Bringing Up Baby

[RKO Radio Studio, 1938]

Starring:
Katherine Hepburn
Cary Grant
Charlie Ruggles

average rating: ★★★★★
~
performance: ★★★★★
screenplay: ★★★★★
plot/storyline: ★★★★★
cinematography: ★★★
~
Comedy

Ohhhh, this has the be the funniest movie I've ever seen. It is so funny.

The story is about a very conservative young paleontologist named David Huxely (Grant), who is hoping for a certain wealthy old woman to donate her million dollar fortune to his museum, so he can finish his giant dinosaur fossil (a prop that looks to be made from cardboard bones...). In a series of misadventures, he meets a quick-tongued, scatterbrained young woman named Susan Vance (Hepburn), and chaos ensues. Though it seems like weeks, the two are only together for two days, in which hilarious things happen, such as Susan procuring a pet leopard named "Baby" from her brother. The title of the movie is generally stupid - they never "bring up" baby at all, but most of the plot revolves around the leopard and their problems with it. But the real point of the movie is that Susan immediately falls in love with David and when she finds that he is to be married to a strict young lady on Sunday, she goes out of her silly way to keep him by her side.

Despite the fact that this movie was made in '38, the acting is shockingly good. Both Grant and Hepburn are in roles they never had and never again stepped into (so far as I've seen). They were nothing like their stereotypical characters - the suave Grant and the intelligent Hepburn. They have really great chemistry and their acting was so natural, for example, at one point David was irritated with Susan and so he fakes choking her with his hands. You just never see such natural actions and gestures in old movies like that!

Anyway, if you ever get the insane urge to watch an old movie, don't pick up a Grace Kelly movie or, heaven forbid, an Alfred Hitchcock... go pick up "Bringing Up Baby." Or most things with Grant or K. Hepburn. :)

Send Me No Flowers

[1964]

Starring:
Rock Hudson
Doris Day
Tony Randall

average rating: ★★★★
~
performance: ★★★★
screenplay: ★★★★
plot/storyline: ★★★★
cinematography: ★★★★
~
Comedy

Life With Father

[1947]

Starring:
William Powell
Irene Dunn
Jimmy Lydon
Elizabeth Taylor

average rating: ★★★★★
~
performance: ★★★★★
screenplay: ★★★★★
plot/storyline: ★★★★★
cinematography: ★★★
~
Comedy

The Odd Couple

[1968]

Starring:
Walter Mattau
Jack Lemmon
Herb Edelman

average rating: ★★★★★
~
performance: ★★★★★
screenplay: ★★★★★
plot/storyline: ★★★★★
cinematography: ★★★★★
~
Comedy

Charade

[1963]

Starring:
Audrey Hepburn
Cary Grant
Walter Mattau

average rating: ★★★★
~
performance: ★★★
screenplay: ★★★★
plot/storyline: ★★★★
cinematography: ★★★★
~
Murder Mystery / Romance

Charade is a very silly movie, actually, though I'm sure that back in the 60's it was considered scary. When we first watched it, however, I do remember thinking that it had a good plot for the era, one that was genuinely unpredictable.

The story centers around a young woman named Regina Lambert (Hepburn) who's husband recently died, leaving her with three thugs on her tail, chasing her for a quarter of a million dollars that they think she simply must have. At first she seems to have a man named Peter Joshua (Grant) on her side, a man whom she falls in love with. But is he really Peter Joshua, and who's side is he really on? Meanwhile, a man from the American Embassy, Mr. Bartholomew (Mattau) claims that this quarter of a million dollars belongs to the government, though he is someone who seems to really be on her side.

Performances of Audrey and Cary are the same as they are in any of their other movies, but just as endearing. One of the best parts of the movie is when Cary Grant, after being coaxed to take a shower in Audrey's room, stubbornly and hilariously takes a shower in his full suit, claiming that it was a "drip-dry" suit and that the manufacturers recommended it to keep the suit in shape.

The movie is quick-paced and funny - definitely worth the watch.

[poster courtesy of moviegoods.com]

My Man Godfrey

[1936]

Starring:
William Powell
Carole Lombard
Gail Patrick

average rating: ★★★★★
~
performance: ★★★★★
screenplay: ★★★★★
plot/storyline: ★★★★★
cinematography: ★★★★
~
Screwball Comedy Romance

This movie was very entertaining. The plot was twisty-turny funny, the conversations were funny, the performances were good, the characters were funny - everything was funny!

The story generally made fun of the upperclass people, and so the main characters were an utterly insane upperclass family, the Bullocks. So, while indulging themselves as upperclass families do, the two Bullock sisters are on a race to collect things in a scavenger hunt going on at the Grand Hotel, or something. Their goal is to a find a "lost man," so naturally, where better to find a lost man than in the dumps?! They meet a hobo named Godfrey, who pushes the older sister Cornelia into a pile of ashes. And then a few moments later, warms to the younger sister and goes with her to the party to see how the upperclass play.

On a whim, Irene invites this scrubby homeless man to be their butler (asking him bluntly "can you buttle?"). And then Godfrey is introduced to the intense family, starting with the loud, oblivious Mrs. Bullock, to the loud but sane Mr. Bullock, to the cold, spoiled Cornelia and then to the scatterbrained, infatuated Irene. Infatuated with him. Godfrey, however, doesn't believe that they should have a relationship, considering the difference in their class... unless of course, there really is a difference...

It's really all quite the laugh.

How To Marry A Millionaire

[Twentieth Century Fox, 1953]

Starring:
Marilyn Monroe
Betty Grable
Lauren Bacall
William Powell
Rory Calhoun

average rating: ★★★
~
performance: ★★★
screenplay: ★★
plot/storyline: ★★★
cinematography: ★★
~
Marilyn Monroe!

Personally, I don't recall watching many, if any, Marilyn Monroe movies, so I was curious to see her in this film. To my surprise, Marilyn's performance is fun and endearing. She's pretty young, 28 years old, and already seems to have a good sense of comedy timing. In this film, Marilyn doesn't seem to have the starring role, but is supporting Betty and Lauren. Even still, Caroline and I enjoyed her performance.

This film is about three women (models) who have decided to intentionally seek and snag millionaires for husbands. Lauren's character was the ring-leader, instructing the other girls on the proper way to attract millionaire men, and above all, stay away from "gas jockeys."

Marilyn and Betty's characters were meant to be rather simple and silly. Marilyn's character, Pola, wore glasses and was "blind as a bat" without them. Since she considered wearing glasses as a horrible, unattractive thing, she always took them off around other people. So, Pola bumped into walls and doors, etc., it was pretty funny.

The movie had a predictable, funny ending that tied in with the beginning and middle, which was surprising, considering other films we've watched from the same era.