JLRMovieReviews Clark Gable is a Broadway producer who feels his age and is ready to retire. Added to it is the fact that his ex, Lilli Palmer, pops in constantly for the alimony and aggravates him. Carroll Baker is his secretary, who's using her job as a stepping stone in her acting career. When she discloses to him, she's been pining for him from the beginning. he jumps on this plot in a way to save a playwright's problems with his play - instead of an old man going after a young girl, switch it. The stars provide charm and a bit of the nostalgic feel for Gable's older films, like "Wife vs. Secretary," with similarities to boot. But the main problem of this film is that it goes on for far too long and is too talky. Barry Coe likes Carroll, but with her interest in Gable, she hardly gives Barry the time of day. With its predictable ending, this should have been much shorter with less talk and definitely less bickering. But not for that, this is a must-see film for Gable fans. You'll just feel wore out by the end.

MartinHafer For fans of classic Hollywood, a sub-par Clark Gable film is STILL well worth seeing. This is exactly the case for "But Not For Me"--an adequate film made better simply because it stars Gable.Gable plays Russ Ward--a somewhat vain Broadway producer who is nearing the end of his career. He's low on money, low on successes and high on energy. However, his newest play seems destined to bomb and after talking it over with his accountants, he's decided to can the project and retire. But, when Ward's very young secretary, Ellie (Carol Baker) confesses her love for him, it inspires Ward to incorporate this into the play--and he suddenly reverses himself and decides to produce it.This is an odd case of real life, a movie and a play all getting intermingled. While some might complain about the aging Gable starring with a very young lady, this works for me because the film is all about the difficulties of such a romance. Decent acting and the wonderful supporting work by Lee J. Cobb make this one worth seeing even with its shortcomings.

hvnsntofsa This movie is a sweet light hearted comedy. You should watch it twice if possible. Once to just see it and the second time to get the parts you missed the first time through. The story could be set in most any time frame or city with minor variations. It is a traditional tale of the good looking male who is beginning to feel a little 'past it' and a beautiful younger female with a major crush on him. There is a nicely balancing, very attractive, other woman of his own age who 'understands' only too well. There are a number of variations that thicken the plot - some are for laughter, some are for romance. This particular cast of actors and actresses fill their parts delightfully well. The many supporting character parts only add to the enjoyment of the movie. I truly enjoy the musical score, especially the title song "But Not for Me", and the way it is worked through the movie.

theowinthrop At the tail end of his film career Clark Gable made a series of movies where his co-stars were not in his age group. Up to 1956 his co-stars might have been younger than him (Lana Turner comes to mind) but more frequently they were still in their late 30s to early 50s like Ava Gardner, Barbara Stanwyck, or Eleanor Parker. Then, at the tail end of the 1950s Gable made four movies where his co-stars were not within fifteen years of his age. These were TEACHER'S PET (with Doris Day), BUT NOT FOR ME (with Carol Baker), IT STARTED IN NAPLES (with Sophia Loren), and THE MISFITS (with Marilyn Monroe). In at least three of these films the co-star was as big a star as Gable. The exception is Baker, a promising actress in the period but one that never hit the same height of stardom as the others (her best recalled film role was HARLOW - ironically she played a great movie star who had fequently appeared opposite the young Gable). But if Baker lacked the magnetism of Day, Loren, or Monroe, her support to Gable is shared by an actress in his own age group again - Lily Palmer. And Palmer does her job very nicely.In BUT NOT FOR ME Gable's character - a Broadway Producer - revives his career and that of a once prize-winning playwrite (Lee J. Cobb) when he discovers his secretary (Baker) is in love with him, and is trying to keep his latest production (Cobb's recent play) from being discarded as a failure. Baker revitalizes Gable, and makes him think of remarrying. He was once married to his leading stage lady (Palmer) who divorced him because of differences over lifestyle and life choices. Palmer, who oozes grace and charm, wanted a husband who was interested in home life with her. Gable was too into his production and impressario career, as well as enjoying living life to the most publicly fullest. However, as she watches Gable, Baker, and Cobb rework the play and make it work, Palmer slowly sees Gable bending over to make himself seem younger than he is. In fact a running joke in the film is Gable's confusion of his birth date and age, seemingly making it about ten or five years earlier than it is.But Palmer keeps bringing Gable and Baker back to earth about their age differences. When Gable takes Baker into Central Park for a romantic moment alone on a bench, Palmer shows up, and gleefully remembers how he took her there too...years before. Gable does not appreciate this ("Are you sure it's safe to be alone here at this late hour?", he asks Palmer. "You might get stabbed!"). Eventually Gable sees the light...he and Palmer end up together again at the end, her helping him with his various pills in the closing moments of the film.The operative word in the film is charm. Not only Palmer in needling Gable back to his senses, but also (surprisingly) Cobb, as he reforms from his hard drinking failure to his sober success. Even Thomas Gomez is funny in this film, playing a character based on Greek movie theatre tycoon Spyros Skouras. Cobb dislikes money men (Gomez is a potential play backer), and tells Gomez so, saying "Who financed Shaw?" "Who financed Shakespeare?" "Who financed Sophocles?" An angry and fed-up Gomez shouts, "I did!" Taken aback, Cobb asks, "You?". "Sure", says Gomez, "And the production flopped. Why do you suppose I left Greece to come here?"A friendly little film to watch, and possibly a wise one.