Monday, October 29, 2012

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)



 
 








Cary Grant - Jim Blandings

Myrna Loy - Muriel Blandings

Melvyn Douglas - Bill Cole






After noticing that I had begun going through Myrna Loy's filmography, I was told by many that "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" was a "must see", entertaining and humorous film, so I was very excited to finally see it. I must make it clear that though I watched it after finding out Myrna was in the film, the extra UMPH...was Cary Grant.

I feel as though I've grown up with him in a way and to find a movie I hadn't seen was the cherry on the top. I have rarely seen a Cary Grant film on purpose but rather happened upon them only to become completely enamored by the man.



I watched "The Philadelphia Story" and "Bringing Up Baby" for Katharine Hepburn. 



I watched "That Touch of Mink" for Doris Day and Audrey Meadows. 



I watched "Father Goose" for Leslie Caron. 



However, I did watch "North By Northwest", "His Girl Friday" and "Arsenic and Old Lace" for Cary Grant. 


There are probably many more that I am missing but my point is this; though I watched all those movies for other reasons, I always ended up by the end completely amazed by Cary Grant and his simple, though sometimes obnoxious, comedic style. Oh, and because he's beautiful! (Objectification is bad, people. It's only allowed when talking about Cary Grant.) 

So here I am, once again, happening upon a movie for the purpose of seeing another brilliant and funny Myrna Loy performance (and believe me when I say she didn't disappoint) but yet again, I end on the fact that Cary Grant is simply comedic and obnoxiously beautiful.


Here's What I Know:


*cue crickets* 

I didn't know anything about this film, which was such a wonderful thing to experience. I did had the opportunity I was snooping to see a video of one scene on youtube. And much like a good trailer ought to be, it was enough to reel vintage me in with interest, but not enough to give anything away. 


I could probably go on and explain details about Cary Grant and how his family were acrobats in the circus. This is apparent in his physical comedy, particularly in "Holiday" with Katharine Hepburn (I knew there was another movie I didn't mention). The picture below is from that film and basically sums up my point.





I'm not trying to lure you into thinking that Mr. Grant is doing anything like this in "Blandings" 
but it does allow you to understand his ability for comedy; it's quirky and theatrical.



Hmmmm....what to say about Myrna and her comedy prowess? 



Well, this movie was delightful to watch after seeing "The Thin Man" series and her other comedic films. I knew that it would be funny and with her involved, it implied that it would also be intelligent and comically subdued. Myrna Loy's comedic delivery is something that, without being able to describe it very well, makes me laugh out loud but it's so subtle sometimes that if you're not paying attention you can miss it. So how do I describe this? 


For my old movie and TV fans, she seems to be a cross between Gracie Allen and Virginia O'Brien. Myrna's subtle delivery is matter-of-fact and under-the-radar sometimes that you don't realize it's funny until it's past and it makes you laugh out loud; ultimately missing the next line. Gracie Allen, would often say things so matter-of-fact that when you'd really think about it, you'd realize she was right (or absurd) and really funny! For instance, if someone offered Gracie to "take a chair", as in sit down, she would respond very plain and innocent with, "No thanks! We have plenty of chairs at home." Her delivery is such that it never makes the other person feel as though they're stupid even though she's ultimately thinking, "Well! Why would he think we didn't have chairs!?"



That's how Myrna did it in many ways, but she would often deliver it with a stoic Virginia O'Brien face that it could sometimes lead you to miss it. This is why I have enjoyed her movies so much because she's just a hoot and because you catch the joke later, it's like enjoying it twice.



Things That Stood Out: 

I feel like much of what stood out was the humor and delivery but I will try and dive in more. A quick summary of the story line: 

**Cary and Myrna are married with two girls and live in a small apartment in New York. After Myrna makes suggestions for making the apartment more "cozy" or livable, Cary thinks that it's too much money and disagrees. He then sees an ad in a magazine for Connecticut and decide they should move. He feels it's an ideal place to live and he and Myrna begin looking for a house. Of course, the house they buy leaves much to be desired that instead of fixing it up, they are suggested to "tear it down" and start again. This leads to grand ideas of a dream home (see where they got the title) but with no consideration for rules, regulations or even common sense. With roadblocks and hiccups along the way, they finally build their dream home. (This is where a swell of string instruments would play something magical with a picture of a dream house. Maybe I think that because that's how it ends. haha)**
The opening scene is brilliant. I know brilliant is a word that is overused, thus reducing whatever is being described as anything BUT brilliant however, in this case, it's true. 

We wake up with the Blandings, only to find that their apartment is much too small. I don't know for certain, but I feel confident in saying that the first 5 minutes of the film is without dialogue. There is one line here and one line there but for the most part, it's as though you could transfer it all to a silent film. The way you discover just how small the apartment is and how they've grown used to it is....well.....brilliant. There's a moment where you discover the closet is so small, and obviously shared by Mr. AND Mrs. that he accidentally grabs HER robe while one hand is holding the boxes on the shelf above so they don't fall to the ground. It's obvious they are being held up by the closet door when it is closed. 

