Just This Once

I had a very hard time watching and enjoying "Just This Once" and I am sure this film will strike some viewers the same way. This is because the leading character is so unlikable and spoiled that it's hard to care about him...and this seems like a fatal quality to have in a romantic comedy!

When the film begins, the Judge (Lewis Stone) is frustrated at Mark (Peter Lawford). After all, the Judge is in charge of the trust fund which more than amply provides for Mark...a million dollars a year. Yet despite this, he spends MUCH more and his creditors are furious. In desperation, he has a tough attorney, Lucy Duncan (Janet Leigh) appointed to oversea Mark's finances. She gives him a budget and does everything she can to stop his spending...and he responds by flying to Europe and Honolulu and spending like a mad man! Obviously he's either really, really dim or extremely arrogant and spoiled...neither of which make him an attractive or likable person. Sadly, you know that since this is a rom-com that these two completely mismatched folks will eventually fall in love...something that just makes no sense in a case like this.

So despite this major problem, is the film any good? Well, Leigh and Stone try their best but the plot difficulties are just too overwhelming to overcome. The film is slick looking and has a nice MGM look but the script is just awful...a case where I am surprised that the film was made in the first place. And, a film which makes Peter Lawford seem boorish and annoying.

I recorded this a week or two ago off of TCM and was in no particular hurry to watch it. Yesterday I felt in the mood for a romantic comedy that I'd never seen before. I love Janet Leigh and sometimes record films just to see if they're worth watching. "Just This Once" is one of those rare unexpected treats that come along occasionally and become an instant favorite.

Lawford and Leigh had terrific chemistry. Lewis Stone as the Judge and Richard Anderson as Leigh's fiancé add to a terrific supporting cast. I love how the office workers are involved in the relationship as the movie progresses.

There is a nice plot summary that gives the necessary details. However, "screen magic" is subjective and usually unexpected for me. This is one of those films that the only bad thing about is that now I've already seen it (although it will hold up well on repeat viewings for me and I'm sure for those who like to watch their favorites again and again). The other is that it's not on DVD. But I'll be keeping the recording as long as I can, and there is always hope it will be released:)

If you liked Holiday Affair, this film has a familiar ring. I wouldn't say I like it better, but I'd say I like it as well, and that one was a favorite right out of the gate for me. This is a fluffy piece of romantic comedy with a touch of screwball that is my favorite genre next to British Period Romances.

"Just This Once" moves way up my list of classic comedies as an instant favorite and unexpected treat that I'll look forward to seeing again and again.

This is a surprisingly strong romantic comedy starring Peter Lawford and Janet Leigh. At first they seem to be playing their stereotypical roles -- Lawford is immensely rich, and annoying: he spends too much, so his fund trustee -- played by the ever dependable Lewis Stone -- hires common, sensible, penny-pinching Janet Leigh to rope in his spending.

At first I thought this was going to be another of those unfunny, empty comedies that Don Weis directed Peter Lawford in in the early 1950s, but this is quite different. There is a tremendous amount of character exposition between the gags, flaws and strengths of character together to make this a highly enjoyable movie.

Trust fund playboy Mark MacLene (Peter Lawford) is in debt to the IRS and others. Using the trust agreement, Judge Samuel Coulter assigns overzealous lawyer Lucy Duncan (Janet Leigh) to be a trustee to oversee the spending. She's a penny pincher and puts him on a tight budget. Her first lesson is to bring him to the Automat for lunch. Her boyfriend Tom grows jealous as she grows closer to Mark.

Janet Leigh is great although I don't always agree with her character's view on money. It's very protestant of her. Fans will enjoy her. I don't see enough difference between Mark and Tom. Certainly, these characters do change over time. Tom needs to be colder and stiffer so the comparison can be made with Mark. Nevertheless, I like the rom-com premise and structure. In general, I like these actors. I would like some minor changes to help with the rom-com chemistry.

Since Janet Leigh is one of my favorite movie stars from the past, I really enjoyed this 1952 film where she stars as Lucy Duncan, a lawyer who had to work her way through some rough times in order to become a lawyer. Lucy has a boyfriend who is a civil engineer and makes eight-five dollars a week and Lucy finds out she has a new client who is willing to pay her fifty dollars a week and between the two of their salaries, they would be able to get hitched. The client Lucy has is Judge Samuel Coulter, (Lewis Stone) who wants Lucy to have a sort of power of attorney over the trust fund of Mark Maclene IV who is very wealthy and simply spends his money like water on all kinds of gals, giving them jewelry, furs and the list goes on and on. Lucy takes control and takes back all the items that Mark purchased and makes him live on fifty dollars a week, plus 50 cents for lunch. Lucy even shows Mark an auto mat where he can get his lunch for a quarter and takes him on a Staten Island Ferry ride for only 5 cents one way. Janet Leigh was twenty-five when she made this picture and was recently married to Tony Curtis. Great film to view, Enjoy.