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DVD I Was a Male War Bride
This laugh-a-minute farce takes place in Occupied Germany, in the years following World War II. French officer Henri Rochard (Cary Grant) gets assigned to pair up with Lt. Catherine Gates (Ann Sheridan) to track down black marketers; they're already well acquainted and can't stand each other's presence. Eventually their antagonism turns to love, however, and they marry. Problem number two: navigating through U.S. Army red tape, which necessitates that Rochard be classified as a war bride and cross-dress to gain entry into the States. Grant makes an even less convincing woman than he does a Frenchman. The alternate title of this movie was You Can't Sleep Here, a phrase Grant hears over and over as he sleeps in all manner of horribly awkward and uncomfortable circumstances. Sheridan is utterly charming, and the many gags are a reminder of Grant's gifts for physical comedy. The film harks back to the screwball comedies of the '30s, only with a somewhat more leisurely pace. Sample lines, with Grant being handed a soggy infant: "Oh, how cute! What is it?" "It's a human fire extinguisher. Want to hold it?" "What's its name?" "Niagara!" --Jerry Renshaw
To begin, I am not a big fan of Cary Grant, EXCEPT in his Hitchcock movies, where he was excellent. And I enjoy him much with Katharine Hepburn in Bringing Up Baby. He was very good in The Eagle and the Hawk with Fredric March. He was tolerable in The Philadelphia Story and Talk of the Town. A friend of mine loaned me this DVD; she just bought it. I had wanted to see what Cary would do in this film, and I wanted to see him in the dress. From the start, the movie was SLOW and BORING, all the jokes were so lame and not at all funny. I also don't go for films where the man and woman yell at each other and dislike each other, and then at some point realize it is really love they feel for each other. Come on! I just can't understand that sort of romance situation. I felt Cary showed that "mean streak" he can show in some of his films, in the romance situation of this story. I rate this one star because it was one of those films you get bored with right from the beginning and it is sort of torture waiting for it to finally end. All the while I kept saying, "Let's move along, let's end this thing, when does he put on the dress?..." but they dragged it out on and on and on and on with boring,corny jokes. And the part we wanted to see, Cary in the dress, was at the VERY end and not very much at that. Overall, this film was a real disappointment and letdown. The only consolation was that I saw it for free; I didn't have to buy it or rent it. Still, I wasted good time that I could have used in a more profitable and enjoyable way. I would even have enjoyed washing a kitchen full of dirty dishes more than watching this movie! To sum it up, a VERY VERY BORING and DUMB movie, not to waste your time on.
Mr. and Mrs? Or Is It Mrs. and Mrs?
For those that appreciate well written marital comedies a good old fashioned laugh feast is guaranteed in Howard Hawk's delightful farce set in post war Europe, "I Was a Male War Bride". The film's main claim to fame of course is the sight of Cary Grant attired in full female army uniform trying to make his way to America with his new wife, however it also has much else to offer in the determined battle of the sexes that goes on between the two antagonists Cary Grant and the always delightful Ann Sheridan. Grant was always superb when playing these types of disgruntled male lead roles where he often found himself being put through the emotional ringer by a woman who generally has the upper hand on him. In this funny story the woman in question played by Ann Sheridan enjoys a long standing love/hate relationship with his character that while filled with verbal insults and slights, hides underneath a real love just waiting to come to the surface. This film also very amusingly chronicles the discomforts and frustration that went into a lot of wartime marriages where army red tape and procedures often seemed intent upon nothing else but hindering the course of true love. This story treats all of those frustrations in a light hearted and at times highly amusing manner which is sure to amuse and indeed surprise some die hard Cary Grant fans.
