Mr. Belvedere Goes to College

I'm a fan of Clifton Webb and love his portrayal of Mr. Belvedere. He did three films as Belvedere, and this may be the least of the three. But it's still fun.

There are a lot of possibilities offered by the premise - the self-styled, eccentric, sarcastic but somehow lovable genius, Lynn Belvedere, entering college as a middle-aged freshman. But a lot of the movie focuses on Shirley Temple as a struggling young single mother/student, and some of this side of the picture is tedious. Shirley as a young adult is still as cute and charming as ever. She just doesn't get to have much fun with her role.

Alan Young is on hand as a snide, nerdy roommate of Belvedere (he calls Webb "Belvy"), a sort of overage Holden Caulfield. His interactions with Webb provide some laughs. Jesse Royce Landis plays a sorority house mother who employs the Young character and Belvedere as waiters. Her son, at college on the GI Bill, loves Shirley but has no idea she's a war widow with a small child. It's that kind of plot, but at least there's some humor in the sorority situation, as Belvedere straightens out some of the loud, sloppy girls in his unique manner, and shares recipes with the Scandinavian cook (speaking to her in her native language, of course).

20th Century-Fox had a way with college movies. Father Was A Fullback, Take Care Of My Little Girl, Mother Was A Freshman, and Apartment For Peggy, to name a few. So they knew what they were doing in sending Mr. Belvedere to college. Maybe hilarity doesn't ensue as often as it did in the first Belvedere picture, Sitting Pretty (1948). But this isn't a bad sequel and you do get to see Clifton Webb do his Belvedere characterization, in his unique and charming, very funny manner.

This is a great movie starring Shirley at her best! As a teen she was just coming into her own, and I especially loved her acting at that age. Clifton Webb was sensational, and really steals the show! One person that has been left out of the credits though, is Jeff Chandler. He has a very small part at the very end of the film. He is one of the cops that breaks into Shirley's home. Although there is no close up of him, his voice is unmistakable, and his looks are so distinct you know it's him! It's worth seeing just to see him for those brief moments! All in all, a movie for anyone who like a good laugh and a good time!

It s especially significant that this is the first and only time Shirley Temple returned to 20th Century Fox after her reign as the studio's top child star. She is very appealing in this film. This proves that they could, and should, have groomed her for juvenile leads.

As for Clifton Webb, who plays the title character, his performance is very multi-dimensional. When the police think he is a peeping tom and he is crawling through windows-- hiding out in the halls inside Shirley's apartment building-- it reminds this writer of Waldo Lydecker from Laura. There is a creepiness and danger that he brings to some of these scenes that is both disturbing and fascinating.

Lynn Belvedere (Clifton Webb) is forced to go to college. He has been awarded a $10k literary prize but he must be a college graduate. He needs the money despite the success of his book due to the numerous libel suits. Despite being without even a high school diploma, he intends to finish the 4 year course in one year. Journalism student Ellen Baker (Shirley Temple) is desperate for an interview. Belvedere takes a job at a sorority.

After the success of the first movie, it's obvious to return Clifton Webb to reprise his Belvedere character. I don't mind dumping the family but Belvedere is best when he has to deal with little kids. There is a magic to the chemistry when a child with no preconceived notions try to connect with the oddity that is Belvedere. That magic is missing in this movie. It tries to replace it with a more grown Shirley Temple. I kept wondering if a little precocious young Shirley would be a great comedy partner to Mr. Belvedere. Now that would have been a fun time.

In the aftermath of WWII, America's fighting men are returning home, and many of them are using the G.I. Bill to attend college. Also enrolling is Lynn Belvedere, successful author, autodidact, and self-acknowledged genius. We first met him in Twentieth Century Fox's "Sitting Pretty". Though nothing about Mr. Belvedere would surprise us, it is odd to see a man of his age living the life of a frosh. And so this fish-out-of-water story begins.

Another student attending Clemens is Ellen Baker, played by Shirley Temple with grace and the sureness of an acting veteran. Her path intersects Mr. Belvedere's and sets up the main part of the story.

Mr. Belvedere is one of the great comic characters and Clifton Webb portrays the master of all trades with precision. The writing allows the character to be almost churlish, as someone who must endure the imperfections of others, while remaining a man of principle.

This film is fairly simple in its premise (like Rodney Dangerfield's "Back to School), and it likewise spends little time moralizing, content to entertain in the broadest of ways. In that regard, it is very successful. Mr. Belvedere is no fuddy-duddy; he's a ducky shincracker, too!