"The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" was a hit comedy in 1947. The film starred Cary Grant and Myrna Loy, and it made box office sense to reunite them the following year in another comedy, "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House".

Based upon the Eric Hodgins novel, the premise is familiar. Blandings (Grant) is a modestly wealthy advertising executive who lives in a cramped New York City apartment with wife Muriel (Loy) and young daughters Joan (Sharyn Moffett) and Betsy (Connie Marshall). Blandings decides to buy a decrepit house in Connecticut, for which he pays a fortune. It turns out that the house must be demolished, and a 'dream house' is built in its place, with predictable but amusing problems arising. Blandings' bad financial decisions are made despite the advice of 'family friend' Bill Cole (Melvyn Douglas) who apparently still has an interest in Muriel, his college sweetheart.

The Blandings' all have one thing in common: a desire for a high standard of living (and something unique) that has overcome their common sense. Blandings also has some delusions about how much he knows, a characteristic tailor-made for Grant's considerable comic talents.

Grant was especially good at delivering sarcasm: he could say "Good Morning" and make it sound like a resentment against past affronts. Romantic jealousy was also a frequent theme in Grant films, from "His Girl Friday" through "North by Northwest". In "Mr. Blandings", Grant suspects Loy and Douglas (especially given Douglas' complacent and self-satisfied manner) and his barely controlled childish jealousy never fails to be funny.

Loy sometimes has a self-satisfied manner as well. This comes from her character, of course, which is a gentle satire of a materialistic housewife. Grant and Loy take little notice or interest in their children as they obsess over their dream house. Marshall does a good job with her character, despite its stereotype of a precocious intellectual. (72/100)



Recommended:
Yes