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Reviews
The More the Merrier (1943)
Wow!
I only came across this movie recently as it was shown on TMC. What a treat! I had not seen any Jean Arthur pictures before - I have to say, she was one lovely lady. I won't repeat the plot details, but just comment that the sidewalk and kiss scene was fabulous. You know that Joe (McRae) and Connie (Arthur)are destined to kiss, but the buildup goes on and on.
All the while, Connie is warding off the octopus treatment from Joe, without really wanting to, and pretending to be nonchalant and detached. And when the kisses come, they take her breath away. Certainly among the great screen kisses.
One point I don't think anyone else commented on: When Connie first mentions her then-fiancé Charles J. Pendergast, she says offhandedly that he has no hair, is bald. But when we see Pendergast a little later on, and for the rest of the movie, he is wearing a blatantly ill-fitting and mis-tinted toupee. In the restaurant scene, Pendergast makes a point of ducking under some ventilation fans; no doubt to keep his hair on straight. No one says anything, but you know why he did it.
Deadly Weapons (1974)
I'm ashamed to say I watched this many years ago....
When I was a young man out in the work force, I went with a couple of colleagues to see this flick. The theatre was about 15 feet wide, and I think the film must have been a 16 mm print. The floor was sticky. Besides 3 or 4 young fellows (us) the rest of the audience seemed to consist of much older men with rain coats.
When the movie got going, it was so preposterous that we just couldn't keep from laughing our you-know-whats off. Well, that didn't go over too well with the others: We were repeatedly shushed and told to pipe down, so they could enjoy the show. Interrupted their concentrations, no doubt. It was really too preposterous to be sexy.
On the way out after the movie, there was a jar of "Chesty Morgan matchbooks" in a bowl, and I took one. ( No, her picture didn't wrap around to the back.) Many years later, at home, the lights went out in a thunderstorm. But I happened to remember that the Chesty book of matches was nearby, and I was able to find it, light one, and see my way out of the room. Thank you, Chesty!
Perfect Strangers (1945)
Gets better with each viewing
We saw this movie years ago on AMC and taped it. Fortunately, it is now available on DVD. The US version is shorter by 9 minutes, and I keep wondering what I have missed. It would be nice if the "Perfect Strangers" full version could be had.
I won't repeat any of the plot here, but I will mention a few scenes and details that might be missed. First off, the attention to detail is fabulous. The funky London smokestacks, the military uniforms, the barrage balloons, even the casting-off drill on the WREN's launch. Robert's love interest Elena is of course a member of Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service, in a spot-on white dress uniform.
As some other reviewers have pointed out, the ending is not as good as it could have been. The argument in the street is rather contrived, and I always wonder what happened to Chief Petty Officer McAllister - he just sort of wanders off at 3 or 4 in the morning, with no obvious place to go. This scene needed to be redone!
But far and away the best scene in the movie is when Robert and Cathy finally set eyes on one another in the pub. In particular, Cathy stares and stares at Robert, seemingly forever, not believing her eyes. I don't know how Deborah Kerr managed this, but Cathy somehow looked Robert up and down, without changing the position of her eyes. It is awesome!