The Model and the Marriage Broker

I agree with other comments about this being a little-known gem with a terrific cast and that it is a pleasure to see Thelma Ritter in a leading role. Cukor's direction is efficient and he's particularly good with long, unbroken takes which help the actors gain momentum and relate to each other. What I found interesting was that the film is very direct about marriage as an economic proposition and how it is often a business arrangement. The other interesting quality is that many of the scenes are almost surreal in their grotesqueness. I really like seeing Scott Brady in a romantic lead, he's very fresh. The film is interesting as a Fox film made right before their turn to CinemaScope the next year with the somewhat similar, and inferior, How to Marry a Millionarie. This film would have been in color and 'scope if made later. It also has some location shooting which was a growing trend at Fox and other studios during this period yet the pacing and dialogue-driven quality of the film is much like a screwball comedy from 10 years earlier.

I love Thelma Ritter and I was thrilled to finally see her in a film where she was the main character. I am so used to her being a rough but sympathetic character in a film noir or Doris Day's anything but sober housekeeper...this was a wonderful revelation. Thelma Ritter's character Mae Swasey is a sympathetic if not melancholic individual who helps the lovelorn find a love connection for a small $500 commission. She meets the lovely clothing model Kitty Bennett, played by Jeanne Crain (who gets top billing in this film), by accident and takes it upon herself to speak up about a letter she reads when their purses are accidentally swapped.

"When people want to alibi their bad manners, I notice they always bring up their age."-Kitty

You see Kitty is on the cusp of potentially breaking up a marriage. Mae feels strongly enough to speak up and try and give Kitty some hard earned advice...and even goes out in the pouring rain to get rid of the married man to give Kitty extra time to think it over.

"This way you haven't got another woman's unhappiness on your conscience."-Mae

This is a wonderful George Cukor classic that I highly recommend. It deals with human nature, the need for a connection and not facing some of the challenges or realities of that basic human need. Jeanne Crain Is beautiful and may have received top billing...but this film is all about Thelma Ritter's character Mae. You can definitely say that she steals this show. I loved the character of Doberman played by Michael O'Shea and I was really pleased that he could provide a much needed happy ending for one of our characters. I enjoyed the twist provided where you think that Mae has been in Kitty's shoes...which is cleared up when an Emmy Swasey appears. It was fun to see some different professions optometry, x-ray tech, matchmaker, secretary, clothing model, etc. And I really appreciated some of the different sets used from a wedding venue, to an office building, to a bowling alley, to a private residence...it gave the film some added depth. Some of the smaller interactions like those between Mae and the office secretary were some of my favorite scenes...especially since they tie back in to the story.

This is on my recommendation list. I think if you enjoy classic films this is a rather nice (if melancholy) look at a basic human need and if you are a romantic you might also appreciate this film. For sure it is a must see for both Thelma Ritter and George Cukor fans.

Thelma Ritter, in a rare leading role, is marriage broker Mae Swasey in New York City. The first scene is in her office with a gentleman (Frank Fontaine as a price fixated Swede) and a lady (Nancy Kulp as an overly tall tongue tied 40 year old who is getting on her sister-in-law's last nerve), in separate dilemmas of singlehood being counseled by Mae (Ritter) on how to match up with one of her other clients. I'll tell you this much - no they do not end up together. This scene tells you all you really need to know about Mae to understand most of what goes on during the rest of the film.

But there are questions. For example - How did she get into this business? If she thinks marriage is so important why is she not married? Why does she take such an interest in a random model (Jeanne Craine as Kitty) she has just met, as far as really trying to make sure she doesn't continue going with a married man who intends to break up his home to marry her? They are strangers after all. And who is this older woman whom Mae keeps trying to avoid?

Well, this is not a noir. Instead it is a very sweet romantic comedy about some very lonely homely people, and some that are not so plain but need a little push to overcome some preconceived notions. Thelma Ritter is something you don't see much of in modern films. She was 47 in her first credited film role, but you couldn't help but love her to death with her earthy wit and one liners.

How have things changed? In 1951 people still expected to meet a significant other in person or through friends. It was considered a bit of a scandal to have to pay somebody to find someone for you. Today matters are reversed. Everyone is expected to use dating apps, and don't you dare say something to somebody on the street. They could be wanted by the FBI!. Another minor matter was that TVs were so new people would become hypnotized by the tiny screens. Also, refrigerators were not so tall you needed to live in a cathedral to make one fit.

I'd just recommend this one, particularly since Valentine's day is coming up. It is a romantic feel good film that is not exactly packed with pretty faces. The casting call must have been interesting.

Thelma Ritter was a national treasure. She could combine humor and pathos, and the warmth beneath the crusty exterior was always in evidence. Her presence in any film was always one of the high points, but this one is totally hers; she probably has in it the most screen time of any film she was in and, but for the vagaries of Hollywood, should have been first-billed in the credits. She brings great compassion to the character of Mae, who has endured a great loss and as a result has found herself in a business whose goal is to help others.

Under Cukor's sensitive direction, a wonderful script is brought to life (and, in view of his purported concerns about his physical appearance, one wonders if the script's allusions to the lonely and less-than-beautiful people of the world had a particular resonance for him). Dennie Moore, who had played the saucy maid in Cukor's "Sylvia Scarlett" 16 years earlier, shows up and is again a delight.

"The Model and the Marriage Broker" is a great film find. It has one thing few films have - Thelma Ritter in the lead! In this, she plays a marriage broker trying - and often succeeding - at matching up misfits. When she takes a model's (Jeanne Crain) purse by mistake and vice versa, the two end up in each other's lives, with Ritter dissuading Crain from a relationship with a married man by getting her involved with an eligible bachelor (Scott Brady). Yes, believe it or not - even bald, fat character actor Scott Brady had his palmy days when he was considered a hunk. He was a slightly rougher version of Robert Wagner, in fact, and even had a fan club.

Thelma is fantastic as a woman with a sad past who tries to make the future of others happier. The film is wonderfully directed by George Cukor and written by Charles Brackett. It's one of those dozens of films churned out by the studio back then. Nowadays, when the studios churn them out, they're $20 million flops and not little gems like this one. Jeanne Crain is lovely and the rest of the cast ably supports the leads: Jay C. Flippen, Zero Mostel, Michael O'Shea, Frank Fontaine, Nancy Kulp, and John Alexander. One comment disliked the character played by Brady, but you can't judge men by the standards of today. Like it or don't, the character was pure '50s.

A delightful, heartwarming movie with a marvelous turn by Thelma, who no matter what part she had, was always a star.