Por el amor de Mary

It must be reasons like FOR THE LOVE OF MARY that had Deanna packing her duds and leaving Hollywood for good. Seems that Universal was unable to offer her the kind of scripts she wanted which would offer her more substantial roles than this attempt at light-hearted screwball comedy that never once flies into orbit.

The trouble, aside from some pedestrian direction by Frederick de Cordova and some unimpressive sets and costumes, is that the script is a muddled mess with a plot outline that almost defies description, it's so complicated. Naturally, within the bounds of screwball comedy, all the complications are supposed to make the story hilariously funny--but fail to do so, mainly because it's banal material lacking any real wit or wisdom.

Deanna is a Washington miss who has connections well above those of the average switchboard operator, including Supreme Court judges and even the President who happens to listen in on one of her conversations and decides to meddle in her affairs in choosing the right man for a woman being chased by three men.

DEANNA DURBIN sings some four or five songs nicely in her own lovely soprano voice but it's enough to try anyone's patience if they're waiting to hear her sing when the story is so pedestrian. JEFFREY LYNN as a lawyer suitor, EDMOND O'BRIEN as the eventual swain, and DON TAYLOR as one of the unlucky ones, are simply foils for Durbin with no depth to their roles. RAY COLLINS and HARRY DAVENPORT do what they can in lively supporting roles, but nothing really helps.

Too bad for Durbin fans. She was still fetching to look at and used her voice beautifully but the material is fluff, nothing more, and certainly unworthy of her talents. No wonder she had enough.

This is one of the last of Deanna Durbin's movies, and as I knew that by this time she was on the point of leaving the film industry I hesitated to watch it: I just did not expect much, as I assumed it would be evident that Durbin was at this point pretty much fed up with acting. What a mistake. This an intelligent comedy with a surprising ending and a very good cast. Durbin in particular is in top form; her comic timing is impeccable. For me, the high point is her rendition of a piece from the Barber of Seville that is intended for a baritone. She sings this with great good humour (and with a moustache) - it is an absolute lark; you are just left smiling and wishing it would go on. It is an eternal pity that Durbin stopped making films. Had she been around in the 1950s and -60s, Doris Day (almost exactly her age) would have had a much harder time establishing herself as the leading singing comedienne.

What a way to go! "For The Love of Mary" was Deanna Durbin's swansong. She proves what a charming, sparkling entertainer she was in her role as Mary Peppertree, a White House operator. This film (in it's acting, casting of veteran character actors, such as Harry Davenport and Louise Beavers, and it's lyrical though swift pacing) really marks the end of romantic comedy as practiced by the practitioners of screwball comedy. Romantic comedies would never again be this light, unpretentious, and wholesome, in my opinion.

Deanna Durbin shines as a comedic actress in this film as she never did as an adult performer because she never had a comedy script as bright and as fresh as this one. The chemistry between her and Edmond O'Brien is strong and sexy. This is one of the few romantic comedies to believably transport one to an idyllic world in which everyone can be lighthearted and in love with life if one were only in the right place and with the right kind of people.

"For The Love of Mary" deserves far more widespread viewing and critical praise than it currently has. It is great that it is now on video for all to appreciate.

This is a charming and surprising comedy well worthy of comparison with films like "My Man Godfrey," "Theodora Goes Wild," and "Ball of Fire." Deanna Durbin is delightful as Mary Peppertree, a former switchboard operator for the U. S. Supreme Court, who quits her job due to a bump in the road of her romance with a young lawyer (Jeffrey Lynn), and moves to a job as a switchboard operator at the White House.

Complications ensue when a goofy but lovable ichthyologist (Don Taylor) keeps calling the switchboard to speak to the President, and Mary gets involved in helping him. However, complexities redouble when she accidentally cuts the President's line in on a call she is taking about her inability to attend the birthday party of her old friend Justice Peabody (Harry Davenport, at his most twinkly judicial self). The president (who is never seen or heard throughout the entire film) tries to help Mary out by assigning her a Navy Lieutenant escort (Edmond O'Brien) to the party.

In short order all three men are courting her, and the President's personal secretary (Ray Collins, best known as Lt. Tragg in "Perry Mason") is enrolled to play cupid at the unseen Chief Executive's command.

Meanwhile a subplot revolves around a jovial immigrant restaurateur from Vienna (Hugo Haas) whom the Supreme Court Justices are coaching so that he can pass his American citizenship test.

The supporting cast is chock full of the best character actors of the 1940s and 1950s, including Louise Beavers ("Imitation of Life," "Beulah") as the cook in Haas's restaurant who fixes up the chopped chicken liver and marinated herring; and Morris Ankrum (a recurrent judge on "Perry Mason") as a Navy Admiral The small-part players work beautifully together as a warm-hearted ensemble cast.

Not only is this a romantic comedy, it is also a musical, with Deanna Durbin in fine voice and, for a couple of numbers. Accompanied by the assembled justices of the Supreme Court, who sing old, sweet songs in quartet harmony while Harry Davenport accompanies them on accordion.

The best musical number of all, however is Durbin's soprano rendition of "Largo al factotum" (a.k.a. "Figaro") from Rossini's opera "The Barber of Seville" -- what a surprise! -- and just as surprising is how well it fits into the storyline, because like "The Barber of Seville," this is a comedy of missed connections and thwarted romance, in which those with access to the powerful can pull the strings to make everything come out exactly right in the end.

I loved this movie and am only sad that it took me until i was 76 years old to see it!

After seeing one of Deanna Durbin's movies on tv I decided to buy a video and chose this one for a start. As I love music anyways, you can't go wrong with any selection of hers, such a lovely singing voice, she does credit to any song. The story is well acted by each, and it has a quick wit with an interesting twist at the end. Also it's nice to see Harry Davenport in a film I hadn't seen before; he's been a reliable staple in many good movies of that era. It's entertaining and leaves you with a happy feeling after. We need not take life so seriously because after all it can be lighthearted and cheerful too. This film proves it.