La modelo y la casamentera

The Model and the Marriage Broker was one of those delightful light comedies that Twentieth Century Fox (and Columbia) did so well in the early '50s. It was released here in Australia as a supporting feature. I saw it then and it's never been seen here since then, sadly, so I'm relying on memory. It's hard to imagine anyone else but Thelma Ritter as the matchmaker, Jeanne Crain was gorgeous and suitably aloof as the model, and Scott Brady was just right as the wolf. George Cukor's direction was flawless: handling sensitive issues without becoming mawkish or cruel, and totally un-self-conscious. It ranks equally with his 'The Marrying Kind' and slightly above his 'It Should Happen to You' (aka 'A Name For Herself'), both made with Judy Holliday at Columbia about the same time. I still remember the classic line delivered by Thelma (as only she could) when she tries to persuade a sad-sack male client to take an interest in the plain-Jane character played by Nancy Kulp: "She's a real live-wire - low voltage, but steady."

Thelma Ritter was a national treasure. She could combine humor and pathos, and the warmth beneath the crusty exterior was always in evidence. Her presence in any film was always one of the high points, but this one is totally hers; she probably has in it the most screen time of any film she was in and, but for the vagaries of Hollywood, should have been first-billed in the credits. She brings great compassion to the character of Mae, who has endured a great loss and as a result has found herself in a business whose goal is to help others.

Under Cukor's sensitive direction, a wonderful script is brought to life (and, in view of his purported concerns about his physical appearance, one wonders if the script's allusions to the lonely and less-than-beautiful people of the world had a particular resonance for him). Dennie Moore, who had played the saucy maid in Cukor's "Sylvia Scarlett" 16 years earlier, shows up and is again a delight.

George Cukor may well have directed more good movies than anyone else. Not to say that he was the greatest director of all time. Orson Welles was no slouch. Neither was Sam Fuller. But look at the list of movies Cukor directed and you will see an extraordinary oeuvre.

"The Model and the Marriage Broker" is one of the lesser known of his very good movies. It has beautiful shots of New York. The ensemble cast is uniformly superb. The story is appealing, thanks to Charles Brackett. And Thelma Ritter -- the great Thelma Ritter -- gets to play a title character! (She is the marriage broker -- two words and more letters -- rather than the model, of course.) She could light up a movie the same way Shirley Booth could. Some say she stole movies from others. Here that was not necessary, as she is the star. (Her best performance, for me, is still in "Pickup On South Street." But that is a supporting role.) Shirley Booth did so few. She must have been great on the stage. What a shame for posterity that she made only a handful of movies.

Ritter, however, made loads of them. And this is one of her best. It also is one of Cukor's best. Who could say which is his best? Probably there is no single best. I do feel he was generally better with black and white than in his color outings. And I have a particular fondness for "The Marrying Kind." But who knows? The Judy Holiday and Aldo Ray characters might originally have been brought together by the character Ms. Booth plays so beautifully in this story.

Middle-aged match-maker Thelma Ritter (as Mae Swasey) runs a bustling business in New York City, although many of her clients are not the most desirable marriage partners. Spinster-like Nancy Kulp (as Hazel Gingras) - who remained single throughout her run on the 1960s sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies" - is an especially tough sell. Hoping to fix her up with optometrist Zero Mostel (as George Wixted), Ms. Ritter arranges a party for her prospects. While making the rounds, Ritter mistakenly swaps purses with beautiful model Jeanne Crain (as Christina "Kitty" Bennett). Ritter discovers the model is dating a married man and advises Crain to break up the affair. Feeling motherly, Ritter wants to match Crain up with handsome X-ray technician Scott Brady (as Matt Hornbeck)...

By 1951, character actress Thelma Ritter had become enough of a star to draw audiences on her own. Debuting at age 45 in 1947, the mature actress was named top female new star of the year 1951 by "Quigley Publications" - the organization which continues to rank box office stars every year. Ritter never did become a constant leading woman, but her name in a cast was always enough to indicate a film was high quality. Here, she may not receive top billing, but she certainly is the leading player. The story seems tailor-made for Ritter, by writer-producer Charles Brackett and director George Cukor. It's not their best effort, but Ritter gets good personnel - and shows she can carry the picture. Since she always lent stars great support, it's nice to see Ritter get a good supporting cast.

****** The Model and the Marriage Broker (12/30/51) George Cukor ~ Thelma Ritter, Jeanne Crain, Scott Brady, Zero Mostel

"The Model and the Marriage Broker" is a great film find. It has one thing few films have - Thelma Ritter in the lead! In this, she plays a marriage broker trying - and often succeeding - at matching up misfits. When she takes a model's (Jeanne Crain) purse by mistake and vice versa, the two end up in each other's lives, with Ritter dissuading Crain from a relationship with a married man by getting her involved with an eligible bachelor (Scott Brady). Yes, believe it or not - even bald, fat character actor Scott Brady had his palmy days when he was considered a hunk. He was a slightly rougher version of Robert Wagner, in fact, and even had a fan club.

Thelma is fantastic as a woman with a sad past who tries to make the future of others happier. The film is wonderfully directed by George Cukor and written by Charles Brackett. It's one of those dozens of films churned out by the studio back then. Nowadays, when the studios churn them out, they're $20 million flops and not little gems like this one. Jeanne Crain is lovely and the rest of the cast ably supports the leads: Jay C. Flippen, Zero Mostel, Michael O'Shea, Frank Fontaine, Nancy Kulp, and John Alexander. One comment disliked the character played by Brady, but you can't judge men by the standards of today. Like it or don't, the character was pure '50s.

A delightful, heartwarming movie with a marvelous turn by Thelma, who no matter what part she had, was always a star.