Movie Review: Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Hey, guys!

I canʼt believe that it is the last day of November! How was the month for all of you?

Back in August I did some mini reviews of all the movies that I watched in July and asked if any of you were interested in reading a full review for any of the movies. The lovely Sarah Seele put forth two options! What Iʼm reviewing for you today is one of those, and I hope to talk about the other next month. This is what I consider to be the funniest movie of all time, so prepare yourself for some hilarity, and I hope that you enjoy this review!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!

Bringing Up Baby (1938):

Based on: the short story Bringing Up Baby - by Hagar Wilde.

David Huxley is a paleontologist who works at a museum. It is heard that Elizabeth Random is giving away a million dollars and the Davidʼs fiancée plans ways for him to spend the day with Mrs. Randomʼs lawyer in order to convince why the museum should receive the money. In his various attempts, he keeps running into this girl, Susan, who wonʼt leave him alone. She drags him on some crazy adventures, and loses a rare bone needed for the dinosaur skeleton that he is assembling at work. Will he find it again and get back to New York in time to get married? And what are they going to do about Baby?

Genre: Screwball Comedy.

Length: approx. 102 minutes.

Script: 10, no bad words!

 "The only way you'll ever get me to follow another of your suggestions is to hold a bright object in front of my eyes and twirl it."

Crew: Directed by: Howard Hawks. Written by: Dudley Nichols & Hagar Wilde.

Starring:

Katharine Hepburn as Susan Vance.

Cary Grant as David Huxley.

May Robson as Elizabeth Ransom.

Fritz Feld as Dr. Lehman.

Charlie Ruggles as Major Applegate.

Walter Catlett as Slocum.

Barry Fitzgerald as Mr. Gogarty.

Leona Roberts as Mrs. Gogarty.

George Irving as Alexander Peabody.

Tala Birell as Mrs. Lehman.

Virginia Walker as Alice Swallow.

John Kelly as Elmer.

And the animals Skippy and Nissa.

Costumes: 8, people are only wearing robes a few times, and someone has a garment that rips, but they cover it up and itʼs never indecent.

My favorite:

I love her whole outfit here!

Cinematography: 9, ah, I love the black and white! I donʼt think there is anything too special about it besides that, but it just has such neat feel that I canʼt figure out how to describe.

Cinematography by: Russell Metty.

Music: 8, Well, there isnʼt really any music to speak of besides the song “I Canʼt Give You Anything But Love, Baby”, but I like how it ties in throughout!

Music by: Rob Webb (score). Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields (song).

Quotability: 10, yes! So many excellent and quotable parts! Now, I was so absorbed in watching it when I was supposed to be taking notes, that I forgot to write down the said notes. And even besides that, I canʼt pick quotes out of all of them! It would either be every single part from the whole movie, or not a lot. So youʼre getting the latter. Plus, this script is so fantastic because there are so many running jokes!

'"You've just had a bad day, that's all. "

“Oh, thatʼs a masterpiece of understatement.”'

Content: 9, there is some smoking, and one person tells some lies that are a little suggestive and mention killing.

Originality: 10, all of the situations that Susan and David get into are so unique and hilarious, Iʼve never seen anything like it!

Good For: Screwball comedy fans, for fans of the actors, for anyone who needs a laugh, everyone.

Age Range: This is perfectly acceptable for all ages! Young and old will get a kick out of it.

Overall Score: 9!

Worth watching?: You bet! Every moment in here is golden, and I canʼt think of a single thing that I donʼt like. I laugh from beginning to end and never stop! Itʼs rather exhausting.

I didn't notice it until I was looking for pictures, but there is a lot of talking on the phone in this film.

Will I watch again?: Absolutely! I think that Iʼve now seen it three times, and I canʼt wait to make that number grow. The last time was the first for my little sister and she enjoyed it, too! I can't wait to share it with others!

Bonus thoughts:

This is the most hilarious film that Iʼve ever seen. Now, I often say that I donʼt like strictly comedy films and especially screwball because it seems so forced. I like dramas that have funny parts woven in and often Iʼm laughing when things arenʼt supposed to be funny, but I get irritated with comedies because I feel that Iʼm made to laugh, but it isnʼt my style of humor. This movie though, is excellent. The characters are so distinct that the problems that they get themselves into and the ways that they try to fix it make so much sense, even when they are not logical. It is said that Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn would frequently start laughing without control that production was often delayed! If youʼre like me and usually dislike comedies, I suggest giving this a try! 

