Cary Grant

Myrna Loy

Melvyn Douglas

Reginald Denny

Sharyn Moffett

Connie Marshall

Louise Beavers

Ian Wolfe

Harry Shannon

Tito Vuolo

Nestor Paiva

Jason Robards Sr.

Lurene Tuttle

Lex Barker

Emory Parnell

Stanley Andrews

Robert Bray

Don Brodie

Cliff Clark

Kernan Cripps

Frank Darien

Hal K. Dawson

Mike Lally

Gene Leslie

Charles Middleton

Franklin Parker

Ralph Stein

Dan Tobin

Friedrich von Ledebur

Bud Wiser

Will Wright

Norman Panama

Melvin Frank

H. C. Potter

Eric Hodgins

Charles Cirillo

Kay Phillips

Russell A. Cully

Hazel Rogers

Dore Schary

Gordon Bau

Clem Portman

C. Bakaleinikoff

Francis M. Sarver

Cliff Shirpser

James H. Anderson

Joel Freeman

Leigh Harline

James Wong Howe

Harley Miller

Carroll Clark

Albert S. D'Agostino

Darrell Silvera

Harry Marker

Robert Kalloch

Charles Burke

Jim Kirley

Gaston Longet

James Lane

Comedy

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

RKO Radio Pictures

United States of America

Peter McGinn

If you really like black and white comedies from the 30s and 40s — well, you have probably seen this one! I know I did many (many) years ago, but I recently had a chance to watch it again. It was worth the time. It features Cary Grant and Myrna Loy doing what they do best. He is a wisecracking husband and father who seems smart at times, but slightly daft at other times. He loves his wife and kids, but gives them a hard time when things go the wrong way. But not in a modern hurtful way. Myrna I remember easily from the Thin Man films and she is a natural at this. She deadpans a lot of her lines, but check out her facial expressions. She accomplishes a lot without seeming to try. Some of the situations are predictable, but often I found myself laughing even when I had a good idea what was coming. It is very well-written. This is no blockbuster, but it is sweet, harmless fun, and sometimes that is just what I need.

CinemaSerf

This is a simple comedy about a family living in downtown Manhattan who decide to relocate to a delightful old house in loads of acres in rural Maine. Problem is, they buy a house that the wind could blow down and soon enough are on a roller-coaster ride building a new home whilst being simultaneously fleeced by just about everyone. Cary Grant is great; his dialogue is frequently pithy and the on-screen rapport between him and Myrna Loy is effective and understated - even when he starts to believe that she might be up to some shenanigans with their lawyer - Melvyn Douglas - who delivers his role in a magnificently aloof "what are you all doing?" sort of fashion. Add to the mix, the pressure Grant is under to come up with a new slogan for his 1940's equivalent of "Spam" and we have a gentle mixture of screwball fun and games that cannot fail to raise a smile...