"The Marrying Kind" is a 1952 comedy and drama about everyday life for a young middle-income couple. Judy Holliday had become a star just two years before with her Oscar-winning performance in "Born Yesterday." But this was Aldo Ray's first leading role, and it won him some recognition.
The plot for this film has a nice device - perhaps one of the first to use flashbacks a great deal. Madge Kennedy plays Judge Anne Carroll who sits Florence and Chet Keefer (Holliday and Ray) down in her office during a lunch break in the divorce court. She wants to see if the couple can't resolve their problem ahead of impending divorce. What is interesting and very telling about the flashbacks, is that each of the Keefer's stories as seen through their eyes are not what the audience is seeing played out in flashback. Each of the partners sees himself/herself as good and in the right, and the other partner at fault.
Judge Carroll intersperses questions to bring up the next recollection. And, as these episodes continue, the couple's stories and the flashbacks begin to seem more and more alike. One can guess where this will lead eventually, and it does.
For their acting and this clever device, "The Marrying Kind" is a good film. But, it's not great as a comedy or drama or combination. The movie came in 64th in 1952 in gross box office receipts. It more than covered its budget, but obviously was not a blockbuster hit. While some reviewers on IMDb rave about this film, one suspects that most audiences in the early 1950s (as indeed today) probably didn't enjoy this type of film. Rip-roaring comedies about marital strife, yes. Or very serious drama, yes. But movies that try to inject humor between serious and everyday humdrum matters, no. They don't have enough oomph to make them entertaining or enjoyable.
Judy Holliday had a short career on stage and on the silver screen, dying of breast cancer in 1965 at age 43. She was a very good actress, often playing a naïve (not dumb) blonde in sophisticated comedies. In general, those are comedies that are built around dialog that is witty, clever, sometimes profound, and funny in varying degrees. Seldom do such comedies have audiences rolling in the aisles with laughter. But well done, they are entertaining. They mostly seem to be shows of egos for playwrights (and directors, somewhat).
While she was a very good actress, Holliday was not a comedienne. Nor was she a great comedy actress, as some people think. I've seen all of her credited films, and not one ever evoked more than a chuckle or smile from me. So, it's not wise to put Holliday in the company of the great comedy actresses who could conjure up laughter right and left - not only from their lines, but from their expressions, body language and antics. Jean Arthur, Carol Lombard, Irene Dunne, Greer Garson, Ginger Rogers, Myrna Loy, Lorretta Young, Rosalind Russell, Claudette Colbert, Greta Garbo, Barbara Stanwyck, Doris Day and others have given audiences much to laugh about in film. One will notice that Katherine Hepburn is not in this list. That's because the bulk of her comedy was of the intellectual, witty, overly clever type. It evokes smiles and chuckles, but not great laughter.
This is a good film with some good acting. It has a tragedy and some serious drama. If one is in the mood for such a movie, it will be enjoyable. But, if one is looking for laughs, there are many outright comedy films that should be considered.
Here are some favorite lines:
Florence, "But down there in Atlantic City, I got into quite a lot of thinking. You know what I mean? I don't mean just stewin' around, I mean thinking. And to tell ya the truth, I was surprised how enjoyable it was."
Florence, "And I made up a rule. I'm gonna do at least a half hour's thinking every day. All by myself. Just quietly." Mrs. Derringer, "What're you gonna think about?" Florence, "I don't know. Everything."
The plot for this film has a nice device - perhaps one of the first to use flashbacks a great deal. Madge Kennedy plays Judge Anne Carroll who sits Florence and Chet Keefer (Holliday and Ray) down in her office during a lunch break in the divorce court. She wants to see if the couple can't resolve their problem ahead of impending divorce. What is interesting and very telling about the flashbacks, is that each of the Keefer's stories as seen through their eyes are not what the audience is seeing played out in flashback. Each of the partners sees himself/herself as good and in the right, and the other partner at fault.
Judge Carroll intersperses questions to bring up the next recollection. And, as these episodes continue, the couple's stories and the flashbacks begin to seem more and more alike. One can guess where this will lead eventually, and it does.
For their acting and this clever device, "The Marrying Kind" is a good film. But, it's not great as a comedy or drama or combination. The movie came in 64th in 1952 in gross box office receipts. It more than covered its budget, but obviously was not a blockbuster hit. While some reviewers on IMDb rave about this film, one suspects that most audiences in the early 1950s (as indeed today) probably didn't enjoy this type of film. Rip-roaring comedies about marital strife, yes. Or very serious drama, yes. But movies that try to inject humor between serious and everyday humdrum matters, no. They don't have enough oomph to make them entertaining or enjoyable.
Judy Holliday had a short career on stage and on the silver screen, dying of breast cancer in 1965 at age 43. She was a very good actress, often playing a naïve (not dumb) blonde in sophisticated comedies. In general, those are comedies that are built around dialog that is witty, clever, sometimes profound, and funny in varying degrees. Seldom do such comedies have audiences rolling in the aisles with laughter. But well done, they are entertaining. They mostly seem to be shows of egos for playwrights (and directors, somewhat).
While she was a very good actress, Holliday was not a comedienne. Nor was she a great comedy actress, as some people think. I've seen all of her credited films, and not one ever evoked more than a chuckle or smile from me. So, it's not wise to put Holliday in the company of the great comedy actresses who could conjure up laughter right and left - not only from their lines, but from their expressions, body language and antics. Jean Arthur, Carol Lombard, Irene Dunne, Greer Garson, Ginger Rogers, Myrna Loy, Lorretta Young, Rosalind Russell, Claudette Colbert, Greta Garbo, Barbara Stanwyck, Doris Day and others have given audiences much to laugh about in film. One will notice that Katherine Hepburn is not in this list. That's because the bulk of her comedy was of the intellectual, witty, overly clever type. It evokes smiles and chuckles, but not great laughter.
This is a good film with some good acting. It has a tragedy and some serious drama. If one is in the mood for such a movie, it will be enjoyable. But, if one is looking for laughs, there are many outright comedy films that should be considered.
Here are some favorite lines:
Florence, "But down there in Atlantic City, I got into quite a lot of thinking. You know what I mean? I don't mean just stewin' around, I mean thinking. And to tell ya the truth, I was surprised how enjoyable it was."
Florence, "And I made up a rule. I'm gonna do at least a half hour's thinking every day. All by myself. Just quietly." Mrs. Derringer, "What're you gonna think about?" Florence, "I don't know. Everything."