But Not for Me 1959

Russ Ward, Clark Gable, is a Broadway producer with a 30-year track record of success who has been out of town. On his return to New York, a flurry of people line up for a piece of his time and influence: his ex-wife Kathryn Ward Lilli Palmer, the hard-drinking playwright Jeremiah “Mac” MacDonald [Lee J. Cobb], magazine reporter Roy Morton [Tom Duggan], his business manager Miles Atwood [Wendell Holmes], and the lawyer Charles Montgomery, one after another. The center of attention is Give Me Your Hand, the new play that Russ is presenting, and although the press and investors imply trouble, Russ insists the production is on track and that a Boston tryout will unfold exactly as planned. He and Mac have a collaboration at heart: a story about a middle‑aged man who sounds like he’s chasing a younger woman, and yet the two men keep tripping over how to make it work onstage.

Kathryn keeps nudging Russ about his age, something he enjoys bending the truth about. He shares with Ellie Brown [Carroll Baker], his loyal young secretary and a budding actress, that retirement might be in order because the current project is a mess. Ellie, who carries a quiet, growing love for Russ, shocks him by proposing marriage. The idea crystallizes a bold alteration to the play’s dynamic: what if the young woman pursued the man instead? This reversal could soften Russ’s image as a lecher and give the romance a modern edge. Mac is delighted by the change, and soon everyone in the circle—Ellie, Russ, and Mac—works on the rewrite at Kathryn’s Long Island mansion, aided in part by Kathryn’s alimony from Russ.

A wealthy backer named Bacos [Thomas Gomez] expresses interest, but Miles Atwood insists the show can stand without his money, citing an anonymous angel who is already financing the production. Ellie reads the female lead with a fresh intensity, and Gordon Reynolds [Barry Coe], an up‑and‑coming actor from Ellie’s acting class, lands the male lead. Gordon’s long‑standing affection for Ellie complicates the picture, but Russ does his best not to discourage their bond, even as he remains focused on the Broadway dream.

The Boston performances are a mixed bag—steady, but not blazing with success—and a bit of panic creeps in among the company. Russ remains convinced that Broadway will reward their risk, and his conviction ultimately proves right. Yet the personal stakes rise as Ellie and Gordon marry, much to Russ’s concern. Gordon’s desire to leave the theater for a simpler life in Butte, Montana compounds the tension, and Ellie’s decision to test the waters of passion unfolds in a provocative moment where she enters Russ’s bed to force Gordon’s hand and push for an annulment—an act that shocks the group but also accelerates the unraveling of their misunderstandings.

Gradually, the misunderstandings are resolved, and the pairings begin to align. The newlyweds arrive at a compromise that preserves both their ambitions and their affection. Crucially, Russ discovers the hidden truth behind the show’s financing: Kathryn Ward has been the anonymous angel funding the entire production. With this revelation, the romantic and professional landscapes shift toward a second act—one that holds promise for Russ and Kathryn to rebuild their relationship, while Ellie, Gordon, Mac, and the rest of the cast find a way to move forward with a sense of clarity and renewed purpose. The story closes on the note that the show, the people around it, and the lives entwined within it may still be in flux, but there is a path to a hopeful, enduring ending.