A Ninfa Nua

A rather silly misinterpretation of a statemet by Mark Stevens prevents he and Ann Blyth from getting together in this weak comedy. Said misinterpretation is a mighty weak reed to support this film Katie Did It.

Stevens is a free spirited artist vacationing in a small New England town. Blyth is the town librarian much like Marian Paroo in The Music Man. Blyth is the niece of the town matriarch iron willed Elizabeth Patterson. These folks have some strict puritan like standards which is half the problem, The other half is Patterson's rebellious and randy (for puritan New England) brother Cecil Kellaway.

Katie Did It is amusing in spots and Ann Blyth gets to sing a song which for me was the highlight of the film.

Fans of the principal players will enjoy it.

Ann Blyth is a librarian in a small New England town founded by an ancestor. When commercial painter Mark Stevens drops paint on her hat and later starts fishing around her swimming hole -- you may take that literally -- she, of course, takes a dislike to him. This is exacerbated by her black-sheep uncle, Cecil Kellaway, who goes with Stevens to help him with some paperwork on racehorses he owns -- Kellaway is a lawyer, you see -- and tells the tale so circuitously that Miss Blyth thinks the horses are human children by two mothers. During this trip, Kellaway loses a large sum of money to a forbidding-looking bookie. Miss Blyth thinks she can help him out by selling a song she has written, but when that doesn't (tin) pan out, she takes up Stevens' offer of modeling.

I'm leaving out a lot of plot points, like Stevens being an expert on New England history, efforts to marry her off to Craig Stevens, and the small-minded, gossipy nature that the small New England town has. It's an effort to produce a comedy purely on plot points, with people behaving miserably (like Miss Blyth), thawing under the warmth of the breezy personalities of Stevens and the usually pixy-ish Kellaway. Alas, while there are several sequences that might have been quite funny, the performers don't show themselves able to either play comedy nor perform any gags. the result is another brittle comedy that seemed to be all too common in the early 1950s.

I always found Ann Blyth to be quite a sterile actress. She had the looks, but was always just a bit too aloof. That style of delivery is perfect for this story of librarian "Katie" who is all set for a rather humdrum marriage to "Stuart" (Craig Stevens) until she encounters the live-wire "Peter" (Mark Stevens) who takes an instant shine to her, and who determines to break down her ice-barrier. Much to her chagrin she, too, begins to find this initially irritating man quite charming. When she meets a young boy in his apartment, she gets the wrong end of the stick but can he convince her of her error before she walks down the aisle with another man? Stevens, her uncle "Nathaniel" (Cecil Kellaway) and the young Jimmy Hunt ("Steven") are on quite good form, but there is just too much dialogue and the pace of the story is really very slow. The ending is always pretty clear, too. It's an easy watch to let wash over you, with just a soupçon of star quality from Blyth in her element - a sort of Jean Simmons-light.

Katherine Standish (Ann Blyth) is a very, very proper New England librarian in a town of extremely proper people. However, when a goofy artist, Peter Van Arden (Mark Stevens) arrives, all sorts of problems develop. He has contempt for rules and mores and delights in making the locals blush...particularly the pretty librarian. However, the more she protests, the more the viewer realizes that she and Peter will be married by the end of the picture...even though she already has a fiancé. How does it all unfold? See the film.

"Katie Did It" is a sweet and inconsequential little film. It won't change your life but has a few laughs and a nice romance. And, things do get pretty crazy after Peter decides to paint some racy pictures of Katherine...and the town's reaction and how he deals with this are all quite clever and engaging.

"Katie Did It" is a fine comedy-romance set in a small New England town and New York City. Ann Blyth and Mark Stevens have good chemistry in this film. All but forgotten and unknown by audiences of the 21st Century, Stevens had a fine career from the early 1940s to late 1980s. He had supporting and lead roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to war and Western films. He made some very good film noir mysteries in the 1940s. Yet, he is probably best remembered for his various TV series in the 1950s.

Stevens never achieved the top stardom of the prominent leading men of Hollywood. He was lead actor in several 20th Century Fox films, but seldom had the top actresses opposite him. Those films in which he played opposite the big name stars all were box office successes. One of the best was "The Snake Pit" of 1948 with Olivia de Havilland. Other films with top stars were "From This Day Forward" of 1946 with Joan Fontaine, "The Dark Corner" of 1946 with Lucille Ball, "Please Believe Me of 1950 with Deborah Kerr, and "Jack Slade" of 1953 with Dorothy Malone.

Whether in comedy, drama, mystery or even musical films, Stevens had a fine film persona. He always seemed more at ease and comfortable in his roles, whether tough guy, romantic lead or fun loving character. That's a great talent for actors and one that made him seem so natural and real. This film is a good example.

"Katie Did It" has an original plot with some very good humor. Katherine Standish (Blyth) and Peter Van Arden (Stevens) have some scenes with good laughs. Other comedy is provided by a very good supporting cast. The best of those are Cecil Kellaway as Nathaniel Wakeley VI and William Lynn as Clarence Spivvens.

Horseracing was very popular among the public in the early to md-20th century. So, many movies made during that time had scenes around the sport. This is one such film. But its contribution to the story and humor is quite flimsy. This is a weak aspect of the screenplay. Much better handling of this and one or two other scenarios would have raised this film a couple of notches.

This isn't a rousing comedy on the order of "The Awful Truth" or "My Favorite Wife, but it's a fun film that the whole family can enjoy. Yes, even a modern family well into the 21st century. The film has two sequences that are very funny. The first is on a train ride and involves Katie, Peter and the conductor, played by Irving Bacon. The second is a nighttime scene with Katie, Uncle Nathaniel and Clarence Spivvens. They set out to touch up some artwork on several highway billboards.

Humorous lines and snippets of funny antics are peppered throughout the film. Here are some favorite lines. For more, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.

Peter Van Arden introduces Nathaniel and Clarence to the gimlet cocktail. After each takes their first sip, Clarence says, "Ain't much kick to it, is there?" Nathaniel Wakeley replies, "Hmm. I've tasted chasers that were stronger." A few drinks later and the two old gents are pleasantly potted.

Nathaniel Wakeley, "Peter, my boy. When you're my age, you'll begin to realize that all women are confusing."

Katherine Standish has gone to see about getting a song published. The publishers are a couple of young guys toughing it out and trying to come up with salable songs. The title of her song is, "Just a Little Old Cape Cod Cottage in a Little New England Town." The song men say they'll have to change the title to something that would sell. Chick (Norman Abbott) suggests a couple titles: "A Little Bungalow in Kokomo," or "A Little Shack in Hackensack." Eddie (Gabriel Dell) suggests a South of the Border touch and the title "A Cottage Dandy by the Rio Grande."

Nathaniel Wakely, to Katie, "I unintentionally bet $495 more than I intended."

Conductor, "Tell me - is she dangerous when she has one of those spells?" Peter, "She, uh, she might do anything."

The following is from a scene on the train. Katie, "Husband? Why I've never seen this person until a few days ago." Peter, "And what did I catch my little girl doing a couple days ago? You ran away and jumped in the river. You remember that don't you, Katie dear?" Katie, "Of course I remember. I was delivering some books and ..." Peter, "Now, dear, you know fish can't read." Conductor, "And for your own good, it's best your husband sit here."

The same scene a little later. Katie, "Conductor!" The conductor walks over to them and says, "Why don't you relax, lady. Maybe the spell will pass off in a minute." Katie, "Spell?" Looking down at Peter, "What did you tell him?" Peter, "I told him the truth. I thought it was best." Conductor, "It certainly is. We're your friends."