La course au mari

This is a sweet little film with a few laughs.. I don't think anyone should worry about Cary Grant being stalked by poor little Anabel, I find her a sweet change from the Gold-Diggers in some of my favorite movies.. such as "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "How to Marry a Millionaire" Instead of being after a millionaire, poor Anabel is just after a husband ... plain and simple. Yes, she may take a few more pains to win her man than most of us.. but that is just part of the humor of the movie. If you are just starting to watch classics like this one.. please give the two films mentioned above a try, and also definately "Bringing up Baby" which also stars Cary Grant as the poor target of another lovesick loony.. this one played by a cute young Kathrine Hepburn. It is a crazy ride.. but give it a chance.

Every Girl Should Be Married is one of my favorites. It's a lighthearted romantic comedy from the 40's, not a stalker movie. Although I'll admit that it could be remade as a 90's stalker movie if someone wanted to.

It's more about the single-minded determination of one young woman to nab the man she wants. The only part of it that might keep you up nights is wondering whether or not your wife was that scheming in her plan to marry you.

I think Betsy Drake and Cary Grant were hilarious. The scene where Cary Grant's character is delivering a speech to the Lady's group is a classic. I wish that it would come out on DVD so that I could delete it from its permanent spot on my TiVo.

Romantic comedy about a young woman (Betsy Drake) determined to snag a handsome doctor (Cary Grant) as her husband. Obviously its old-fashioned ideas will not sit will well with everybody today. Personally I didn't find anything offensive about it. Yes it's dated but I don't watch a movie from 1948 expecting it to appeal to modern sensibilities. Part of the enjoyment of watching older films, at least for me, is they are a window into the past.

Probably not something Cary Grant would have signed on to do were he not trying to help out Betsy Drake, who he was dating at the time. He helped her get an RKO contract and this was her first movie. The two would marry the following year. Cary seems to be on autopilot with the unchallenging material. But a Cary Grant only half-trying is better than most stars giving it their best. Drake is likable despite her character being a stalker. Franchot Tone plays another guy who gets roped into Drake's scheme. All in all, it's a light bit of pleasant but forgettable fluff.

Cary Grant, of course, is always worth watching (Father Goose notwithstanding). Betsy Drake has a great cadence to support her slightly ditsy intonation, and I did not tire of it, as some have said, any more than I do the affectations of July Holiday or Marilyn Monroe.

The plot is not trivial, nor is it totally predictable.

Where this film fails in comparison to others of its era and genre is in the writing. The comedy is amusing enough, and there are some good moments, but the lines do not propel the viewer with the rapid-fire bite that is expected with a setup like this one.

I wanted it to be good enough for a 7, but I will stick with my 6 which in my metrics is still "definitely worth watching".

To those PC reviewers who were "disturbed" by the "stalker" aspect, I say: loosen up, it is a COMEDY! We have all laughed at Lucy being sillier, more extreme and more persistent. Beside, the movie starts by laying out the very sensible premise that a woman should be able to pursue an attractive man in ways similar to a man going after a desirable woman.

eg., Rough paraphrase of girl talk: "What would you do on a date?" "Take him on a drive in the country."

"And run out of gas?" "If I wanted to".

. . . and everything follows from that premise -- logical, consistent and, for me, engaging.

Lastly, I note that the best user ratings, as of this date, are by women of the age of Betsy Drake's character, and not by nostalgic curmudgeons like me.

What a wonderfully flexible this thing is, cinema. Within it, one can structure all sorts of things that can reach us.

Probably the two that are the most profound are how movies define fate and sometimes in the same breath, love.

This is one that deals with both. And the love part has nothing to do with relationships but with the simple charm of a type of woman. This was a big success when new, but today isn't even worth putting on DVD.

Odd, because for what it is, it is perfect. The goal is to parade an enticing woman, a real natural charmer.

The girl in this case is Betsy Drake, playing against Cary Grant who does his usual thing. She is something between an Audrey Hepburn and Debbie Reynolds, both of whom did this sort of movie frequently.

Her chin is narrow which gives the effect of an overly large and expressive mouth, used very theatrically. She also has a slight lisp. Combined with her exuberant manner and honest presentation, she is absolutely captivating.

And so Grant thought as well because he moved in with her during this and married her shortly thereafter.

How odd it is that someone could peak so in one film (this her first) and fade so quickly from importance.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.