Thursday, February 14, 2013

Old Dude, Old Movies - "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer"

(side note: I ran some errands earlier. Last stop was a grocery store. Browsing through some aisles, I ran across a boxed dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts. It's been months since I've had any. Months! I don't mind telling you the love I feel for Krispy Kremes is real and lasting.)

This 1947 release stars Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and a teenaged Shirley Temple. For those who like screwball comedies, this is a gem.

I can imagine the hatred lots of guys had for Cary Grant back in the day. Admittedly, he was good-looking. Pair that with his genius comedic timing, and most regular guys had no chance if their girls wanted a guy like Grant. He does a stellar job in this movie. I don't think you'd see many of today's movie heartthrobs putting their images at risk playing such broad comedic roles.

Anybody who knows about my love of classic film knows I love, love Loy's work. Here, she is radiant, classy, alluring and patient.

Temple was around 19 when this movie was released. This isn't any "Good Ship Lollipop" Shirley Temple. This is an actress who is quite believable as a precocious teen who talks a game far ahead of her actual maturity. Teens today do similar, with often disastrous consequences (whoops, rant over).

Anyway, Grant's character (an artist) is either a) a guy around whom goofy interpersonal interactions happen, or b) a guy who is the catalyst for goofy interpersonal interactions. He gets hauled into court, where Loy's character is the presiding judge. After his legal proceedings are done and he leaves the courtroom, he's off to speak at Temple's high school on the merits of a career in art. Temple's character develops a crush on the suave artist. She tries to impress him by affecting an air of precocious maturity. He sees right through it, but humors her for a while.

Temple's character is the younger sister of the same judge the artist left nonplussed. When the judge finds out the identity of her kid sister's latest crush, the elder sister decides to teach both a lesson. As most comedies in that era, one misunderstanding leads to another. Hijinks ensue.

Two scenes stood out for me. First, at a community picnic, Grant shows his physical comedy chops, all but winking to the camera at the incongruity of one his maturity bouncing around like a male half his age.

The second scene is towards the end of the movie, set in a fancy restaurant, as Grant and Loy are starting to warm to the idea of becoming a couple. They are joined at their table by a sequence of friends, family, etc., with various emotions spilling out all over the group. Grant's ability to transition to straight man surrounded by chaos is smooth and impressive.

Also, look for Gregory Gay, who plays the Maitre d'Hotel. In '42, he portrayed the German banker Rick Blaine rejected  in "Casablanca" ("...If you think I'm going to be kept out of a saloon like this...").

Furthermore, look for veteran character actor Ray Collins, the same guy who played Lt. Tragg in the Raymond Burr-led  "Perry Mason" TV series. He also had a credited role in "Citizen Kane", among other roles.

I'd ignored this movie before, but watching it Wednesday gave me a new appreciation. It's put together quite well, and will leave you laughing out loud.

This is a keeper. Check it out. "Hey, you remind me of a man..."

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