Editing Days of Wine and Roses (film) (section)

===Background===
JP Miller found his title in the 1896 poem "Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam" by the English writer [[Ernest Dowson]] (1867–1900):<ref>[http://www.curtainup.com/daysofwineandroses.html Loveridge, Charlotte]. ''Curtain Up,'' theater review, February 24, 1995.</ref> It also inspired the title song devised by [[Henry Mancini]] and [[Johnny Mercer]].
:They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,
:Love and desire and hate;
:I think they have no portion in us after
:We pass the gate.

:They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
:Out of a misty dream
:Our path emerges for a while, then closes
:Within a dream.

Johnny Mercer had also written the lyrics for the theme from ''[[Laura (1944 film)|Laura]]'', a 1944 film in which Dowson's poem is quoted in its entirety.

Miller's teleplay for ''Playhouse 90'', also titled ''[[Days of Wine and Roses (Playhouse 90)|Days of Wine and Roses]]'', had received favorable critical attention and was nominated for an [[Emmy Award]] in the category Best Writing of a Single Dramatic Program - One Hour or Longer. Manulis, a ''Playhouse 90'' producer, decided the material was ideal for a movie. Some critics observed that the movie lacked the impact of the original television production, which starred [[Cliff Robertson]] as Joe and [[Piper Laurie]] as Kirsten. In an article written for ''DVD Journal,'' critic [[D.K. Holm]] noted numerous changes that altered the original considerably when the material was filmed. He cites as an example the hiring of Jack Lemmon. With his participation "little remained of the founding teleplay, except for actor Charles Bickford reprising his role."<ref>[http://www.dvdjournal.com/quickreviews/d/daysofwineandroses.q.shtml Holm, D.K.] DVD Journal. Last accessed: December 25, 2007</ref>