Vénus en uniforme

Jane Wyman is a fledgling airline stewardess -- note the tie-in to American Airlines. She is bright, creative, a bit ditzy, and has three beaux, all named Mike: Van Johnson, Howard Keel and Barry Sullivan.

We're definitely entering the cultural 1950s, with Miss Wyman's character considered an oddball, with a view to marriage, and "no ambition to be the oldest stewardess in the business." Careers for women are temporary matters, and her choices are good providers -- an airline pilot and a successful ad executive -- and an idealistic teacher. This was an era far different from ours, when people dressed well to travel on airplanes, and smoked cigarettes while doing so. Airlines were looked on as travel, instead of our modern idea of transportation, when every passenger, from infant to wheelchair-bound nonagenarian is looked on as a potential bomber (given how people dress these days). Stewardesses were the smiling faces of the airlines, sexy drink servers who could deal with emergencies. And that is what this movie offers.

Miss Wyman offers an amusing shadow of her 'ditz' personna from her bleached-blonde-comedienne phase from the early 1940s. Charles Walters demonstrates that his excellence as a director of musical drama does not carry over particularly well into comedy.

Honestly, there was no way I couldn't like this movie. As soon as I started watching it, I was hooked. Naturally, it was cheesy and unrealistic (IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE AND YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHICH MIKE SHE PICKS, DON'T READ ON!). Look, I wasn't expecting a surprise ending. Van Johnson was the first of the "Mikes" in the credits, so naturally my money was on him. I was just hoping for a better explanation of why he got the girl. He didn't do anything the other two Mikes didn't do. Through out the entire movie, Jane Wyman never even showed any favoritism toward him. I hate to say it, but this was an obvious case of "the biggest star" gets the girl. But don't get me wrong. I just think that with a little bit of better writing, they could have pulled it off better. But don't think this movie wasn't worth watching. I loved it!

Personally, I would have picked Howard Keel =P

Jane Wyman is great as Marcy Lewis, an ambitious flight stewardess, in the golden era of flying, where flight attendants and flight crew were somewhat celebrity. Those days are gone obviously. Most people fly the friendly or unfriendly skies. The film shows Marcy, a young woman from Ohio, with aspirations to become one of the best flight attendants anywhere. During her fabulous career, she is courted by three men who all happen to be called Mike. There is Captain Mike Denison, the pilot who she offends as he offers her a lift to the airport on her first day. Then there is Mike Tracy, the science scholar and bartender, and Mike Lawrence, the advertising executive. They are played by some of Hollywood's leading men like Van Johnson. The supporting cast is equally impressive with Phyllis Kirk. It's a good film despite the fact that it's outdated by decades. Of course, there is one scene where Marcy is constantly sexually harassed by two male passengers aboard the flight.

"Three Guys Named Mike" is a story about a fledgling airline hostess from a small town who gets to fly the friendly skies and expand her horizons. Marcy Lewis (Jane Wyman) embraces her new way of life, experiences the joys of interacting with the public (people from different lands with their varied views) and meets three bachelors who happen to have the same first name. Marcy knows that married women cannot be hostesses, but she's not really trying to find a husband--she's too busy revolutionizing the ad world and the flight industry. But that doesn't stop men from throwing themselves at her. Particularly Howard Keel (a pilot), Van Johnson (a graduate student in scientific studies), and Barry Sullivan (a successful adman).

All four major players play their roles well, but the script is a trifling that is more interesting as a documentation of the flight procedures and customs of the time. While watching Wyman in this role, I kept thinking of June Allyson and, according to notes in the trivia section, the role was written for her. Ms. Wyman's voice also reminded me of Doris Day's at times.

Even with its paternalistic and sometimes sexist approach to the training and employment of stewardesses, the airlines industry (especially American Airlines) get a commercial from Hollywood in this film.

Three Guys Named Mike is a pleasant and amusing comedy about an airline stewardess who gets romanced by Three Guys Named Mike. Jane Wyman is the stewardess and she sparkles as usual. The three guys she has to choose from are Van Johnson: research scientist, Howard Keel pilot: and Barry Sullivan advertising executive.

The story is based on the real life experiences of American Airlines stewardess Ethel Welles who told them to none other than C.R. Smith the charismatic president of American Airlines. He commissioned a story and then a screenplay.

The resemblances and that's a kind word to RKO's Tom, Dick, and Harry are unmistakable. But in terms of quality of production look at these two films back to back and check the production values from and RKO film to an MGM film. But Jane and her guys do their usual performances and are fine in the parts.

Howard Keel in his memoir says that in his first screen fight he got a little over enthused and gave Barry Sullivan a mouse over his eye. Keel was not left unbruised either. Neither of these guys were schooled in how to pull punches.

One thing that surprised me about Three Guys Named Mike was the lack of a nomination for musical score since the instrumental version of it is entitled Confetti. Many orchestras recorded it in the early fifties and the theme was repeated in many MGM productions.

Three Guys Named Mike holds up well today because the problems of the stewardesses flying today's 747s versus the DC-3s you see here are the same. This film could use a remake, I could see Reese Witherspoon as the one trying to choose between Three Guys Named Mike.