Based upon a story by the real Henri Rochard, Cary Grant plays the french Officer who is part of the occuping forces in postwar Germany who are responsible for getting the country back to it's proper operation. He has a real love /hate working relationship with American WAC Lt. Catherine Gates (Ann Sheridan in one of her best roles)who he has had a number of assignments with in the past. Catherine's breezy manner and her ability to always manage to get Henri's goat so to speak, in any dealings they have with each other guarantees that the two always have an explosive relationship with each. From their previous collaborations together Henri always finds himself coming out of these encounters the worst for wear as in the example of his recent brush with the wise cracking Lt. where his private parts took on a strange colour thanks to a vat of blue dye he was dumped into all in the name of duty! However on their latest mission in post war Germany where they are reluctantly teamed together to track down a black market ring Henri and Catherine find that their previous antagonism towards each other begins to turn into the not unexpected love that both have been denying for so long. The journey to where the assignment is involves them in a wacky cross country motorcycle ride that sees them almost go over a waterfall, almost get drowned in a sudden down pour and which has henri spending th enight locke din Catherine's hotel room when the door handle breaks off. Along the way of course the verbal insults continue in particular when Henri himself is mistaken for one of the black mailers and Catherine has to get him out of jail. matters are not help also when Henri's ego is further deflated when Catherine with use of an army contact is able to track down the gentlemen they were seeking with little effort. A collision with a haystack however is the catalyst that finally brings the pairs deep feelings for each other to the surface and in among the straw Henri proposes marriage. However if the pair thought that their courtship was rocky they are not prepared for all the problems they have in their quest to get married. After having to go through three officical ceremonies to make their union legal they find that when Catherine is suddenly informed that her detachment is being sent home to the United states that there is no place for Henri as her "husband", on the army ship home. To achieve their desire to get to the United States they find it is necessary to have Henri classified as a "war bride", to ensure he is granted passage home. The final journey to the boat to sail to the US however id filled with frustrations for Henri as he is seperated from Catherine on their Wedding Night and goes through a succession of temporary accomodations that have not place for a "Male War Bride", which is the strange classification that he finds himself having to travel under. After a number of sleepless nights when they finally do get to the boat Catherine and Henri find the US Navy now barring their one chance to sail together as husband and wife because of Henri's confusing "status". It is only by Catherine's quick thinking in dressing the long sufering Henri up as a women and getting him aboard that way that the couple finally are able to set sail for America and actually spend the night and as it turns out the whole journey alone together in a small room where even the navy's red tape can't get at them.
"I Was a Male War Bride", is a delightful comedy outing that the viewer could almost see the likes of William Powell and Myrna Loy doing during th e1930's. Never for one moment does Cary Grant look convincing as a WAC but that is half the fun of the proceedings and he handles this part and all the crazy situations he is thrown into with relish. He and Ann Sheridan have a delightful chemistry on screen together and make a very believable and highly amusing bickering couple who just can't help but fall in love. Ann Sheridan once again here proves herself to be a most capable comedianne and I've always felt that her wartime nickname of the "Omph Girl", tended to sell her abilities in other areas far too short. One of the best running jokes throughout the whole film is the precarious situations that Cary Grant often finds himself having to try and sleep under and the films original title of "You Can't Sleep Here!", really sums up his frustrations. from a bath tub to a hard chair to a bunk in a mess hall, all manner of sleeping arrangements are waht he is reduced to taking with the reaccuring joke of what to do with his hands in these situations also raising many laughs. The pace at times changes from rapid fire verbal exchanges between the warring couple, typical of the directing style of the legendary Howard Hawks, to quite leisurely interludes through the proceedings which allow the characters to develop more fully. One of the great benefits of "I Was a Male War Bride", is the fact that it was filmed on location in Europe in late 1948 so that many scenes show war wreckage and burnt out buildings still in place which gives the story a very believable atmosphere and not the appearance of just another Hollywood Backlot adventure.
In 1949 long before the era of such films as "Some Like It Hot", the sight of one of Hollywood's greatest romantic leading men dressed as a WAC was undoubtedly quite a startling thing. Cary Grant's stint in female attire is the visual image for which this film will always be remembered however it is an enjoyable farce all the way through with two shining performances, combined with rapid fire direction and great dialogue guarenteed to make you laugh. Spend some time soon with this wonderful comedy courtesy of Howard Hawks, it shows another image of Cary Grant perhaps not so well know to audiences and the lovely Ann Sheridan at her acting peak. Enjoy!
Some Like It Cool
This is a cool, quiet comedy that floats just below the radar of what we ordinarily consider comedy to be (actually, this is very similar to the British Ealing comedies of the same era). Cary is a master of subtle comedy. He can say more with a straight face than anyone since Buster Keaton, and he is perfectly cast with Ann Sheridan here, who matches Cary's every nuance of subtlety and intelligence. The movie deftly skewers that oxymoron we all know and loathe: "military intelligence". There are some priceless lines throughout, like the Permission To Immigrate To The US form that Cary must sign, which asks hilariously inane questions like "name your father's gender". The military is so shortsighted and inflexible, poor Cary ultimately has no choice if he wants to get into the US - he not only has to lie about his identity, but his gender as well. I first saw this movie some twenty-plus years ago and was amazed at how ahead of its time it was in terms of being a `gender-bender' comedy. I was also amazed that it had never been as popular as some of the other comedies of the period (the French caught on early, and they still embrace this film as one of Hawks' best). It has gradually been discovered and embraced by newer audiences, and it's about time. It's not as wild or raucous as say, "Some Like it Hot", but it covers as much distance. And I don't care what anybody says, Cary does have sexy gams! [hubba! hubba!]
