La maison de mes rêves

George S. Kauffman & Moss Hart's GEORGE WASHINGTON SLEPT HERE was one of Broadway's most successful comedies of the early 1940s, a bright and witty tale with a slightly Americana tone that World War II audiences found particularly appealing. The film version, sparked up by the completely unexpected chemistry of dry-humored Jack Benny and "Oomph Girl" Ann Sheridan, is every bit as charming.

When New Yorkers Bill and Connie Fuller (Benny and Sheridan) are evicted from their apartment (their third change of address in less than a year), wife Connie decides what they need is a place in the country... and buys an incredibly dilapidated house where George Washington is said to have once slept. Needless to say, husband Bill is horrified--and keeps on being horrified as the price of renovation skyrockets.

Benny was most popular when he played himself in roles tailored to his talents, but although this role is a bit atypical his talents are well suited to the constantly harried Bill Fuller--and he has remarkable rapport with co-star Ann Sheridan, an underestimated actress who shows tremendous flair for comedy as his determinedly optimistic wife. Both are well supported by a cast that includes Charles Coburn, Joyce Reynolds, and Percy Kilbride, and Hattie McDaniel (best remembered as Mammy in GONE WITH THE WIND) really shines as Hester, their long-suffering domestic who finds herself with a hole in the kitchen wall big enough for a horse to walk through--and one does! The pace is snappy, the script is witty, and every one is sure to have a good time. Recommended.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This is one of the funniest films I've ever seen. A local station in Houston used to run this show on new year's eve and I would watch it every year. Few comics can top Benny and his deadpan delivery but Pa Kettle came close in this one as he played the slow motion yard man.

George Washington Slept Here is a tour-de-force for the great Jack Benny. He is given the opportunity to fully display his comedic acting skills here, as the movie is written and directed with class and style. He's ably assisted in the hilarity by the equally great Ann Sheridan, and supporting cast members Percy Kilbride and Charles Coburn add even more comic class to the movie.

This is the kind of movie you can watch with your kids where you find that the entire family enjoys it equally. While some cynics may not enjoy this movie as much as I do (it is clearly a product of it's time), if you find that you enjoy classic comedies then you should give this one a chance.

Hopefully it will be released on DVD soon. (As of this writing, 2/05/05, it is not yet on DVD.)

The classic of the "ramshackle house in the country" genre is without doubt "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House", and although this predecessor by 6 years does not attain its succesor's high comic level, it is still amusing and worth a see. I must admit I feel ancient when a viewer here writes "Remember Jack Benny?" For those of us who grew up in the fifties he was a titan of early television. Although he and Ann Sheridan cannot match the chemistry of Cary Grant and Myrna Loy in the later flick, they still work well together, and the whole project is abetted by a marvelous script from the unmatched talents of Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, whose best lines go to Benny's Bill Fuller. Also notable are a contribution from Charles Coburn and a cameo from the inimitable Franklin Pangborn. Worthwhile comic viewing.

Funny movie whose comedy premise was picked up several years later by the better known Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948). Here Benny and wife Sheridan exit the city for a rural shack supposedly slept in by our first president. Of course the new digs turn out to be a bottomless money pit and source of irritation for the city-bred Benny. Add grouchy neighbor Charles Dingle, a nasty little nephew, a free-loading Charles Coburn, and a slow- talking handy-man and you've got a madcap mix of comedy antics.

It is an entertaining movie, but with all these promising ingredients why isn't the 90 minutes better than I think it is. For one, there's simply too much going on for director Kheighley to adroitly manage. The situations are inherently amusing, but lack the snap and polish needed to put them over. When Benny falls into the old well, for example, there's neither the reassuring dialog nor comedic reaction that would separate comedy from tragedy. Surprisingly, the scene closes with Benny down the well and viewers in doubt.

Jack Benny was one of the funniest guys around. But his humor was subtle and grew out of character. Radio and TV were perfect since he could play versions of his familiar tightwad personality. As good as he was in those venues, he was not a comedic actor. Here he's permanently flustered with a lot of dialog-- not the strongest suit for a comedian whose specialty were moments of quiet exasperation. He does well enough, but truth be told, the part could have been handled just as well by a dozen other actors. The role was perfect for a Cary Grant-type tizzy as Blandings would prove.

It's Percy Kilbride who walks off with the movie. There's been no one like him before or since. Drop a bomb on him and his deadpan expression wouldn't change. He's totally unflappable with a meat cleaver nose that could slice a side of beef. And what a moment of comedic inspiration when his crackling down-home voice slides into I'll Never Smile Again; it's like a head on Mt. Rushmore suddenly breaking into song. So out of character, it's a total crack up. The movie may not be front-rank, yet it does have its moments.