I Was a Male War Bride (1949)
Howard Hawks directing Cary Grant in a farce of a post-war comedy. It's hilarious at times, and always engaging as you'd expect. But then, you might also expect something even further over the top, which might have made this a classic rather than just a really funny fun film.
A reminder--this is the pairing that gave us "Bringing Up Baby" and "His Girl Friday," two of the funniest movies ever. Even "Monkey Business," three years later, had more zaniness to it, though clearly in third place among the four. "I Was a Male War Bride" is the up side to the film noir version of the American soldier in the late 1940s, and it plays into a lot of jokes that were probably hilarious at the time--like the absurd acronyms the military used and uses--but in 2011 it's the larger romance and brief cross-dressing that are the hooks.
If the other three Hawks-Grant comedies have the likes of Katherine Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe to give them longevity (and writers like Ben Hecht chipping in on that score), this one has the lesser known Ann Sheridan. As friendly, likable and every-day as she is meant to be (a little like Ginger Rogers in "Monkey Business"), she never quite lights up the screen. Or more importantly, lights up Cary Grant.
Don't worry, there are really funny parts--the motorcycle scenes in general, including on the boat--so watch this, definitely. Grant might not be his quirky or even romantic best, but he's still Cary Grant. And the writing is fun, the pace always fast. And then, when you're done, you'll want to remember the others in this group. And to round it out, you might discover the fifth collaboration--not a comedy--the moving and very well made "Only Angels Have Wings." Great stuff all around.
Howard Hawks directing Cary Grant in a farce of a post-war comedy. It's hilarious at times, and always engaging as you'd expect. But then, you might also expect something even further over the top, which might have made this a classic rather than just a really funny fun film.
A reminder--this is the pairing that gave us "Bringing Up Baby" and "His Girl Friday," two of the funniest movies ever. Even "Monkey Business," three years later, had more zaniness to it, though clearly in third place among the four. "I Was a Male War Bride" is the up side to the film noir version of the American soldier in the late 1940s, and it plays into a lot of jokes that were probably hilarious at the time--like the absurd acronyms the military used and uses--but in 2011 it's the larger romance and brief cross-dressing that are the hooks.
If the other three Hawks-Grant comedies have the likes of Katherine Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe to give them longevity (and writers like Ben Hecht chipping in on that score), this one has the lesser known Ann Sheridan. As friendly, likable and every-day as she is meant to be (a little like Ginger Rogers in "Monkey Business"), she never quite lights up the screen. Or more importantly, lights up Cary Grant.
Don't worry, there are really funny parts--the motorcycle scenes in general, including on the boat--so watch this, definitely. Grant might not be his quirky or even romantic best, but he's still Cary Grant. And the writing is fun, the pace always fast. And then, when you're done, you'll want to remember the others in this group. And to round it out, you might discover the fifth collaboration--not a comedy--the moving and very well made "Only Angels Have Wings." Great stuff all around.