Mãe por Acaso

Having seen most of GR's movies (both solo & with Fred Astaire), I must admit that I much prefer her "solo" (as opposed to merely a "dancing partner") & "Bachelor Mother" is, without a doubt, her funniest film!

There are many great comedic "bits" in this film -- her pretending not to speak English at a New Year's Eve party, the dancehall sequence, David Niven's run-in with a toy "Donald Duck" (and many more), that make this film an absolute JOY!

The only other GR film that comes close to it is "Vivacious Lady". Both of these are "Must See"! -- And, try not to laff so hard!

This is a romantic comedy in the fullest sense of both terms. it is both hilariously funny and touchingly romantic (in the old-fashion boy sweeps girl off her feet even though she can give as good as she gets kind of way).

I totally loved the New Year Party scene, and the complications with the other boyfriend were great fun. And Donald Duck has a small but key role to play in this story.

Obviously some of the social attitudes are a bit hackneyed today, but the character personalities certainly shine through brilliantly still.

Ginger Rogers, David Niven and Charles Coburn achieve intense comic chemistry under the direction of Garson Kanin. Hardly a dull moment in this stylish and breezy 1940's "department store" romance. The film is constantly funny, often hilarious and always engaging. Rogers and Niven are so stellar they transcend their era, their characters are as contemporary as they are classic. Overall, a brilliant effort by all concerned!

Ginger Rogers is young, single, and unemployed when, as the result of doing a good deed, she gets stuck with a baby in "Bachelor Mother," a 1939 film also starring David Niven and Charles Coburn.

Rogers plays Polly Parrish, who on her way home from her last day at the department store she worked for over Christmas, sees an old woman leaving a baby on the steps of an orphanage. Fearful the child will fall down the steps, she is kneeling over him when someone from the orphanage opens the door and mistakes Rogers for the baby's mother. Polly gives the place her name and place of employment before she realizes they think she's the mother. When she runs away and leaves the baby, the orphanage gets busy contacting her employer. She gets the baby and her job back, plus a raise. No one will listen to her, so she gives in and makes up a story. Complications arise with a date who wants to move up in the store to floorwalker and believes the son of the owner (David Niven) is the baby's father. Eventually the store's irascible owner (Coburn) thinks Polly has given birth to his grandchild and insists that his son marry her.

This is a charming little film with wonderful performances. Niven in that stuffed shirt way of his is very elegant and likable, Coburn is great as his demanding father who breaks down and cries as he holds the baby. "I'd know that chin anywhere," he sobs. Rogers is fantastic. She looks gorgeous and even has a chance to dance without Fred around.

Highly recommended. Wonderful entertainment.

For some reason that completely baffles me, TCM rarely broadcasts this wonderful, romantic comedy of errors, but frequently shows the lame musical remake, Bundle of Joy. Which cast would you rather watch - Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher and Adolphe Menjou, or Ginger Rogers, David Niven and Charles Coburn? For me, every member of the cast in this original version is far better than his/her counterpart in the remake. The original cast delivers a film with risqué overtones (with a wink to the Hays Office), while Reynolds and (especially) Fisher turn the remake into 1950's milk and cookies.

In Bachelor Mother a beautiful, young Ginger Rogers is at her peak. She portrays a wonderfully sympathetic character. She is strong and feminine; exasperated yet determined. David Niven delivers perfectly as a somewhat spoiled, sophisticated and yet befuddled scion of a wealthy department store magnate. And I always love to see Charles Coburn - in top form here as the blustery, but good-hearted department store magnate who desperately wants a grandson.

I like Debbie Reynolds fine, but Debbie doesn't deliver as nuanced a performance as Ginger Rogers. Eddie Fisher as an actor - No Way! The only time he is not completely painful to watch is in Butterfield 8 - where, incidentally, he doesn't sing. Adolphe Menjou is okay.

I get angry at TCM for showing the remake more frequently than this delightful original. I get angrier still that some Hollywood boob thought it would be a good idea to remake Bachelor Mother, filling it with some lame songs that only serve to interrupt the flow of the story.

For a terrific romantic comedy, accept no substitutes: check out Bachelor Mother. And tell TCM which film you prefer. Maybe it will start showing this film more often.