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Turn Back the Clock

  • 19331933
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 19m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
495
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Lee Tracy in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
Joe and Mary barely get by with their tobacco store. After an old friend returns now married to wealthy Elvina, Joe wishes he married her instead when he had the chance. Will he be happy when his wish comes true?
Play trailer2:39
1 Video
13 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Fantasy

Joe and Mary barely get by with their tobacco store. After an old friend returns now married to wealthy Elvina, Joe wishes he married her instead when he had the chance. Will he be happy whe... Read allJoe and Mary barely get by with their tobacco store. After an old friend returns now married to wealthy Elvina, Joe wishes he married her instead when he had the chance. Will he be happy when his wish comes true?Joe and Mary barely get by with their tobacco store. After an old friend returns now married to wealthy Elvina, Joe wishes he married her instead when he had the chance. Will he be happy when his wish comes true?

IMDb RATING
6.8/10
495
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Edgar Selwyn
  • Writers
    • Edgar Selwyn(screen play)
    • Ben Hecht(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Lee Tracy
    • Mae Clarke
    • Otto Kruger
Top credits
  • Director
    • Edgar Selwyn
  • Writers
    • Edgar Selwyn(screen play)
    • Ben Hecht(screen play)
  • Stars
    • Lee Tracy
    • Mae Clarke
    • Otto Kruger
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 17User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:39
    Trailer

    Photos13

    George Barbier, Peggy Shannon, and Lee Tracy in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
    Lee Tracy in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
    Mae Clarke, Otto Kruger, and Lee Tracy in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
    Mae Clarke, Otto Kruger, and Lee Tracy in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
    Mae Clarke, Otto Kruger, and Lee Tracy in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
    Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
    Mae Clarke in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
    Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
    Mae Clarke in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
    Mae Clarke and Lee Tracy in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
    Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard in Turn Back the Clock (1933)
    Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard in Turn Back the Clock (1933)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lee Tracy
    Lee Tracy
    • Joe Gimletas Joe Gimlet
    Mae Clarke
    Mae Clarke
    • Mary Gimletas Mary Gimlet…
    Otto Kruger
    Otto Kruger
    • Ted Wrightas Ted Wright
    George Barbier
    George Barbier
    • Pete Evansas Pete Evans
    Peggy Shannon
    Peggy Shannon
    • Elvina Wrightas Elvina Wright…
    C. Henry Gordon
    C. Henry Gordon
    • Dave Holmesas Dave Holmes
    Clara Blandick
    Clara Blandick
    • Joe's Motheras Joe's Mother
    Ernie Adams
    Ernie Adams
    • Reporteras Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    Norman Ainsley
    • Joe's Valetas Joe's Valet
    • (uncredited)
    Ernie Alexander
    • Wedding Guestas Wedding Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Hooper Atchley
    Hooper Atchley
    • 1925 Spokesmanas 1925 Spokesman
    • (uncredited)
    Symona Boniface
    Symona Boniface
    • Nightclub Patronas Nightclub Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Don Brodie
    Don Brodie
    • Reporteras Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    William Burgess
    William Burgess
    • Mr. Cradwell - Drug Store Proprietoras Mr. Cradwell - Drug Store Proprietor
    • (uncredited)
    Ruth Cherrington
    Ruth Cherrington
    • Wedding Guestas Wedding Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Corky
    • Effie the Dogas Effie the Dog
    • (uncredited)
    Nell Craig
    Nell Craig
    • Nurseas Nurse
    • (uncredited)
    Lester Dorr
    Lester Dorr
    • Joe's Aideas Joe's Aide
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Edgar Selwyn
    • Writers
      • Edgar Selwyn(screen play)
      • Ben Hecht(screen play)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Joe and Mary run a tobacco store and are just scraping by. When old friend Ted comes into the store, they renew their friendship, even though Ted is now wealthy and married to Elvira, whom Joe could have married himself, and become the rich one. After a domestic squabble Joe is hit by a car, and when he wakes up he is 20 years younger and can rectify his error and marry Elvina and her money. He does, relives his life as a wealthy man who still remembers his 'other' life, and what happened during those years. In the end he realizes that he isn't as happy as he was formerly, and things come to a head when his 'new' life catches up with his old one. —Ron Kerrigan <mvg@whidbey.com>
    • world war one
    • woodrow wilson
    • wedding
    • trucking industry
    • stock market crash
    • 34 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • He Led a Double Life - so he could double up on love!
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
    • Certificate
      • Not Rated
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      First appearance of Curly Howard with the Three Stooges in a full-length feature film.
    • Goofs
      President Woodrow Wilson's letter asking for Joe Gimlet's resignation misspells his last name as "Gimlett".
    • Quotes

      Joe Gimlet: New Deal, heh? This fellow Roosevelt just tryin' to get the banks out of a jam, that's all. What about the rest of us fellas? If I was down there in Washington, boy, I'd show 'em somethin' different.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Fugitive Lovers (1934)
    • Soundtracks
      A Hot Time in the Old Town
      (1896) (uncredited)

      Music by Theodore A. Metz

      Whistled by Lee Tracy

    User reviews17

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Unique for its time - an excellent film for Lee Tracy fans
    A unique film of the "if I had it all to do over" variety, Turn Back The Clock gives Lee Tracy a chance to show the full range of his talents as an average Joe who wants a second chance at life and gets it.

    Director Edgar Selwyn and screenwriter Ben Hecht delivered a small masterpiece in 1933 that might seem familiar now to later generations. Everyone from Frank Capra to Rod Serling has used the same theme successfully - the lesson to be learned: you can't change the past without consequences, so maybe its better just to be happy with what you have.

    TCM has this one in its vault, so see it if you're a Tracy fan. You won't be disappointed. Excellent performances by Mae Clarke and Peggy Shannon as well. Funny and dramatic with some of the delightful over the top stuff you'd expect from an early Thirties film, but fast and insightful at the same time.

    Oh, and an uncredited guest bit with The Three Stooges as wedding singers!
    helpful•28
    0
    • flatrich
    • Apr 30, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 25, 1933 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Det perfekta brottet
    • Filming locations
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 19 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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