La course au mari

It's just another day at work for shop girls Betsy Drake and Diana Lynn, who over lunch decide that Every Girl Should Be Married. Especially after Betsy sees just the man she ought to be married to in the person of Cary Grant. Ironically enough that's exactly whom she did marry in real life.

But back to this film, Betsy stalks and pursues him with the charm of an innocent child and as relentless as a jungle cat. These kind of films are kind of hard to pull off because if not done right you do come over like a stalker. Still Drake is successful enough to make you believe in her innocence.

In fact for a film that stars Cary Grant and Franchot Tone, the real lead in the film is Betsy Drake. Grant does get in a few good moments however, the best being when he in his capacity as a noted pediatrician, Drake takes his audience away with her questions about his bachelorhood. Grant's reaction shots are priceless.

Twelve years earlier Grant and Tone co-starred with Jean Harlow in Suzy with the billing completely reversed. It was at MGM and Tone's studio and Grant wasn't as big a name then. In those years their careers had completely reversed and Tone was now usually a second lead, but in this he was his usual rich playboy, the parts now he'd become used to being typecast in.

In those same years Grant left his original studio at Paramount and his career pattern had him going back and forth from RKO and Columbia. Every Girl Should Be Married was Cary Grant's final film at RKO, a studio where he'd done such things as Bringing Up Baby, The Awful Truth, Mr Favorite Wife, and Mr. Lucky to name a few. Every Girl Should Be Married ain't quite up to the standards of these classics, but it has its moments.

I am always amazed and disappointed by commentators who cannot accept depictions of other eras without imposing their own contemporary socio-cultural values. Judging by many reviews of this film, Prince Charming must have been a stalker!

This film is a quaint depiction of a bygone era, with different social mores. It is a delightful comedy, and Betsy Drake is so charming, it is no wonder that she became Mrs. Cary Grant shortly after this film was completed. Grant, himself, delivers a fine, and rather subtle performance. Give him some credit; he portrays a very serious character that does not become a wet blanket in this light comedy. He is certain that he is being chased, then not so certain, and finally decides that it doesn't really matter. I am also a fan of Franchot Tone, and he delivers a nice performance in an undemanding role. Diana Lynn is also good. None of these roles is very demanding, but each actor creates a credible, likable character. The end also provides a fun surprise, and a brief appearance by a young Eddie Albert. Otherwise the plot is simplistic in the extreme; the film stands or falls on the characters. A bunch of likable, easy to watch characters make this an enjoyable little movie.

What a wonderfully flexible this thing is, cinema. Within it, one can structure all sorts of things that can reach us.

Probably the two that are the most profound are how movies define fate and sometimes in the same breath, love.

This is one that deals with both. And the love part has nothing to do with relationships but with the simple charm of a type of woman. This was a big success when new, but today isn't even worth putting on DVD.

Odd, because for what it is, it is perfect. The goal is to parade an enticing woman, a real natural charmer.

The girl in this case is Betsy Drake, playing against Cary Grant who does his usual thing. She is something between an Audrey Hepburn and Debbie Reynolds, both of whom did this sort of movie frequently.

Her chin is narrow which gives the effect of an overly large and expressive mouth, used very theatrically. She also has a slight lisp. Combined with her exuberant manner and honest presentation, she is absolutely captivating.

And so Grant thought as well because he moved in with her during this and married her shortly thereafter.

How odd it is that someone could peak so in one film (this her first) and fade so quickly from importance.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Lonely department store shopgirl Anabel Sims (Betsy Drake) gets hit by love-at-first-sight when she sees pediatrician Dr. Madison Brown (Cary Grant). The only problem is, he doesn't feel the same way, but she's determined to make it happen, even as she's pursued by the rich owner (Franchot Tone) of the store where she works.

This is primarily a showcase for Betsy Drake, so those who don't like her persona are likely to enjoy this less than I did. She and Grant were dating at the time, and they'd marry shortly after the film was released. Despite the seeming control one would assume Don Hartman had, seeing as he received three credits (writing, producing, directing), the truth seems to be that others were really calling the shots. Studio owner Howard Hughes monkeyed around with things so much that studio chief Dore Schary quit. Hughes allowed Grant to rewrite the script and have final say on all subsequent creative decisions, which Grant willing accepted since he wanted to highlight Drake. Things worked out in the end, as this ended up being RKO's most profitable film of the year. I thought that it was funny, and I found Drake charming. Grant doesn't get to shine as much, unfortunately.

Cary Grant, of course, is always worth watching (Father Goose notwithstanding). Betsy Drake has a great cadence to support her slightly ditsy intonation, and I did not tire of it, as some have said, any more than I do the affectations of July Holiday or Marilyn Monroe.

The plot is not trivial, nor is it totally predictable.

Where this film fails in comparison to others of its era and genre is in the writing. The comedy is amusing enough, and there are some good moments, but the lines do not propel the viewer with the rapid-fire bite that is expected with a setup like this one.

I wanted it to be good enough for a 7, but I will stick with my 6 which in my metrics is still "definitely worth watching".

To those PC reviewers who were "disturbed" by the "stalker" aspect, I say: loosen up, it is a COMEDY! We have all laughed at Lucy being sillier, more extreme and more persistent. Beside, the movie starts by laying out the very sensible premise that a woman should be able to pursue an attractive man in ways similar to a man going after a desirable woman.

eg., Rough paraphrase of girl talk: "What would you do on a date?" "Take him on a drive in the country."

"And run out of gas?" "If I wanted to".

. . . and everything follows from that premise -- logical, consistent and, for me, engaging.

Lastly, I note that the best user ratings, as of this date, are by women of the age of Betsy Drake's character, and not by nostalgic curmudgeons like me.