John Loves Mary

Patricia Neal in her screen debut is "Mary" and she loves "John," played by Ronald Reagan in this lightweight comedy, "John Loves Mary." She expects him home from service any day and wants the moment when he sees her to be just right, with "Someone to Watch Over Me" playing. But things are never that easy. Not with fellow serviceman Jack Carson involved. Jack did save his life once. Therefore, Ronnie felt indebted to him. But an attempt to help Jack out with his love life backfires on Ronald and he and Patricia have to wait to get married due to him being married to Jack's foreign girlfriend to bring her into the country. But it seems that upon meeting Jack, he learns that, despite the fact that Jack couldn't live without her, he had married someone else since then. What a pickle! Ronnie is trying to keep all this from Patricia and her politician father, played Edward Arnold. I saw this almost twenty years ago and I thought I had memories of liking it. But upon seeing it recently, I found this to be too stagy, due to its play origins, too silly, and a little annoying at times. One would probably like this for the people in it, but the situations feel forced to me and I really didn't find it to be that funny. In fact, afterwards I felt that it wasted the stars and it was all a to-do over nothing, despite the affable dispositions of Ronnie and company.

Ronald Reagan was usually not at his best in comedy, but here he was excellent, possibly with help from director David Butler.

Some people have complained of Patricia Neal's performance, saying she didn't fit, but she was supposed to be the daughter of a rich couple and I thought she was perfect. In fact, I liked her better as Mary than as any other character I've seen.

Jack Carson could have been toned down a little; on the other hand, Wayne Morris gave one of his best performances, with just the right shading.

Oh, and Paul Harvey (NOT the radio announcer), as the general, was utterly charming, one of his best roles and performances out of hundreds. Interestingly, one of his first movie roles was as a colonel.

The whole cast, in fact, was great.

The story was cute, and there were some really funny moments, although I was fidgeting occasionally when it seemed on-screen delays were about to get everybody caught and in worse trouble.

That problem came from the stage origin. It didn't work perfectly in this film adaptation, but, heck, how much in life is perfect? All in all, "John Loves Mary" is a very good movie, with wonderful players in a generally enjoyable script. I recommend it.

John Loves Mary was a popular post World War II Broadway hit that ran for 423 performances written by Norman Krasna. Movies and plays about returning servicemen from World War II were glutting the market at this time. Everything from The Best Years Of Our Lives to Buck Privates Come Home to run the gamut from the serious to the funny.

On Broadway the cast included William Prince, Nina Foch, Tom Ewell, and Lyle Bettger in the roles that Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, Jack Carson, and Wayne Morris repeated on screen. The one that really doesn't compute is Lyle Bettger who played such a lovely variety of psychos on the screen. I just can't see him doing comedy or it must have been quite different his interpretation of the blowhard ex-officer that Wayne Morris was. Actually all the stage cast members did have some substantial screen careers.

Reagan is the John in the film who is coming home to his fiancé Mary played by Patricia Neal in her screen debut. He did real well for himself she being the daughter of US Senator Edward Arnold and Katharine Alexander with a lovely Park Avenue apartment. But it turns out that there's a slight hitch in the wedding plans.

What a guy won't do for a friend, especially one who saved his life during the war. Jack Carson who got his discharge earlier from Uncle Sam is pining over the British girl he left behind. Well Reagan knowing the problem that folks were having coming to America with immigration hurdles, marries Virginia Field and gets over as the bride of a GI. The idea being that they'd take a quick trip to Reno and then Jack Carson can marry her.

All that's needed is a ruse to get Reagan out to Nevada without Neal. And that's what the rest of John Loves Mary is about. It all resolves itself in an interesting way showing none of these people taking those sacred vows of marriage all that seriously.

John Loves Mary is a pleasant if dated comedy. But it's ironic as all heck that with people having real immigration problems and looking to the USA as a beacon of freedom, I think the joke would fall flat with them. Ditto with gay people who are now trying to get the right to marry seeing these people shifting partners like shooters switching off dice in a crap game.

Anyway I'm sure Norman Krasna who wrote this and Warner Brothers who brought it to the screen weren't thinking that deeply here.

What a cute, funny movie. Even though it is obviously taken from the Broadway stage, and even though the "marriage comedy" is a dead subgenre, it's still delightful. And it's no wonder, when you learn who wrote it: Henry and Phoebe Ephron, Nora's parents. It's silly, it's fluffy, and yet, it's hilarious. With quips and long situational set-ups, it has a great blend of comedy that keeps you on your toes - and keeps you laughing the entire time.

Patricia Neal is anxiously awaiting the return of her beau, Ronald Reagan, after WWII. They've been engaged for years and are finally going to seal the deal. When Ronnie does show up, he's all hugs and kisses to Pat - but he's also anxious to see Jack Carson. They were old war buddies and he has some extremely important news to share. Jack fell in love with an English girl but was sent home before he could marry her. It turns out, Ronnie found her later and did the only thing that would allow him to bring her back with him to the States: he married her. It's in name only, of course. They're going to Reno for a quick divorce, and then Jack can marry his one true love. But with Pat's impatience, her father's (Edward Arnold) insistence, and Jack's "help", things don't go as planned. The result is a very funny comedy of errors.

There are some naughty bits that miraculously made it past the censors, like joking about how European women didn't need any more "incentive" than the choice between bars of soap or chocolate. It's an absolute time capsule of the 1940s, a time when people used expressions like "Holy Maceral!" and it was a scandal for a man to change his clothes in front of his fiancé. "What's it like west of New Jersey?" Virginia Field asks. "Republican!" Edward Arnold shouts decisively. Ah, the 1940s. Folks involved in show business will appreciate the end credits: everyone gets a curtain call, just like they would have on stage. It's very sweet. If you like this movie, check out The Voice of the Turtle, another dated but funny sex comedy.

Overall, a good cast. This was obviously a much better play as the dialogue suffers from the restrictive censorship code of the time. Patricia Neal's debut demonstrates why she was never known for light comedy. The most curious thing is that the budget is listed as $1.3 million. How is that possible? Similar movies of the day weren't even close to that budget.