Something for the Birds

In a rare comedic turn for both Victor Mature and Patricia Neal, they pair up in a cute political satire, Something for the Birds. Patricia is a liberal activist intent on saving a rare bird on the verge of extinction, and Victor is a slick lobbyist who thinks business and progress are more important than endangered species. Of course, it's hate at first sight, but since it's a comedy, you can bet things will change.

In her trip to Washington, Patricia meets Edmund Gwenn, an adorable and professional party crasher. He owns a company that engraves invitations, and whenever he's hired for a Washington hobnobbing gala, he engraves one extra invite for himself! He's jolly and fun, and he certainly lightens the environment of sleazy politicians and contradictory bills to pass. Once Victor relaxes and - no pun intended - joins the party, he's also quite a bit of fun. Patricia is very cute in this light role; she usually gets put in such heavy movies, so this is a nice change of pace for her. If you like cute romances with a political backdrop, definitely check it out!

In some ways, this is a rather odd early 1950's movie regarding environmental concerns and big business lobbying. It's nice to Patricia Neal in a real romantic comedy. I'm not a van of Victor Mature, but he does well here. One of the main reasons for this movie is wonderful Edmund Gwenn, who made such a splash for 20th Century-Fox in "Miracle on 34th Street" and "Mister 880". He's wonderful here. Very nicely done comedy and quite a surprising find.

Hard to believe this script was written in the early 1950s -- it sounds like it might be a pitch for some mismatch comedy of today. Neal is an environmental activist sent to Washington to help stop a bill that would allow drilling for natural gas in the habitat set aside by the government for the endangered California Condor. An evil oil company is sponsoring a bill in Washington that would allow them, and only them, to drill -- thus disrupting the Condor's delicate breeding patterns. She crashes a swank DC party to try to gain access to the Department of the Interior bureaucrat who's been ducking her, where she runs into a kindly retired Admiral (Gwenn, better known as Kris Kringle in "Miracle on 34th Street"), who is taken by her and agrees to introduce her to one of his many Washington pals, the sleazy but suave lobbyist lawyer played by Mature. What neither of them knows is that the Admiral is in fact an engraver at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving who's been forging party invitations for himself for years and has adopted the persona of a retired admiral. And Mature, infatuated with Neal, has to hide the fact that he's in fact the lobbyist hired by the gas company to get the special interest bill through Congress! Screwball complications ensue, of course, while Neal tries to get protection for the condors, Mature tries to seduce her without actually helping her against the interest of his client, and Gwenn finds his cover story unraveling the more he tries to help Neal, all under the comic theme of the whiff of corruption in government business.

The acting is fine here, hardly true screwball, but with believable performances by all three principles. Neal isn't quite enough of a sex bomb to explain Mature's infatuation, and her natural intelligence and self-possession bely the fact she's supposed to be something of a naif around DC. Nevertheless her portrayal is earnest and just enough tongue in cheek. Mature himself is just creepy enough to be credible as a sleazoid lobbyist, although his B-list looks also don't suggest much chemistry with Neal. Gwenn is his usual sophisticated self, playing the double role of Washington insider and humble engraver.

Modern sensibilities may be a bit perturbed by the comic use of the Condor's plight, but on the other hand it's a sober reminder of how little has changed that the plot would be just as plausible if remade today.

Wait for this hilariously obscene line in the middle of the movie, which somehow slipped by the censors: "Unpack that 16" gun!"

I have to take issue with the review by Matt_Wall, which stated it was "hard to believe this script was written in the early 1950s." The plot is about gas companies vs. conservationists trying to save the California condor. Gas was first drilled for in 1821, and there have been conservationists since before Thoreau, so this was an old story by 1950. Furthermore, California's Audubon Society had been fighting to preserve the condor's habitat since the 1930s. So Mr. Wall seems to be among the disturbingly long list of people who assume nothing much of interest happened before they were alive to hear about it.

What's more, this environmentally conscious movie is hardly a first for Hollywood. To name a very famous example, which this film resembles, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939) centered around the battle against dam-builders for the establishment of a national boys' camp.

The script, credited to I.A.L. Diamond among others, has enough wit so that it hardly needed the screwball spin (or the accompanying silly musical score). Victor Mature at his oiliest is perfect to play the Washington lobbyist named Steve, though he's not exactly a light- footed comic actor. On the other hand, Edmund Gwenn and Patricia Neal bring their reliable gifts to their roles; both exude intelligence, dignity, and disarming honesty.

The IMDb entry for "Memorable quotes" is empty, but there are more than a few good lines in this all-but-forgotten film:

"No one has ever accused me of being unpatriotic. In fact, I was the first man in the House to speak out against the Japanese beetle."

Congressman: "Is it your practice to distribute gifts to people in high places?" Lobbyist: "Only to those who accept them."

"You know how it is in Washington. The more you deny something, the more everybody believes it."

(Said of a widow) "That's quite an accomplishment, surviving a Southern congressman."

Journalist: "You'd barbecue your grandmother on the Capitol steps for a buck." Lobbyist: "And you'd be right there with your little notebook taking down her last word."

(Said of the lobbyist) "Steve hasn't an enemy in the world, but I like him anyway."

Edmund Gwenn is an engraver who works for the company that makes most of the party invitations in Washington DC. He has a habit of taking a sample invitation for himself and using it to go to parties around town. He's become well-known to all the society people who are convinced that he's a retired admiral.

At one of these parties he meets Patricia Neal, who has crashed the party trying to find the Secretary of the Interior. She's in Washington trying to defeat a bill that threatens the nesting grounds of the California condor. Gwenn introduces her to Victor Mature, a friend who works as a lobbyist. He agrees to help her largely for ulterior motives, but while digging discovers that his company represents the company backing the bill ... in fact, he personally represents them.

Mature continues to offer Neal non-help help as a means of staying close to her, but eventually she uncovers his ruse and decides to leave town. Gwenn convinces her to stay and starts using his personal connections to do some grass roots lobbying on her behalf. He's so successful that the company backing the bill investigates him and finds out that he's a fraud.

I never would have pegged Mature as a plausible lead for a romantic comedy, but he's quite good. As is Neal in a rare comic role, but this is really Gwenn's movie all the way. The final act has him testifying before a Senate committee and there is serious "Miracle on 34th Street" energy.

There's an absolutely magnificent "come up to my room" joke between Neal and Mature.