A Alegre Solteirona

Letitia ‘TISH' Carberry enjoys nothing more than controlling the lives & romances of all around her, aided and abetted by her two dearest friends - Lizzie Wilkins and Aggie Pilkington.

The popular characters from the stories by Mary Roberts Rinehart come alive in this funny, nostalgic (and nearly forgotten) film. Helping immeasurably in the movie's success is the casting of a trio of Hollywood's finest comedic character actresses. Bossy & down-to-earth, Marjorie Main tackles the title role and wrestles it into submission, her ever-present Swear Box ready to accept the coins she must deposit whenever she unlooses one of her colorful, G-rated oaths. As sensible Lizzie, Aline MacMahon brings a patrician respectability to her part, although that doesn't keep her from sitting on a rowboat's leak at a crucial moment. ZaSu Pitts becomes vague, fluttery Aggie, who still writes a hilarious memorial poem on the anniversary of her sweetheart's death.

Guy Kibbee is very droll as the judge whose life is made a misery by the feminine triumvirate. Among the young persons in whose lives they interfere are pretty Susan Peters & Virginia Grey. Movie mavens will recognize an uncredited Nora Cecil as one of the old ladies at the boarding house.

The film benefits from MGM's typically fine production values. The story becomes unexpectedly serious near the end, but by the closing moments hilarity reigns again as Tish once more starts to meddle.

With three fabulous actresses as Zasu Pitts, Aline MacMahon, and Marjorie Main, I figured this would be a fine little movie. It was not. Blame falls on the writing for this film. But with these wonderful ladies, who were nothing short of great in anything they were ever in, something occurred to me. Let's say this movie had never been made, good writers were obtained, and Aline played the lead, supported by Zasu and Marjorie, as three lady sleuths. They assess the suspects, get into a bit of mischief, have some close calls and finally solve the case. There could have been a series of six movies made along these lines. Zasu did some of this with her 'Hildegarde Withers' films with James Gleason, and Aline did some of the same with Guy Kibbee (they were both quite good in 'While the Patient Slept'). I would even consider signing Kibbee as the main cop in those films. That would have been a six-pack of movies I could go for!

Marjorie Main stars in this MGM B picture in the title role of Tish. As per usual it's one of those B films from MGM with their usual production values it has an A look about it. All but for the fact that none of MGM's big stars are in this.

She lives in a small town with her scapegrace of a nephew Lee Bowman and hangs out all day with her two generational pals, Aline McMahon and Zasu Pitts. When after a trip to Toronto she brings back the baby of the late Susan Peters who was sickly to begin with and who died in childbirth all kinds of talk of scandal ensues about the real parentage of the infant. Nobody's believing she's Marjorie's, especially not her nemesis town judge and town busybody Guy Kibbee.

The three women are the center of this film, it's like Lucy Ricardo with two Ethel Mertzes. There's also a nice little romantic quadrangle between Bowman, Peters, Richard Quine and Virginia Grey playing a big part of the plot.

This one is worth a look especially if you're a fan of any of the three women companions.

Okay, it's a little silly. But where else do you get to see three of the finest character actresses in one picture? Main, Pitts, and McMahon are all delightful if ill-served by the very uneven script. In addition, there is the adorable Susan Peters, who at 21 displays a mature talent. And of course, the always funny Guy Kibbee adds his particular brand of stodginess to the mix. It was just a bit after the Pearl Harbor attack, so a bit of overly patriotic war-cheerleading is understandable and excusable. What is not excusable is the maudlin twist in the otherwise comic (and often slapstick) hijinks. Still, all in all a picture worth watching if you like great character actors or gorgeous gals like Miss Peters and Miss Gray.

Catch this oddity the next time TCM drags it out of the pit. This vehicle for the grand old warhorse Marjorie Main features some of the Golden Age's greatest character actors and the talented and beautiful (if ultimately tragic) Susan Peters. But the sub-sitcom setups, rotten writing, inferior direction and editing, and at least one perverse (if not sickening) plot turn make this an unintentionally creepy little "B" picture indeed.

"Tish" was no doubt a tryout for the dazzling Peters (who the same year would appear to far greater effect in "Random Harvest"), but given how short her film resume is, it's a shame that this thing has to feature so prominently on it.

If you need proof that MGM didn't turn out "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Mrs. Miniver" twice a week, seek no more.