Take Her, She's Mine

"Take Her, She's Mine" is a comedy film that reflects family concerns during a period of cultural change in the American scene of the early 1960s. It shows parental concern - mostly that of a dad, for his daughter who has come of age, in a time just as the counterculture was beginning. It sort of reflects the last of an age of innocence before the sexual revolution of the 1960s that followed. So, modern audiences may find this film rather silly. Yet, it's not a bad picture of the parental concern of the time, and somewhat of the foray of the more innocent of youth into the cultural turnover. This is before the onset of widespread drug use and free sex that would become a part of the scene over the next decade. That concern of parents soon became a real concern of law enforcement and the country as a whole.

Knowing something about that may help modern audiences understand a little more the premise of the plot of this film. And, then enjoy the comedy, because there is some very good comedy here. It has a pleasant mixture of humorous dialog and funny antics or situations in which the dad gets entangled. James Stewart plays that dad, Frank Michaelson. Aside from a little over-doing it in the imagination and worrying frenzy, he's very good as the fall guy. Thinking like the kids and young folks of his time, he would seem a little buffoonish. But, then, just at the right moment he becomes the dad who trusts and stands by his daughter, Mollie. Some of the student protests that Mollie gets in bear signs of the times. In one, she and others are carrying signs that read, "The Berlin wall must go."

Sandra Dee does very well as the 19-year-old Mollie Michaelson who goes off to college; and then at 20 goes off to study art in Paris. Dee was the most popular young star in the early 1960s. MGM promoted her marriage to popular singer and actor Bobby Darrin, but it wasn't to last. By the end of the decade, her star had fallen and she later succumbed to alcoholism and had medical and psychological problems. She died of kidney disease at age 62 in 2005.

Audrey Meadows plays Frank's wife, Ann Michaelson, bet her role hardly has more than an occasional line when Frank is at home in between his long-distance trips to try to straighten out or save Mollie. John McGiver is Hector G. Ivor, the vice chairman of the local California board of education, of which Frank is the chairman. No one could play a straight-faced character for comedy better than McGiver, and every time the camera closes in on him here it brings a smile if not a chuckle. And Robert Morley as Mr. Pope-Jones is his usual very funny character, although this is somewhat of a unique role, as many of his comedy personas area.

All of these characters, the funny situations that Frank gets into, and the dialog make this an entertaining and fun film to watch. Here are some favorite lines.

Hector Ivor, "Honestly, sometimes I really wonder where the papers get all this stuff they print. Can't make it all up, can they?"

Frank Michaelson, at the airport, "All right - how much over weight?" Anne Michaelson, "None." Frank, "None? With that load?" Anne, "No, you see ... " Frank, "All right, don't tell me. Don't tell me. I know there's something crooked about it, but I don't wanna hear it. Not at a time like this, anyway."

Frank Michaelson, "Holy chihuahua!"

Hector Ivor, "You'd think they'd flunk her." Frank Michaelson, "They did."

Frank Michaelson, "Now, I have to be the first to admit that I don't know very much about modern art, but I happen to be one of the outstanding authorities in the State of California on hogwash."

Frank Michaelson, "There's just one catch to it." Anne Michaelson, "What's that?" Frank, "You and I won't be able to eat her senior year."

Frank Michaelson, "Do you know what Life (magazine) means when they say protégé?" Anne Michaelson, "Wellll.." Frank, "When they say protégé, they're winking. It's their way of slipping you the dirt. When they say protégé, what they're really saying..." Anne, "Okay, okay!"

Hector Ivor, "I got into a little jam like that once." Frank Michaelson, "Hector, telling me your troubles at this point would be like complaining to Noah about a drizzle."

Frank Michaelson, "How old is the punk?" Mollie Michaelson, "He's not a punk." Frank, "All right, how old is the non-punk?"

Mr. Pope-Jones, "Waiter - do you know who that fellow looks like?" Waiter, "Pardon." Pope-Jones, "Henry Fonda. Henry Fonda, the American film star. Will you ever forget him in 'Gone with the Wind?'"

Mr. Pope-Jones, "Never try this sort of thing with a hangover."

