Sometime in the early '80's, an industrial dispute resulted in the last-minute cancellation of my favourite show 'Minder'. In its place I.T.V. screened a U.S. T.V. movie I had not seen before: 'Thursday's Game'. I watched mainly because it starred Gene Wilder and the equally wonderful Bob Newhart ( if you have never heard his comic monologues, you owe it to yourself to do so ).
Wilder is 'Harry Evers', producer of a daytime game show called 'Let's Chance It!'. The ratings are dropping so, expecting cancellation, he goes to see an employment officer ( Nancy Walker ) with a view to putting himself back on the job market. Initially, she tells him that getting a new job will be easy. She then finds out she has read the wrong resume. Reading the correct one, she does not look happy. Harry's worst fears are confirmed. He is unemployable.
The highlight of Harry's week is his Thursday night poker game with his buddies, among them Marvin ( Newhart ), owner of a successful fashion empire. One night, the game erupts into a fight when a losing player refuses to pay Harry what he owes him. Determined to keep the tradition of the wife-free Thursday night alive, he and Marvin begin going to theatres, cinemas, and bars. Marvin is also going through a mid-life crisis - he wants to divorce his much older wife Lois ( Cloris Leachman ) but is afraid to do so in case she tries to top herself.
Harry approaches Ann ( Valerie Harper ) with a view to an affair, but cannot bring himself to go through with it. Then disaster strikes - his wife Lynne ( Ellen Burstyn ) finds out the game ended months ago, and thinks her husband is cheating on her...
This was made in 1971 but went unscreened until 1974, possibly to cash in on Wilder's popularity in the Mel Brooks movies, as well as Burstyn's role in 'The Exorcist'. The studio executives who did not like it must have been watching with their eyes shut. 'Thursday's Game' is a warm, funny comedy which encompasses adult themes such as marriage, divorce, redundancy, depression, adultery, and above all friendship. Unusually for a comedy of this kind, James L. Brooks' script is not shot through with unrealistic one-liners, the humour arises naturally out of the characters and situations.
Wilder is fabulous, only going over the top when he has to. When Harry is fired, he sits there stone-faced listening to the squeak of his chair before casually trashing his ex-boss' office. Newhart's big moment comes when Marvin tells Lois he wants a divorce over dinner in a busy New York restaurant, and she suffers a bout of hysteria, predating the most famous scene in 'When Harry Met Sally' by almost two decades. The chemistry between the stars is wonderful.
Funniest moment? Its when Harry goes to see his agent ( Rob Reiner ) and is stunned to find the man does not know who he is, despite him having been paid ten per cent of Harry's salary each month for four years. Harry's rage is hysterical to watch.
At the end, Marvin, now a free man, goes off to Europe, and you find yourself almost wishing Harry would go with him. But Harry's loyalty to his family is too strong.
'Thursday's Game' is hard to track down, but for fans of Wilder and Newhart or anyone just wanting a good laugh it is well worth the effort.
Wilder is 'Harry Evers', producer of a daytime game show called 'Let's Chance It!'. The ratings are dropping so, expecting cancellation, he goes to see an employment officer ( Nancy Walker ) with a view to putting himself back on the job market. Initially, she tells him that getting a new job will be easy. She then finds out she has read the wrong resume. Reading the correct one, she does not look happy. Harry's worst fears are confirmed. He is unemployable.
The highlight of Harry's week is his Thursday night poker game with his buddies, among them Marvin ( Newhart ), owner of a successful fashion empire. One night, the game erupts into a fight when a losing player refuses to pay Harry what he owes him. Determined to keep the tradition of the wife-free Thursday night alive, he and Marvin begin going to theatres, cinemas, and bars. Marvin is also going through a mid-life crisis - he wants to divorce his much older wife Lois ( Cloris Leachman ) but is afraid to do so in case she tries to top herself.
Harry approaches Ann ( Valerie Harper ) with a view to an affair, but cannot bring himself to go through with it. Then disaster strikes - his wife Lynne ( Ellen Burstyn ) finds out the game ended months ago, and thinks her husband is cheating on her...
This was made in 1971 but went unscreened until 1974, possibly to cash in on Wilder's popularity in the Mel Brooks movies, as well as Burstyn's role in 'The Exorcist'. The studio executives who did not like it must have been watching with their eyes shut. 'Thursday's Game' is a warm, funny comedy which encompasses adult themes such as marriage, divorce, redundancy, depression, adultery, and above all friendship. Unusually for a comedy of this kind, James L. Brooks' script is not shot through with unrealistic one-liners, the humour arises naturally out of the characters and situations.
Wilder is fabulous, only going over the top when he has to. When Harry is fired, he sits there stone-faced listening to the squeak of his chair before casually trashing his ex-boss' office. Newhart's big moment comes when Marvin tells Lois he wants a divorce over dinner in a busy New York restaurant, and she suffers a bout of hysteria, predating the most famous scene in 'When Harry Met Sally' by almost two decades. The chemistry between the stars is wonderful.
Funniest moment? Its when Harry goes to see his agent ( Rob Reiner ) and is stunned to find the man does not know who he is, despite him having been paid ten per cent of Harry's salary each month for four years. Harry's rage is hysterical to watch.
At the end, Marvin, now a free man, goes off to Europe, and you find yourself almost wishing Harry would go with him. But Harry's loyalty to his family is too strong.
'Thursday's Game' is hard to track down, but for fans of Wilder and Newhart or anyone just wanting a good laugh it is well worth the effort.