serious drama, risking his marriage and his gift along the way. Based on S.N. Behrman’s hit Broadway play, this sophisticatedly funny film is a love letter to the theater and to the artists who make audiences laugh. This professionally colorized version brings the Broadway glamour and sophisticated humor to vivid new life. Buy your colorized copy today for €15.00 and own this delightful classic movie in color.

Plot Summary

Gaylord Esterbrook (James Stewart) is a shy, self-deprecating young man from a small town in Minnesota who arrives in New York clutching a comedy script and an abundance of nervous energy. To his complete astonishment, the play becomes a surprise Broadway hit, largely thanks to the polished, commanding star turn by the glamorous Linda Paige (Rosalind Russell), who sees the raw talent beneath Gaylord’s stammering modesty and brings his words to brilliant life on stage. Gaylord and Linda fall in love during rehearsals and marry, and he writes a string of successful comedies specifically tailored to showcase her talents — their professional and personal partnership becoming the toast of the theatrical world. But Gaylord’s contentment is shattered when the sophisticated and manipulative socialite Amanda Swift (Genevieve Tobin) begins lavishing him with flattery and attention, insisting that he is wasting his extraordinary talent on lightweight comedies and that he should be writing serious, important drama about the human condition and the gathering crisis in Europe. Seduced by Amanda’s intellectual pretensions and her suggestion that true artists must suffer, Gaylord becomes increasingly dissatisfied with his commercial success and convinced that comedy is somehow beneath him. He abandons the comedy formula that made him famous and attempts a pretentious, ponderous dramatic work that baffles his collaborators and alienates Linda in the process. Meanwhile, Amanda’s long-suffering husband Philo Swift (Charles Ruggles), who has seen this pattern before with other young artists his wife has collected, watches with weary amusement, and Linda’s persistent admirer Morgan (Allyn Joslyn) sees an opportunity to step into the breach. As Gaylord’s serious play heads toward certain disaster and his marriage hangs by a thread, Linda must find a way to make her husband realize that his gift for comedy is not something to be ashamed of — it is something precious, rare, and deeply valuable — and that the woman who truly loves him and his talent has been there all along.

Cast & Crew

Director: William Keighley

Stars: James Stewart, Rosalind Russell, Genevieve Tobin, Charles Ruggles, Allyn Joslyn, Clarence Kolb, Louise Beavers, J.M. Kerrigan, Lawrence Grossmith, Robert Greig

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This colorized version of No Time for Comedy brings the sparkle of Broadway and Manhattan high society to gorgeous visual life. The elegant Art Deco theaters with their velvet curtains and blazing marquees, the fashionable penthouse apartments where the theatrical elite gather, and the backstage dressing rooms buzzing with opening-night excitement all gain stunning new dimension in the restoration. The original black and white film captured the witty performances perfectly, but the professionally colorized restoration reveals Russell’s glamorous wardrobe changes from scene to scene, the warm glow of stage lighting during performance sequences, the contrast between small-town simplicity and big-city sophistication, and the stars’ magnetic charm, all with frame-by-frame precision. Watch this restored classic film in sophisticated, radiant color. Now also available in colour.

Buy No Time for Comedy in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

No Time for Comedy is based on S.N. Behrman’s hit Broadway play and features James Stewart at the absolute peak of his pre-war charm, just one year after winning the Academy Award for The Philadelphia Story. Stewart and Russell make a sparkling, wonderfully matched pair — his gangly, stammering sincerity the perfect complement to her polished theatrical confidence — and their scenes together crackle with the kind of romantic chemistry that defined Hollywood’s golden age. The film’s central exploration of the tension between comedy and drama in art, and its passionate argument that making people laugh is just as noble and important as making them cry, remains witty, relevant, and surprisingly moving. Charles Ruggles provides scene-stealing comedy relief as the philosophical cuckold who has made peace with his wife’s serial patronage of young artists. Director William Keighley, a versatile Warner Bros. craftsman, keeps the pace brisk and the dialogue razor-sharp, letting the exceptional cast work at full brilliance. The colorization adds visual glamour to this smart, entertaining comedy about the art of making art.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 93 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is this based on the Broadway play?
A: Yes, No Time for Comedy is adapted from S.N. Behrman’s successful stage play. The film stars James Stewart and Rosalind Russell, both at the height of their stardom, in their only screen pairing.

Q: Is this the complete version?
A: Yes, this is the full 1940 theatrical release presented in its professionally colorized version with every scene intact.

Q: What makes this film special for James Stewart fans?
A: This is Stewart at his most charming and vulnerable, playing a character whose stammering uncertainty masks genuine talent — qualities that defined his most beloved screen persona. Paired with the incomparable Rosalind Russell, the result is one of the most elegant comedies of 1940.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: DRM-free MP4, compatible with virtually any device or media player.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: €15.00 for instant download. The colorization process ensures every scene looks stunning in color.

Q: Can I watch on multiple devices?
A: Absolutely. The file is DRM-free, so you can watch on your TV, tablet, phone, or computer.

Related Colorized Classics

• The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
• Follow the Fleet (1936)
• The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
• The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951)
• Carnaval Atlântida (1952)