Every Girl Should Be Married

Every Girl Should Be Married is one of my favorites. It's a lighthearted romantic comedy from the 40's, not a stalker movie. Although I'll admit that it could be remade as a 90's stalker movie if someone wanted to.

It's more about the single-minded determination of one young woman to nab the man she wants. The only part of it that might keep you up nights is wondering whether or not your wife was that scheming in her plan to marry you.

I think Betsy Drake and Cary Grant were hilarious. The scene where Cary Grant's character is delivering a speech to the Lady's group is a classic. I wish that it would come out on DVD so that I could delete it from its permanent spot on my TiVo.

Lonely department store shopgirl Anabel Sims (Betsy Drake) gets hit by love-at-first-sight when she sees pediatrician Dr. Madison Brown (Cary Grant). The only problem is, he doesn't feel the same way, but she's determined to make it happen, even as she's pursued by the rich owner (Franchot Tone) of the store where she works.

This is primarily a showcase for Betsy Drake, so those who don't like her persona are likely to enjoy this less than I did. She and Grant were dating at the time, and they'd marry shortly after the film was released. Despite the seeming control one would assume Don Hartman had, seeing as he received three credits (writing, producing, directing), the truth seems to be that others were really calling the shots. Studio owner Howard Hughes monkeyed around with things so much that studio chief Dore Schary quit. Hughes allowed Grant to rewrite the script and have final say on all subsequent creative decisions, which Grant willing accepted since he wanted to highlight Drake. Things worked out in the end, as this ended up being RKO's most profitable film of the year. I thought that it was funny, and I found Drake charming. Grant doesn't get to shine as much, unfortunately.

What a wonderfully flexible this thing is, cinema. Within it, one can structure all sorts of things that can reach us.

Probably the two that are the most profound are how movies define fate and sometimes in the same breath, love.

This is one that deals with both. And the love part has nothing to do with relationships but with the simple charm of a type of woman. This was a big success when new, but today isn't even worth putting on DVD.

Odd, because for what it is, it is perfect. The goal is to parade an enticing woman, a real natural charmer.

The girl in this case is Betsy Drake, playing against Cary Grant who does his usual thing. She is something between an Audrey Hepburn and Debbie Reynolds, both of whom did this sort of movie frequently.

Her chin is narrow which gives the effect of an overly large and expressive mouth, used very theatrically. She also has a slight lisp. Combined with her exuberant manner and honest presentation, she is absolutely captivating.

And so Grant thought as well because he moved in with her during this and married her shortly thereafter.

How odd it is that someone could peak so in one film (this her first) and fade so quickly from importance.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Ha ha this movie is great! I've never been a Cary Grant fan, but he won me over in this one. This movie is all around funny. Now of coarse the girl in the movie is kinda a stalker, but that's what makes it so great. Watch it, it's cute!

Cary Grant, of course, is always worth watching (Father Goose notwithstanding). Betsy Drake has a great cadence to support her slightly ditsy intonation, and I did not tire of it, as some have said, any more than I do the affectations of July Holiday or Marilyn Monroe.

The plot is not trivial, nor is it totally predictable.

Where this film fails in comparison to others of its era and genre is in the writing. The comedy is amusing enough, and there are some good moments, but the lines do not propel the viewer with the rapid-fire bite that is expected with a setup like this one.

I wanted it to be good enough for a 7, but I will stick with my 6 which in my metrics is still "definitely worth watching".

To those PC reviewers who were "disturbed" by the "stalker" aspect, I say: loosen up, it is a COMEDY! We have all laughed at Lucy being sillier, more extreme and more persistent. Beside, the movie starts by laying out the very sensible premise that a woman should be able to pursue an attractive man in ways similar to a man going after a desirable woman.

eg., Rough paraphrase of girl talk: "What would you do on a date?" "Take him on a drive in the country."

"And run out of gas?" "If I wanted to".

. . . and everything follows from that premise -- logical, consistent and, for me, engaging.

Lastly, I note that the best user ratings, as of this date, are by women of the age of Betsy Drake's character, and not by nostalgic curmudgeons like me.