Same Time Next Year

I was watching Same Time Next Year last night, sort of off and on, which was oddly appropriate, since the movie is about an adulterous couple who get together once a year - for many years. It's funny, moving, and a great gimmick.

I think it would be a lot funnier on stage, where it originally appeared, and where it was a huge hit. I kept noting gag lines that I was sure would have gotten a laugh with a New York theater audience. But humor that's hilarious on stage often falls flat on film or on the printed page. It's an interesting phenomenon. I don't quite understand it, although I have some feel for how to write this sort of thing.

Tales of adultery
And passionate cheaters,
Often run sultry,
But this one plays sweeter.