Le Chou-chou du professeur

Classy, rapid-fire comedy that combines "His Girl Friday" with any one of the Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn battle-of-the-sexes. The set-up of the plot is rather hoary and contrived (gruff city editor of a New York newspaper--who is so anti-education that he hates the smell of chalk--falls for a journalism teacher), yet the writing and the deft handling are so assured, you can nearly forgive the sitcom devices. The actress at the beginning of the film who begs Clark Gable to fire her son is such a wonderful, believable find that she gets the picture off on just the right note; Gable and teacher Doris Day are lovely together, fighting and flirting and completely at ease in their roles. When Gable finally plants one on DD, she turns away in a huff, only to melt with wobbly knees. It's a fantastic moment in this unjustly forgotten, underrated classic. *** from ****

I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this movie. I wasn't sure I would like Gable & Day together - that their age difference would be too awkward (she looked even younger than her 34 years and he was 58). But their chemistry worked. I like Doris much better when she isn't singing all the time - you get to really appreciate her acting skills!

I especially liked the smart dialogue in places. The ongoing debate of experience vs. education. I thought the analogy of the conductor was beautiful (see quotes page). Also, the comparison that "Experience is the jockey - Education is the horse." The screenwriters certainly deserved their Oscar nod for this gem!

I also was pleasantly surprised to see a young Marion Ross (Mrs. Cunningham on "Happy Days") in the role as Ms. Day's assistant.

Gable and Day make an unusual couple, but this is a clever and cute romance. The film deals with illusion and reality and how the two become mixed. Though not often shown, the film is worth watching. It is one of those minor classics that is too often overlooked.

Doris Day was a breath of fresh air. Not only was she an extremely beautiful woman, she was a versatile actress and performer, and as for her singing, I can safely say that I would sooner hear Doris Day sing, than any other female vocalist before or since.

But apart from her singing she was just as well known for her talents as a comedienne, in a series of 'sex' comedies in which she always played the virginal unsuspecting prey to the rich, handsome sex maniacs, played by the likes of Rock Hudson, Cary Grant and James Garner.

This film however is probably the first in which this formula was tried, and although not the big smash anyone had hoped for, it nonetheless paved the way for her future success throughout the sixties. In fact with musicals coming to an end in popularity, it was this kind of film which prolonged Miss Day's movie career by a further ten years.

Her love interest in this vehicle is the wonderful if not aged, Clark Gable, and although it was to be one of his final films, he proves that he is still no stranger to a decent script, and is able to perform his comic turn effortlessly.

It is a story of a hardened reporter of the old school, and a beautiful journalism teacher from the night school, and how the two come together despite conflicting ideals.

An advocate of the school of hard knocks, Gable pretends to be an up and coming journalist student so he can attend Professor Day's classes, in order to cause his own brand of trouble and bring the prim and proper know-it-all professor down a peg or two. However things obviously turn a bit difficult when he realises that he is in love etc etc blah blah blah. Routine stuff.

Already we have the typical sex comedy scenario of how the guy pretends to be somebody else to get his own back. We saw it again with greater comic effect in the following years Pillow Talk and again in 1962's Lover Come Back and quite surprisingly again in 2003's Down With Love with Ewan McGregor and Rene Zellwegger. Again it's routine stuff, but routine stuff that works.

Although the two leads handle their roles well, in my opinion only one actor shines through this entire film and that is Gig Young. From the moment Young is given screen-time, the other actors have no choice but to sit back and cool off in his shade.

Young plays a handsome and dashing psychologist who is an expert on nearly every subject you care to press him on. He is also a potential beau to Doris Day's professor and therefore a love rival for Gable. The nightclub scenes and the subsequent hangover scenes are a joy to behold and will have you chuckling throughout. His lines are witty and delivered impeccably in Gig Young's usual boyish manner. This film is a treat for this reason alone.

If you're a fan of Doris Day/Rock Hudson style sixties sauce, then give this one some time and see where it all began.

I first saw Teacher's Pet when I was six years old. I'm a mere 19 now, and I still love this movie. Clark Gable was, is, and always will be the epitome of the word "star" Even though this film was almost 20 years after Gone With The Wind, Gable is still handsome and charismatic as the jagged, disagreeable, stubborn reporter. Gig Young and Mamie Van Doren help Gable to push this movie into the classics hall of fame. A definite must see for all viewers.**** out of ****