A very pleasant romantic comedy (and a rare one about marriage -- most Hollywood comedies about marriage are "domestic", a different subgenre than "romantic"). Its shift in tone to drama in the second half was surprisingly successful, even the (in)famous -- and oft-criticized -- plot twist at the end of act two. The nightmare scene may be the most cinematic sequence George Cukor ever directed.
It should be noted that I am far from world's greatest Judy Holliday fan (didn't care for Born Yesterday at all). IMHO the film belongs to Aldo Ray, then at the beginning of his brief star push by Columbia (he even gets a special "Introducing" card after the end credits). Ray had not been acting long and it shows -- he has a tendency to rush his lines, even with Cukor directing. But for all his gaucheness -- perhaps, because of it -- Ray has a natural quality that is appealing.
Those who know Ray only from his later appearances will be surprised by how SKINNY he looks here! lol
As I said, Ray's star push by Columbia was brief. I don't know specifically why it ended, though I would guess it had something to do with the studio's signing of Jack Lemmon the next year. Ray was actually the better dramatic actor, but when you've got one of the very greatest light comedians of all time on your payroll, I guess you don't need to keep Aldo around as Judy Holliday's leading man.
Ray went on to 1) put on a few pounds, and 2) become essentially a character actor in leading roles -- his finest hour coming as the sergeant in the classic Men In War (1957). Ray was probably the greatest movie sergeant ever -- he seemed to possess an instinctive understanding of that character type. It's not widely known but Ray came very close to playing role of Prewitt in From Here To Eternity -- which would've been a dreadful miscasting. He was far better suited to the role of Sgt. Warden, where inherent cynicism comes into conflict with the need for idealism -- a description that could apply to any of Ray's best performances.
By the time of Men In War, Ray began to look very heavy, and much older on screen than he was in reality, which one presumes was due to his hitting the sauce away from the studio. By the time he was 40 he was pretty much washed up.
I won't go into the unfortunate circumstances of Ray's later life -- but I do hope that someday he gets the respect from film historians that he deserves.
It should be noted that I am far from world's greatest Judy Holliday fan (didn't care for Born Yesterday at all). IMHO the film belongs to Aldo Ray, then at the beginning of his brief star push by Columbia (he even gets a special "Introducing" card after the end credits). Ray had not been acting long and it shows -- he has a tendency to rush his lines, even with Cukor directing. But for all his gaucheness -- perhaps, because of it -- Ray has a natural quality that is appealing.
Those who know Ray only from his later appearances will be surprised by how SKINNY he looks here! lol
As I said, Ray's star push by Columbia was brief. I don't know specifically why it ended, though I would guess it had something to do with the studio's signing of Jack Lemmon the next year. Ray was actually the better dramatic actor, but when you've got one of the very greatest light comedians of all time on your payroll, I guess you don't need to keep Aldo around as Judy Holliday's leading man.
Ray went on to 1) put on a few pounds, and 2) become essentially a character actor in leading roles -- his finest hour coming as the sergeant in the classic Men In War (1957). Ray was probably the greatest movie sergeant ever -- he seemed to possess an instinctive understanding of that character type. It's not widely known but Ray came very close to playing role of Prewitt in From Here To Eternity -- which would've been a dreadful miscasting. He was far better suited to the role of Sgt. Warden, where inherent cynicism comes into conflict with the need for idealism -- a description that could apply to any of Ray's best performances.
By the time of Men In War, Ray began to look very heavy, and much older on screen than he was in reality, which one presumes was due to his hitting the sauce away from the studio. By the time he was 40 he was pretty much washed up.
I won't go into the unfortunate circumstances of Ray's later life -- but I do hope that someday he gets the respect from film historians that he deserves.