Someone recommended this to my husband. Problem is, he doesn't remember who : ) So we know somebody thought it worth seeing and put it on the list.
Specs:
1 1/2 hours; black and white.
Our family's average rating:
7.13
More about the film and our reaction to it:
The film has a bit of a slow start as we explore Grant's feeling hemmed-in in his New York apartment. Grant, a big time Madison Ave. ad man (a dozen years before Mad Men is set) is frustrated with his urban life and convinced that moving out into the country will address what ails him, his wife (lovely Myrna Loy) and their two daughters. They set about building the house that will be an escape from it all. Unfortunately, every financial deal he undertakes blows up in his face. It's the makings of a "city slick meets country stubborn" tale and it ends up being a pretty good one.
The film is different than other Cary Grant films we've seen in that its a bit slower, sweeter and domestic. It is great to experience Grant as the straight man while Melvin Douglas, who I had not really seen before, hams it up as the hilarious wise-cracking lawyer/best friend. Loy, too, is a joy in the film and the performances of these three lift the film out of what might otherwise have been just mildly amusing, into something worth spending the time with.
The kids really got a kick out of the construction scenes -- especially seeing the steam shovel that looked just like Marianne (from Mike Mulligan) digging the basement, carpenters using hand saws and hammers, the awesome guy who dug the well, the odd little closet upstairs that people kept getting locked inside, and on and on.
In terms of a history/learning moment, it depicts the earliest migration of the upper class out of cities and into larger tracts of land in the suburbs in search of that little slice of paradise and is interesting for that reason as well. All of this adds up to an excellent film for family viewing, though not necessarily amazing cinema.
Iconic shot:
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