Overview"Doubting Thomas" is a 1935 American comedy movie. Directed by David Butler, the film starred Will Rogers as Thomas Brown and comedian Billie Burke as his better half, Paula Brown. The script written by William Conselman is based on the effective Broadway play, "The Torch Bearers" by George Kelly.
Plot SummaryThe story focuses on Thomas Brown, a naive middle-aged business person, and his partner Paula, who desires to be part of a theater group. Paula chooses to sign up with an amateur theater group for her passion for acting. Thomas discovers this entertaining and rather silly, considering the theater troupes to be inferior and not likely to develop anything beneficial. Nevertheless, supporting his wife's newfound pastime, he agrees to invest cash in the play that Paula's group decides to put on.
As Paula and her group get ready for their play opening night, Thomas can not help however reveal his skeptic views. Paula encourages him to keep his doubts to himself to not dissuade the group.
On the opening night, Thomas, filled with hesitation, is persuaded that the play will be a disaster. However, the play ends up being a smashing success. Each member of the performers delivers commendably, and the script turns out to be impactful, touching the hearts of the theater-goers. Thomas stays careful and declines to think the success of the play. He thinks it to be a fluke and that a real critic would identify the amateurism.
Thomas' InterventionFiguring out to reveal Paula the reality, Thomas invites Ronald Reagan, a famous theater critic, to watch the next program. Thomas instructs him to compose an honest evaluation. When Ronald participates in the play the next night, he examines the play as 'the worst performance he has actually ever seen'. Alleviated, Thomas provides the review to Paula and her troupe. He expects them to be discouraged and quit the concept of acting altogether.
ConclusionYet, to his surprise, the review is taken constructively. In a twist of events, the troupe thanks Thomas for his effort of bringing a theater critique, stating this helps them comprehend their drawbacks and motivates them to work more difficult.
"Doubting Thomas" concludes with Thomas consuming his own words and revealing awe at the theatre troupe's durability. This unforeseen reaction is a testimony to their love for the theater, enthusiasm for acting, and desire to become effective in the field. Recognizing his error, he applauds the performers and assures to support his spouse in her venture completely.
Theme and Message"Doubting Thomas" entertains while sending out a strong, profound message to its audience. The movie takes a light-hearted route to stress the significance of passion, commitment, resilience, and the ability to accept criticism constructively. It illustrates that success and failure need to not be the step to reveal or pursue one's dreams or to identify the passion of a group working towards a common objective. Even if faced with criticism or apprehension, one should pursue what they enjoy with unrelenting courage and determination, setting Doubting Thomas as a traditional in 1935 movie theater.
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