Mr. Pope-Jones, "Your father's right, dear. There's nothing shiftier than a lover's promise."

It's been commented on by many critics that James Stewart has been the actor most partnered with top directors. His films with Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, and Frank Capra have been studied over and over again. But it would surprise many to learn that after the eight he did with Anthony Mann, the second place finisher is Henry Koster with five films with James Stewart.

The five films are Harvey, No Highway, Mr. Hobbs Goes On a Vacation, Dear Brigitte and Take Her She's Mine. And then they further subdivide as Stewart plays three types of character. He's the absent minded professor in No Highway and Dear Brigitte and the harassed father of girls in Mr. Hobbs and Take Her She's Mine. Both of which he plays to perfection. And of course there is Harvey in a class all by itself.

Father is the last to know that his daughter has grown up to be a "dish." But that is in fact what Sandra Dee has done. Apparently just hanging around has put all the boys' hormones into an exponential overdrive. Poor Stewart is walking innocently into all kinds of grief trying to protect Dee's virtue. The California based Stewart's concern has taken him to New England and then to Paris.

Some pretty funny things happen to poor Jimmy. But I think you'll like best the way his costume falls apart on a chartered boat in the Seine due to some bad advice that he gets from a fellow hotel guest Robert Morley. Still cracks me up 43 years after first seeing it.

Audrey Meadows plays the patient wife and mother to Stewart and Dee borrowing a little from Alice Kramden. And I think today's audience will appreciate seeing Bob Denver essentially reprising his role as a Maynard G. Krebs type beatnik. Look for James Brolin in a tiny role as one of the hormonally charged college kids.

Koster and Stewart work well together. Maybe at some point his partnership with Stewart will get some study as well.

A naive teen provides plenty of excitement for her well intentioned Dad, who tries keeping her on an even keel. Fun for die hard fans of Jimmy Stewart, like me. Originally, a play which starred Art Carney and Elizabeth Ashley, who won a Tony for her performance.

A good portion of 1960s comedies focused on the generation gap between straight-laced parents and their hippie children. If you like that theme, you can watch a few James Stewart flicks where he plays a harried father to teenaged girls. In Take Her, She's Mine, Sandra Dee goes off to college and he worries about her virtue. Told in funny flashbacks, we see a photograph of an outrageous end result and Jimmy narrates the setup - like getting arrested at a sit-in and he's carried out of the room by the police.

There's a hilarious theme of the movie that everyone mistakes James Stewart's character for a famous actor. When he sees Sandra off at the airport, he's chased around by autograph seekers even as he insists, "I'm not him!" Finally, he gives in and signs their papers, as the narration says, "Ever since that movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. . ." The little boys run off with a "Thanks, Mr. Stewart!" In the same vein, Robert Morley enjoys every second of his cameo performance. He dispenses advise to Jimmy, and after he leaves, he exclaims to the waiter, "Do you know who that fellow is? Henry Fonda, the American movie star! Can you ever forget him in Gone With the Wind?" I had to press pause I was laughing so hard.

The movie is dated, though, so don't expect to laugh so much during every minute. Nowadays, parents don't fly across the country to check on their kids in college, thinking a sorority party is the end of the world. But if you like this funny parenting flick, check out David Niven's version of 1968 The Impossible Years. It has exactly the same ending, and the rest of the movie follows a similar theme of two teenaged daughters driving their protective father nuts.

It's a special meeting of the Pacific Palisades Board of Education. President Frank Michaelson (James Stewart) is being pushed to resign after some unflattering newspaper stories. In his defence, he recounts the whole story starting with his teenage daughter Mollie (Sandra Dee) and her influence on the male sex who are all grabby hands. The freshman college girl heads off into the bohemian world followed by her overprotective father.

I like Stewart's comedy. He's an old duddy and he knows it. It's funny that way. The Mr. Smith jokes are good fun. It's 50's trying to deal with the 60's and doing it in a safe way. Jimmy gets in a few chuckles but Dee is a bit stiff. She's playing innocence as clueless without the comedy. One may notice Bob Denver and he has a fun scene with Jimmy. Overall, it's the lightest of comedies with limited effect and a little long. The movie only comes alive with Jimmy.