L'intraprendente signor Dick

Even some 72 years later this fine film has not lost any of its original lustre. No, in fact, it would garner a brand new audience of viewers if only it was aired more often and produced on a high quality Criterion Collection Blu Ray version.

There are many sub-plots including a few romantic interests but I especially enjoyed the scene in the restaurant when Cary Grant and Myrna Loy were planning on enjoying each others company while dancing and dining the night away. But wait, they are soon joined by more and more people at their table for two who all have their own agenda, and there are a few restaurant staff who can be heard periodically chiming in the background with yet another "Happy Birthday To You" for some of the other restaurant patrons. I belly laughed as the calamity grew and grew and I was unsure what the evening climax was going to hold?

This is an innocent, fun happy, hoot of a film that I will be sure to watch a few more times.

I give it an admirable 7 out of 10 rating.

With three appealing stars and a silly but interesting story, this is an enjoyable light comedy that moves at a good pace and makes you feel at home with its offbeat characters. Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Shirley Temple all get plenty to work with, as each of their characters is pretty well-suited to their talents. They make their characters believably flawed and engaging at the same time.

The story makes it clear early on that it should not be taken too seriously, yet it is told well enough that it is easy to set aside any plausibility issues. The early misadventures set up the amusing arrangement that the judge (Loy) agrees to, in the hopes of keeping the others out of trouble, and this in turn sets up a new series of outlandish events. Harry Davenport and Ray Collins head up a pretty good supporting cast, and the situation builds pretty well, leading up to a complicated, entertaining set of tangle-ups.

While there is nothing remarkable about it, "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" is the kind of pleasant silliness that takes the right touch to make it work. It makes for an enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half.

This is a delightful movie has the imprint of Sidney Sheldon all over the place. Not only is Mr. Sheldon a good writer, but it shows he has an ear for what seem to work, be it a book, or in this case, a screenplay. Under the direction of Irving Reis, this comedy is still fun to watch after all these years.

The stars, of course, are the main reasons for watching "The Boxer and the Bobby Soxer". The film's premise is about the infatuation of a impressionable teen ager with a much older man. The object of that affection is a playboy who appears to be unsuitable for the girl. The contrast between the older man and the young girl creates a lot of funny situations.

To make matters worse, the sister of the young girl is a judge, who sees right through the roguish Richard Nugent and wants him to leave the girl alone, but figures that surely her sister will soon get bored with the man.

Myrna Loy does wonders with her role as Margaret Turner. Cary Grant brings his natural elegance to the role of Richard Nugent; just watch him in the picnic competition. Shirley Temple is a sweet Susan, the girl infatuated with Richard. In minor roles, Rudy Vallee and Ray Collins are perfectly cast.

In a couple of scenes in the film we see Richard Nugent in shining armor, as both sisters take turns in imagining him her hero. Only the right one will be rewarded.

Like most romantic comedies, the premise of THE BACHELOR & THE BOBBY-SOXER really isn't on the firmest of grounds (though why watch a film if you want full-blown reality?). Myrna Loy plays serious-minded Judge Margaret Turner, who always pays strict attention to the facts in every situation (personal or professional). She has guardianship of her younger sister Susan (Shirley Temple), a hormonal young girl who develops an instant crush on a roguish art lecturer Richard Nugent (Cary Grant) when he gives a lecture at her school. In order to help her get over this crush, Margaret--urged by her uncle Matt (Ray Collins)--gently blackmails Richard into being Susan's beau until the crush wears off. What ensues is a delightful comedy of errors as Richard squires Susan around town, while struggling to deal with an assistant district attorney (the suitably uptight Rudy Vallee) and Susan's own ex-boyfriend Jerry (Johnny Sands) as he falls in love with Margaret (and vice versa).

It really does seem almost impossible for a film to get any cuter or more feel-good than THE BACHELOR & THE BOBBY-SOXER. First of all, much of the comedy is fantastic--from Susan's starry-eyed image of 'Dickie' as a (literal!) knight in shining armour, through to her attempt to pass herself off as both Dick's mother and Margaret's sister when trying to help Dick escape from jail. The dining scene at the club is brilliant fun, especially as more and more people arrive at the table to disrupt Dick and Margaret's privacy. Watch Cary Grant's reactions in this scene--truly a fantastic comedic performance that has, thankfully, been captured on film to the great benefit of future generations. ;) You just can't help laughing throughout the film--at Susan's misguided passion for Dick, Dick's helpless bewilderment when he gets landed in jail for nothing he can remember, the attempts at matchmaking Uncle Matt subtly tries to pull off etc.

Secondly, the cast itself is excellent. There is no better (or more under-rated) comic actor than Cary Grant, and he lends his considerable talent and boundless charm to the character without reservation. It's always the little throwaway touches that count with Grant's performances, tiny things that make him appear so natural on the screen, and his Dick Nugent is remarkably true to life. I especially love it when Dick trades his car in and turns up his trouser cuffs to act 'young' around the Turners. ("You remind me of a man...") Myrna Loy is delightful as well, though woefully under-used. It's not hard to believe her as a fully professional, modern woman (surely female judges must have been very rare at the time?); nor is it difficult to believe that the judge might have a sweeter, human side. (Though who wouldn't be convincing when asked to fall in love with Cary Grant?) It's a shame that there aren't more love scenes between Grant and Loy, as they doubtlessly have great chemistry together. As for Shirley Temple--there is just no denying how cute she is, and how well she plays the role of the flighty, passionate Susan. It's not an easy role to play, given how the character as written is really rather annoying. Temple makes Susan sweeter and more tolerable, and she definitely holds her own in the company of Grant and Loy.

The only problem with the film, given its great cast and very funny script, is that the 'comedic' element triumphs at the expense of the 'romantic'. There aren't half as many scenes between Grant and Loy as I would personally have liked, and although Loy herself is very convincing in her portrayal of Margaret--you really *do* believe that her character has fallen for Grant's--it certainly isn't with the help of the script. The film really belongs to Grant and Temple, both of whom get to show off their comic talents to great effect. While Loy makes an excellent straight (wo)man, it really is a shame that we didn't get to see more of her, or more of her character interacting with Grant's.

All in all, great fun, great laughs, great cast. The great romance... well, that would probably have to come from another film. That said, THE BACHELOR & THE BOBBY-SOXER is still definitely a film that's well worth the watch...

Shirley Temple plays a high school girl Susan Turner who falls for an artist called Richard Nugent (Cary Grant).Also Susan's older sister Judge Margaret Turner starts to like this playboy artist.The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer is a good comedy which has many fine moments.The acting is brilliant, and how could you miss with this cast.Cary Grant is a man you can always count on.He could always make great performances.Myrna Loy is wonderful and so is Shirley Temple.This ex-child star celebrates her 76th birthday today, so happy birthday Shirley. I recommend this screwball comedy for everybody, who needs a few laughs.