Molly and Me

I noticed when I looked through IMDb that there were two previous movies with the same title. I would assume this 1945 film is a remake, but IMDb doesn't give this information. I do know that there are no reviews for these earlier films and this probably is because the films have been lost to the ravages of time--a common occurrence with early films made on nitrate stock.

Molly is an out of work actress from the London music hall world. Because she needs the job, she uses her acting talent to play the part of a housekeeper and manages to captivate the gruff new master as well as his young and rather lost son. Using Molly's gift for common-sense and pluck, she manages to do a bang-up job--and makes this house truly a home.

This is the second time I've seen this version of "Molly and Me" and I do remember liking it a bit more the first time. Now it isn't that I disliked the movie seeing it again--I just noticed a shortcoming in the tempo of the film when I watched it tonight. I see now that Monty Woolley's gruff character goes from a curmudgeon to a nice guy way too quickly in the film. I think doing the transition a bit more slowly and a bit more realistically would have made for an even better film. BUT, it's hard to fault the movie too much, as it's a pleasant little musical comedy--a sweet sort of film they just don't make any more but that they made so well back in the old days. Plus, Gracies Fields and Woolley were both so marvelous--as were the supporting actors (especially Reginald Gardner). It's hard not to like this nice little film.