They were showing clips The More the Merrier last night. It's one of his films I haven't seen, and I was cracking up. They showed the scene where she was explaining to Charles Coburn "At 8:01 I'll enter the bathroom. At 8:02 you'll start the coffee. At 8:06 you'll enter the bathroom."
I caught her on a park bench, making out with a *chaos* demon! Have you ever seen a chaos demon? They're all slime and antlers.
Spike ,'Sleeper'
Buffista Movies 5: Development Hell
A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
Aims - Dec 30, 2006 7:14:40 am PST #6686 of 10001
Shit's all sorts of different now.
Vonnie K - Dec 30, 2006 7:21:32 am PST #6687 of 10001
Kiss me, my girl, before I'm sick.
Heh. Poor beleaguered Jean Arthur and her schedules. I love to see her feathers ruffled. And her insufferable fiance and that tiny apartment!
They did a remake of it in the 60's with Cary Grant in the Charles Coburn role and set it during the Tokyo Olympics (it's called Walk, Don't Run I think.) It was quite charming, but not as effortlessly effervescent as The More The Merrier. I wonder whether TMTM is out on DVD? I really should own it.
Aims - Dec 30, 2006 7:23:53 am PST #6688 of 10001
Shit's all sorts of different now.
I'm going to delete my entire Amazon wish list and replace everything with nothing but George Stevens movies.
DavidS - Dec 30, 2006 7:51:52 am PST #6689 of 10001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Walk, Don't Run
The theme was covered for the Ventures first hit.
I love More the Merrier. Definitely one of my top ten screwball comedies.
Top Ten Sixteen Screwball Comedies
The Lady Eve (Babs + Sturges = genius)
Bringing Up Baby (pure giddiness)
Ball of Fire (Cool chicks and stiff guys! It's a formula)
Palm Beach Story (Claudette! Weenie King)
My Man Godfrey (Ahh, Wm. Powell. Carole Lombard)
The More the Merrier (Jean Arthur. Somebody should write a song about her...)
The Awful Truth (Cary and Irene)
My Favorite Wife (practically the same movie as the Awful Truth)
It Happened One Night
Philadelphia Story
Holiday
Vivacious Lady (George Stevens! Plus Ginger and Jimmy)
The Thin Man (which I'm counting as a screwball mystery)
To Be or Not To Be
Nothing Sacred (a Ple favorite)
sumi - Dec 30, 2006 8:22:43 am PST #6690 of 10001
Art Crawl!!!
I found "The More The Merrier" at Netflix!
My brother and his wife's first apartment together was a place that had been split into two places during the WWII housing shortage in Chicago. Or it was two places that were combined? Anyway, it had this weird parallel hall thing with two rooms that were bedrooms and two baths and it was like two single apartments that shared an entry.
Sophia Brooks - Dec 30, 2006 8:33:16 am PST #6691 of 10001
Cats to become a rabbit should gather immediately now here
I think I must remedy this never seeing of The More the merrier. It sounds lovely.
Also, The Awful Truth and My Favortite Wife, which are practically the same move, are probably two of my favorite movies ever. Which might explain why I also like Sweet Home Alabame, although, frankly, that would be more fun with wacky riding on motorcycle hijinks, a la The Awful Truth.
SailAweigh - Dec 30, 2006 8:52:32 am PST #6692 of 10001
Nana korobi, ya oki. (Fall down seven times, stand up eight.) ~Yuzuru Hanyu/Japanese proverb
I don't think I've seen Vivacious Lady, but I've seen all the rest. I think I'd add "I Was A Male Warbride" to the list, too. Who can resist Cary Grant in a skirt?
Scrappy - Dec 30, 2006 9:41:12 am PST #6693 of 10001
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
The More the Merrier is fabulous! McCrea is so sexy and understated and charming. And Jean Arthur is funny and sharp and also charming. Great script, too!
DavidS - Dec 30, 2006 10:14:09 am PST #6694 of 10001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
The More the Merrier is fabulous! McCrea is so sexy and understated and charming. And Jean Arthur is funny and sharp and also charming. Great script, too!
All this and more. Exceptionally charming. Watch and see how Lucille Ball copped many of her comic moves from Jean Arthur (something she's acknowledged in many interviews). Charles Coburn - totally cool and deserving of his supporting Oscar. Also, it's just a rare picture set in DC in the 40s that gives a sense of life lived at that time.
Also, for better or worse, I think this is the template for Buffy and Riley. They were really going for a Jean Arthur / Joel McCrea vibe with the tiny, tart, smart blonde and the big, lunk, ethical midwesterner.
Matt the Bruins fan - Dec 30, 2006 3:59:17 pm PST #6695 of 10001
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
Who can resist Cary Grant in a skirt?
We should ask Randolph Scott.