Monsieur Belvédère fait sa cure

Whilst not having the sudden shock of his appearance as a male "maid" and babysitter in "Sitting Pretty", this third Belvedere film lets Clifton Webb loose on both our laughing equipment and our heartstrings quite wonderfully.

The Belvedere movies are not conceived in the same way, which is refreshing. This one has all the hubris and conceit we take merrily on board from Webb, channelled alarmingly into something like a messianic mission to an old folk's home. Reference to the character's history in "Sitting Pretty" is made at one point, just as it is in "Mr Belvedere goes to College" so the effect is of Clifton Webb popping up randomly on screen like a mushroom under a damp tree - indeed he is first seen silhouetted from behind on a park bench in this film. One wonders how Belvedere floated along, spore-like, from one movie to the next - what did he do in the meantime? Zero Mostel lends very endearing support but must bow to Webb's leading role and, of course, the elderly character actors are all entertainingly and effortlessly used to best effect.

Touching and funny in a (thirdly) different way from the other Belvederes.

Mr. Belvedere teaches the proprietor and residents of a senior citizens' home the power of positive thinking. The ensemble cast of seniors is superb. They are believable and never mawkish. Joanne Dru, who works for the (presumably Episcopal) priest in charge is very generic. It's a standard pretty, understanding, relatively helpful woman role of its time. But a pretty girl was doubtless deemed necessary for putting this across financially.

The residents make us sad when they are gloomy. And when they're happy, we smile. Doro Merande is especially charming -- to me, at least. She reminds me a great deal of my paternal grandmother.

Zero Mostel's comic talents are essentially wasted as Mr. Belvedere's agent. But he's always a pleasure to see. And Webb does very well. He's acerbic but somewhat less grating than in "Mr. Belvedere Goes To College." This was an extremely forward-looking approach to old age for 1951. It doesn't seem at all dated.

The fact that Clifton Webb is posing as another character and they call him by that name throughout the entire picture makes him less Lynn Belvedere and more something (someone) else. I understand that the character is working undercover, but I think this is because they had used a stage play as the basis for this film, and in the play, the character is not Belvedere.

What I do like about this last sequel in the series is that it once again proves Mr. Webb is the best fish-out-of-water in movies. You can put him into any situation with any assortment of odd characters, and he stands out spectacularly. There were hundreds of other situations they could have thrown him into, and when you think about it, the Belvedere franchise could have gone on as long as Blondie.

This last Belvedere film that Clifton Webb did is the answer to an interesting trivia question which is what role was played by both Jose Ferrer and Clifton Webb. No, that does not mean that Ferrer ever played the part of Belvedere.

Mr. Belvedere Rings The Bell is an adaption of a recent Broadway play, The Silver Whistle which Jose Ferrer starred in on Broadway for 219 performances during the 1948-49 season. Ferrer finds a birth certificate of a man who would have been 77 years old and through this gains entrance to a senior citizen home run by a church. He brings quite a bit of change to their lives while there.

Darryl F. Zanuck bought this for 20th Century Fox and adapted it to fit Mr. Belvedere. But instead of looking for some real lodging, Clifton Webb is doing this as a kind of sociological experiment, to test some theories he's written in a new bestseller about staying young. Webb interrupts his book tour much to the chagrin of Zero Mostel who is his agent and has some really good scenes in this film.

Frances Brandt, William Lynn, Kathleen Comegys, and Doro Merande all repeated their roles from Broadway as the senior citizen residents of this home. Hugh Marlowe and Joanne Dru play the reverend and the social worker who run the home and whom Webb helps to make realize they have more in common than the home.

One thing I will have to say that is completely ludicrous though. Clifton Webb was 62 when he made the film and looked it. The film says that he is 46 and trying to pass himself off to the seniors as a man who looks and feels young because of his way of living and looking at life with some ancient Tibetan medicine. That was just completely ridiculous and I think Clifton Webb knew it. Maybe that was why there were no more Belvedere films for him.

Still Webb left us with a priceless character on the screen for which he is most remembered and we can be grateful for the three films we do have.

Acclaimed writer "Lynn Belvedere" (Clifton Webb) is on a lecture tour to support his latest book, when he alights on an home for elderly people. It's administered by "Rev. Watson" (Hugh Marlowe) with the help of "Harriet" (Joanne Dru) and populated by a curious collection of elderly individuals with varying degrees of neuroses and quirks. "Belvedere" decides that he is going to demonstrate to each of them, as well as to the obviously affectionate but don't know it yet pair running the place, that a lot of their ailments, worries and troubles are merely in their minds. It's got a certain feel-good nature to it, naive and simplistic, but still the message is meant to be positive and to that extent Webb's characterisation is quite charming, if a little pompous, and his acting adequate. Zero Mostel also chips in nicely as his long suffering agent and the inmates, if you like, are made up of solid character actors who deliver well too. It's just too wordy - far too much dialogue and not enough of it pithy or humorous. Still, it's a gently amiable outing for this character that we have seen a few times now that passes the time easily enough. Perhaps he has had his day, now, and it is time for him to retire, too?