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The Boys from Syracuse
Universal Pictures
Released: August 9, 1940
Runtime: 73 minutes
Adapted from Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” “The Boys from Syracuse” opened as George Abbott’s Broadway musical in 1938. Allan Jones stars in this film version and gets to play twins. Probably the best reason to watch this film is to hear him sing and harmonize with himself at the end. Also, he gets to act with wife, Irene Hervey.
The city of Ephesus has just won a war against the smaller city of Syracuse, thanks to their arrogant war hero, Antipholus. He makes a speech to the people and vows to crush any Syracusian that enters the city, which is in fact the law. He finds his faithful slave, Dromio and tells him that he is going to the Duke’s Palace. Dromio reminds him that he must be home for dinner on time by his wife’s strict orders, but Antipolus ignores him as usual and goes on his way. Dromio goes back to the house where Adriana, Antipholus’ wife, and Phyllis, her sister, are watching a ballet dance in the garden. Luce, Dromio’s wife and fellow slave, clumsily tries to leap about gracefully but insists that there is not any “oomph.” So, she jazzes it up and sings “The Greeks Have No Word for it.” Adriana speaks with Dromio and demands that he bring back her husband on time; she is tired of being neglected.
Meanwhile, the Duke consults Antipholus about a Syracusian prisoner and asks if he must hang him by the law. Antipholus stiffly tells him that the law is the law, so the Duke agrees to follow it. Antipholus leaves and meets up with Dromio at the tailors. It just so happens that the prisoner is an old man looking for his lost twin son. He had twin sons who also had twin slaves, but he and Antipholus of Syracuse and Dromio of Syracuse were separated from the Ephesus pair in a shipwreck. The Duke feels for his crisis so he gives him one day to find his lost son or else he must be hanged.
Antipholus of Syracuse wants to save his father, so he and his slave sneak into the city of Ephesus. They first go to the same tailors, though, and begin a state of confusion as the tailors watch one pair walk into a dressing room and the other come out of another room. Once Antipholus of Syracuse is done, he sends his slave to find a hotel for them. Antipolus of Ephesus has run off in his own path again, so Dromio goes looking for him and ends up following Antipholus of Syracuse by mistake. Antipholus of Syracuse stops at the Wooden Horse Inn for a drink while Dromio confuses him by trying to bring him home for his dinner. Antipholus of Syracuse argues with him until he spots Phyllis at a table. Enchanted with her beauty he strikes up a conversation while she stares at him in confusion. She tries to correct him but he starts to sing “Who Are You?” and serenades away. He then attempts to ask her out for dinner but she grows angry and leaves with Dromio. She tells Adriana of his strange behavior, making her finally go out herself to fetch her husband. At the same time, Antipholus of Syracuse finally meets up with his real slave. Adrianna spots them and drags them home. Antipholus of Syracuse is beginning to catch on with the mistaken identities and decides to play along to see if it will help his father. He finds a picture of his brother in Adriana’s room and is finally aware of the situation. Dromio of Antipholus sets the dinner table with Luce and they sing and dance to “Sing for Your Supper.” Luce quite likes this Dromio over her real husband.
After supper, Antipholus of Ephesus and Dromio return home and find themselves locked out. They yell for their respective wives to let them but to no avail. They return to the Wooden Horse Inn in a huff. Once Adriana is in bed, the other Antipholus whisks Phyllis away to the gardens and explains the whole thing to her. She had been suspecting that there was something amiss and agrees to help him save his father from prison. He serenades her again with “Falling in Love with Love” and then they embrace.
The next day, Phyllis confesses her feelings and sings “This Can’t Be Love” to herself. She then gives Antipholus of Syracuse his brother’s Gold Chain of Authority, and he is able to free his father from prison. The Duke confronts Antipholus of Ephesus and Dromio about the escape and arrests them for treason and sentences them to be hanged. The two men who work at the tailors are also in prison because they cannot make payments, thanks to Antipholus of Ephesus’ failure to pay them for his garments. But, they all work together and manage to escape and ride away in a chariot to the hanging event. At the same time, the other Antipholus, his father, and Phyllis are in a chariot trying to get to Syracuse. Then, hearing that her husband Dromio is in trouble, Luce steals a chariot from the police and rides away. Soon enough, a huge chariot chase ensues. Everything is eventually cleared up by the time they reach the Duke at the hanging event. The Duke and his panel of judges must decide who must be hanged first, since the law says they can only hang one person per day. So, the Antipholus twins duke it out with a singing competition and reprise “Who Are You?” in perfect harmony. Soon after, the Dromio twins and Luce reprise “Sing for Your Supper” while Phyllis and her Antipholus reprise “Falling in Love with Love.” Then the whole cast and chorus reprise “This Can’t Be Love.” Pleased with the music, the city finds everyone not guilty. Then, a messenger rushes to the Duke and tells him that his wife had twins, making the Duke faint from shock.
Credits
Director…A. Edward Sutherland
Writers…George Abbott (play), Charles Grayson, Titus Maccius Plautus (play “Menaechmi”), William Shakespeare (play “The Comedy of Errors”), Paul Girard Smith (screenplay), Leonard Spigelgass
Producer…Jules Levey
Original Music: Richard Rogers
Cinematography…Joseph A. Valentine
Film Editing…Milton Carruth
Art Direction…Jack Otterson
Costumes…Vera West
Sound Department…Bernard B. Brown
Special Effects…David S. Horsley
Musical Director…Charles Previn
Composer: incidental music…Frank Skinner (uncredited)
Choreographer…Dave Gould
Cast
Allan Jones…Antipolus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse
Irene Hervey…Adriana
Martha Raye…Luce
Joe Penner…Dromio of Ephesus and Dromio of Syrcacuse
Alan Mowbray…Angelo
Charles Butterworth…Duke of Ephesus
Rosemary Lane…Phyllis
Samuel S. Hinds…Angeen
Tom Dugan…Octavius
Spencer Charters…Turnkey
Doris Lloyd…Woman
Larry J. Blake…Announcer
Eddie Acuff…Taxi Cab Driver
Matt McHugh…Bartender
David Oliver…Messenger
June Wilkins…Secretary
Bess Flowers…Woman
Cyril Ring…Guard
Julie Carter…Girl
Eric Blore …Pinch
Soundtrack
• “The Greeks Have No Word For It”
o Sung/Danced by Martha Raye and dancers
o Music: Richard Rogers
o Lyrics: Lorenz Hart
• “Who Are You?”
o Sung by Allan Jones in Bar, Reprised by his twin characters at end scene
o Music: Richard Rogers
o Lyrics: Lorenz Hart
• “Falling in Love with Love”
o Sung by Allan Jones, Reprised by Allan Jones and Rosemary Lane at end scene
o Music: Richard Rogers
o Lyrics: Lorenz Hart
• “Sing For Your Supper”
o Sung/Danced by Martha Raye and Joe Penner, Reprised by Martha RAye and Joe Penner’s twin characters at end scene
o Music: Richard Rogers
o Lyrics: Lorenz Hart
• “This Can’t Be Love”
o Sung by Rosemary Lane, Reprised by cast and chorus at end scene
o Music: Richard Rogers
o Lyrics: Lorenz Hart
• “He and She”
o Possibly played as background music
o Written by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart