Je veux un millionnaire

George Marshall's 1951 'A Millionaire For Christy' is an enjoyable, fast-paced 1930's style screwball comedy starring Fred MacMurray and Eleanor Parker.

Eleanor Parker is marvelous as a gold-digging secretary out to snag a rich husband. I'm so used to seeing her in demanding, heavy dramatic roles, so it's was a pleasure seeing her be light and funny and very appealing as the screwball heroine. And Fred MacMurray, always so underrated, is an old pro at comedy performances, having played this kind of role many times before opposite Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert and others. His likeable masculinity is a perfect match for the beautiful and feminine Parker, and when the comedy slows down for their love scenes, they're very sexy and romantic together.

No classic, but an enjoyable comedy, especially for fans of the two underrated stars.

The movie tries hard to bring back the madcap comedy of the 1930's. But that may be one reason it doesn't fully succeed—it tries too hard, coming across at times as more frantic than zany. That's not to say the comedy doesn't have its moments. The first twenty minutes amount to a promising set-up as drab single-girl Christy (Parker) crashes celebrity Peter's (MacMurray) wedding party to deliver an inheritance, but is mistaken instead for an old flame. As a publicist might say— hi-jinks ensue. The only question is how long it will take for Christy to win Peter's affection. In the meantime, she's got to act loopy to stay out of trouble.

For a heavy dramatic actress, e.g. Caged (1950), Parker adapts well to the Katherine Hepburn role, while the underrated MacMurray does some expert mugging. However, some of the scenes go on long after we've gotten the point, especially the kissy-face, which is surprising given that old comedy pro George Marshall is directing. I suspect the level of embraces, plus a lot of surprising innuendo, are attempts to combat the growing inroads of TV on audiences of the day. Be that as it may, it's a lively if less than sparkling 90-minutes of Hollywood make-believe.

Richard Carlson has been one of my favorites since my childhood, but I don't recall ever seeing him so loose, so allowed to shine and sparkle as he does in "A Millionaire for Christy."

Fred MacMurray and Eleanor Parker are terrific as a somewhat pompous radio performer and a somewhat dizzy attorney's assistant who is sent to tell the former he has inherited money.

Her friend and office mate, and romance encourager, is played, wonderfully (of course), by Una Merkel, who by herself makes a movie more than watchable.

As silly as the story's premise might seem, when one watches this movie, one realizes it's plausible enough. More important, there are lots of likable or at least watchable people to overcome any script flaws.

It's light entertainment, well directed, filled with good actors, including Lane Chandler, uncredited and with only one line (but he has a good and recognizable voice), but above all, it gives Richard Carlson a chance to break loose and show the world what a talent he was.

After some highly dramatic items like The Detective Story and Caged, Eleanor Parker got to strut her comic self in A Millionaire For Christy. She certainly had the talent for comedy, but in that genre she's best in Many Rivers To Cross.

Parker plays a secretary in Douglass Dumbrille's law firm and she gets a cross country assignment. Travel from NY to LA and inform Fred MacMurray that he's inherited two million dollars. With a little advice from co-worker Una Merkel, Parker decides to set her cap for him if he's not a total beast.

MacMurray is considerably more than that. He sounds like the replacement for Clifton Webb as Waldo Lydecker from Laura before he got all enamored with the title character and paid dearly. He's got a radio program like Webb and he's called the sunshine man. Only problem is that he's getting married to Kay Buckley the same day.

After Parker breaks up the wedding quite hilariously things get wilder and crazier. Do I have to say what happens to both of them?

A Millionaire For Christy is a nice, but vain attempt to recapture the spirit of the screwball comedies of the Thirties. Public tastes had changed post World War II and the movie-going audience wanted some more serious fare. Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn were doing more serious type work, in the Thirties they owned this kind of film.

Richard Carlson plays MacMurray's best man and rival for Kay Buckley. He turns in a droll performance trying to turn MacMurray's situation to his best advantage. He's a psychiatrist, but with a few drinks in him he's crazier than whom he treats. I wish we saw a lot more of Una Merkel in the film as well.

A Millionaire For Christy is amusing, but a throwback from another era.

On her way to work, San Francisco secretary Eleanor Parker (as Christabel "Christy" Sloane) attracts stares and whistles from everyone, due to her blonde beauty. She is sent to tell Los Angeles radio talk show host Fred MacMurray (as Peter Ulysses Lockwood) he has inherited two million dollars. Financially strapped, Ms. Parker's decides to follow advice from co-worker Una Merkel (as Patsy Clifford) and get MacMurray's marriage proposal before revealing his wealth...

Unfortunately, Parker arrives as MacMurray is about to marry another woman. Fortunately, his psychiatrist pal Richard Carlson (as Roland Cook) wants to stop the wedding and marry heiress Kay Buckley (as June Chandler) himself. This is a partially successful attempt to put Parker in a 1930s style comedy. Producer husband Bert Friedlob includes a fine team, especially MacMurray and photographer Harry Stradling. Alas, Parker and the co-stars' scripted love never seems believable.

***** A Millionaire for Christy (9/2/51) George Marshall ~ Eleanor Parker, Fred MacMurray, Richard Carlson, Kay Buckley