After winning consecutive best director Oscars (for A Letter to Three Wives and All About Eve), Joseph Mankiewicz turned his attention to this extremely curious social comedy. Cary Grant plays a famous, idealistic gynecologist whose mysterious past is questioned by a vindictive colleague (Hume Cronyn). Meanwhile, the doctor falls for a pregnant patient (Jeanne Crain), whose unmarried status is daring for a movie of 1951 vintage. The title is an all-too-apt description of Mankiewicz's chatty style, but it also carries sinister echoes of the McCarthy era--specifically, an attempted right-wing purge of the Director's Guild, I which Mankiewicz was the main target. This subtext lends interest beyond the movie's rather tame romance. The Grant character, named Doctor Praetorius (no... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Cary Grant - Jeanne Crain Director(s): Joseph L. Mankiewicz DVD Release Date: Released the 06 January 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Cary Grant plays an absent-minded scientist working on a youth serum with little success. One afternoon, one of his test monkeys gets loose and works up a formula of its own, which then gets dropped into their water cooler. Shortly, Grant is tooling around in a sports car with his boss's voluptuous secretary (Marilyn Monroe). When his wife (Ginger Rogers) investigates, she too gets a dose and drags Grant off for a second honeymoon of all-night dancing. Meanwhile, Grant's elderly boss (Charles Coburn) is eager to get his hands on the formula--only Grant's formula isn't having the proper effect. Monkey Business is probably most familiar to Marilyn Monroe cultists, but it's Grant and Rogers who have the central roles and make the most of them. Rogers's adolescent emotional meltdown... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Cary Grant - Ginger Rogers - Marilyn Monroe Director(s): Howard Hawks DVD Release Date: Released the 14 May 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A classic screwball comedy with a supernatural twist, Topper stars the incomparable Cary Grant and sparkling Constance Bennett as George and Marion Kirby, a fun-loving couple who cap an evening of jazz and champagne by running their car into a tree. They return as ghosts with a mandate to liven up the straight-laced hen-pecked life of bank president Cosmo Topper (Roland Young), who's hungry for just such a shake-up. Before long he's boozing, dancing, and getting into fights, all of which gives him a rakish reputation--much to the consternation of his wife (Billie Burke, best known as Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz). The sequel replaces Grant and Bennett with Joan Blondell, who can't quite compare, but she's charming in her own way. Topper Returns... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Constance Bennett - Cary Grant - Roland Young Director(s): Norman Z. McLeod DVD Release Date: Released the 17 June 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The Front Page, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's classic 1928 newspaper play, has had three official film versions and contributed structural DNA to half the movies ever made about professional camaraderie and fierce love-hate friendships. Lewis Milestone's 1931 movie is well respected (Billy Wilder's 1974 version isn't), but this is one case where the remake towers brilliantined head and blocked shoulders above the original.
Howard Hawks had the inspired notion of making Hildy Johnson--the ace newsman whom demonic editor Walter Burns is trying to keep from quitting and getting married--a she instead of a he. What's more, she's not only Walter's star reporter but also his ex-wife. When Hildy (Rosalind Russell) comes to tell Walter (Cary Grant) she's leaving the newspaper... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Cary Grant - Rosalind Russell Director(s): Howard Hawks DVD Release Date: Released the 01 October 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Greatest movie star ever? How can you argue against Cary Grant, the graceful clown, the ironic romantic? Equally at home in an Alfred Hitchcock suspense piece or a Howard Hawks screwball comedy, the superb Mr. Grant (born Archie Leach) could handle just about anything. And it's a testament to his appeal that this boxed set, which contains not a single great movie, is nevertheless an entertaining catalog of Grant's splendid run during the 1940s.
The earliest picture, and a sheer delight, is 1940's My Favorite Wife, one of Grant's blissful pairings with the wonderful Irene Dunne. He's about to remarry when his first wife washes up again after having been lost on a desert island (with he-man Randolph Scott) for seven years. Destination Tokyo is a WWII submarine picture,... More Info about this DVD Director(s): H.C. Potter - Delmer Daves - Irving Reis DVD Release Date: Released the 01 June 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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