There is also a hilarious moment where, as you see Cary down the hall from his room, you will still see Myrna in bed sitting with her head tucked to her chin. Mrs. Blandings is obviously not a morning person until she gets her coffee, which he knows to bring to her in bed. This has nothing to do with the size of the apartment but it was something I noticed immediately and actually skipped back to see it a second time so I could laugh again.

There's also a clever scene where they are both getting ready in the morning and we are shown just how little space they have to share in the bathroom. Of course, we blame this on the tiny apartment, but the true punchline is about 45 minutes later, when the same thing happens in their new big house. Obviously the size of your home has nothing to do with this problem. I'm literally laughing just thinking about it! This movie might be proof that all couples should have separate sinks and mirrors. 



There are so many funny gags and exchanges but I don't want to get too long-winded or give anything away. I will say that for the reviews I read, many said this would be a great film to show anyone buying or building a house how NOT to do it. When you get professional ideas or suggestions, listen to them! It's not a weakness to ask for help or clarification. 


Now Was That Necessary?:


I do have one point of contention regarding a subplot. You'd think that the process of moving and building a home would be confusing and stressful enough but for some reason, they decided to add a question of infidelity on the part of Muriel (Myrna) and their family friend Bill (Melvyn). Of course this is entirely dreamt up on the part of Jim (Cary) and even though it's false, to me it seems completely unnecessary to have it at all. It seems to only muddle up a perfectly good movie.


I will try and explain my reasoning without giving anything away. That's actually a funny point because the subplot seems so ridiculous to the story that I couldn't give anything away. I should be singing to myself, "One of these things is not like the other. One of these things just isn't the same."


First of all, it is a stretch for me to think Myrna Loy would be unfaithful to none other than Cary Grant. I know I've explained this before but Myrna Loy's reputation was "The Perfect Wife" in Hollywood due to her playing that kind of role so many times. So, imagine audiences at that time with that in the back of their head, thinking it's ridiculous to imagine her as being unfaithful. Also, there is nothing to truly warrant such suspicion but for some reason simple things become suddenly suspicious to Cary.



An example from the dialogue:

Jim: What's with this kissing all of a sudden? I don't like it. Every time he goes out of this house, he shakes my hand and and kisses you.

Muriel: Would you prefer it the other way around?


I must explain that the kiss Bill gives Muriel is on the cheek, a very common greeting or goodbye for so many old films. That might be why I'm confused. Also, because Bill continues to kiss Muriel on the cheek when he leaves and it is never a problem with Jim again.




Second of all, the idea of infidelity that Cary Grant dreams up is something that is brought up within the cracks of the story. Instead of holding the story together, it seems to confuse it. It's something that is brought up and dismissed so many times that it seems redundant and pointless to keep bringing up. Every time they, or Cary rather, move beyond the suspicion; they apologize and it seems that it is all over until it's brought up AGAIN! It's something that seemed to make sense the first time but once it's been regarded as not a worry the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th times just ware on me.


I feel this subplot is probably interjected in to add comedy but it instead falls short and disrupts the pace of the film.



There's my two cents.



However, There Were Many Favorite Parts:

Well the opening scene definitely stands out for me, the bathroom scenes, and a particular scene falling back on the humor that men never ask for directions or accept they don't know the way. In that particular scene, Myrna says the correct directions twice, but is ignored. Of course third times a charm and well...who'da thunk?.....she was right! 


Here's a picture from that scene with the three main stars!



Another scene is when Cary is asked a question by a construction worker/builder about a certain detail. The length of the silence that follows paired with his dimwitted facial expression made me bust out! I can see it now! HAHA He obviously does not understand the question and almost seems to forget he needs to respond.

There's also a scene where both Mr. and Mrs. interject their ideas of rooms and extras for the house and when you later see the blueprints there are scribbles everywhere you can barely tell where the real plans had been.

Below is the scene I had watched before viewing the entire movie, the one I snooped for on youtube. It's not a real trailer rather than just a scene from the film. The more I've watched this scene the more I find it funny! It is a great example of how men and women can see things differently, even when it comes to something as simple as paint colors.





My favorite detail from that scene is when Myrna grabs the paper sample off the wall and doesn't just point to the color she wants, but glides the paper in the air to find the light to better show off the dot. It's a subtle gesture that shows her natural acting impulses. I also love how she stresses the word "awful". The way her voice seems to take on a raspy tone quality for some reason gives me a comfortable feeling. I seem to remember a few occasions where my Grandmother made that same sound on certain words so that must be why. :)

I recommend you to watch the film; it's well worth the 90 minutes.

I hope when you watch the film, you'll remember the parts I pointed out and enjoy them as much as I did. If you laugh out loud, let me know in the comments or if you're like me, and immediately add it to your Amazon cart, let me know just the same.

Happy watching and I dare you NOT to fall in love with Cary Grant.

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