It could be that Cary Grant was just brilliant at comedy because my second favorite comedy of all time, Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), also stars him. We canʼt forget about Katharine Hepburn! The role of Susan Vance was written for her and though it is said that she was having trouble doing comedy, you canʼt tell at all. She is marvelous! My older sister doesn't like her in other things, but she agrees that she shines in this film. They are one of my favorite acting pairs because they work off of each other so well!

The supporting cast does nothing but add to the wonderful chaos. I love the confusion and misunderstandings. Major Applegate reminds me a lot of one of my friends.

I could be here all day talking about it, but it's just awesome, okay?

Thanks to Sarah for requesting a review of this! Does anyone else have any requests? Thanks to all of you for reading! What is your favorite comedy movie? Have any of you seen this? What other Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant movies have you seen?

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Go Chase Yourself (1938)

Greetings to you all!

I hope that you are all staying safe and healthy! Today I'll be reviewing a little screwball comedy that I watched last year. I wasn't doing anything that day, and sat down to watch this one because of a name that I recognized. Who was this person? Read on to see!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free! (Not that there's anything to spoil...)

"Gentlemen, I hate to raise my voice, but LET'S TALK THIS OVER QUIETLY!"

Go Chase Yourself (1938):

A bank clerk finds himself in luck when he wins a new travel camper in a raffle. His luck begins to fall through when robbers decide to hitch up and pull his camper across the country, with him still in it! Things get worse when the police believe that he was to one to rob the bank. This camping trip is already unlike others, but will it turn out alright?

Genre: Screwball comedy.
Length: approx. 70 minutes.
Costumes: 7, just regular clothes.
Script: 10, no bad words!

"Need I remind you that you are talking to a lady and not a mortgage?"

Crew: Directed by: Edward F. Cline. Written by: Paul Yawitz, Bert Granet, & Walter O'Keefe.
Starring:
Joe Penner as Wilbur Meeley.

Lucille Ball as Carol Meeley.
Richard Lane as Nails.
June Travis as Judy Daniels.
Fritz Feld as Count Pierre Fountaine de Louis-Louis. "I'm just a simple humble nobleman."
Tom Kennedy as Icebox.
Granville Bates as Halliday.
Bradley Page as Frank.
George Irving as Mr. Daniels.
Arthur Stone as Warden.
Jack Carson as Warren Miles.
Frank M. Thomas as Police Chief.
Cinematography: 7, nothing really remarkable, though an interesting approach with having so much driving involved.
Cinematography by: Jack Mackenzie.

Music: N/A
Quotes: 8, funnily enough I actually say the "indescribable" quote (that I'll talk about later) to myself a lot.

"Copper. I don't like that word."

Content: 9, just one suggestive thing, but besides that perfectly clean!
Originality: 8, I'll admit, there are not a lot of comedies involving camping trailers, so that was a neat aspect, especially as this was made right when they were new.
Good For: Any Lucille Ball fans, any screwball comedy fans.
Age Range: It's good for any ages, and the younger the person is, the more funny they might find it!

Overall Score: 8!

"The end of the line, please!"

Bonus thoughts:
I've found that I'm very picky when it comes to comedy. Somethings are not funny enough, somethings are not serious enough. What can I say? Screwballs usually are good for me, but something about this one didn't click. I got annoyed at everyone picking at Wilbur constantly, then I got annoyed at Wilbur. But, fear not, it was not a waste of time! There were indeed parts that I liked, most of them involving the star that I watched it for who is...

Lucille Ball!

This is my entry in the We Love Lucy Blogathon! It would have been her 109th birthday. I haven't seen her in many films as I am mostly just a solid I Love Lucy watcher, but this was one where I decided to see more with her. She was very funny, and my favorite scene was with this quote:

'"Indescribable."

"Oh, that's the best way to describe him."'

Want to check out more posts celebrating Lucy? Check HERE! Thanks to Carissa for hosting this blogathon in her honor!

Thanks for reading! What is your favorite thing that you've seen with Lucy? She was a hoot!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Monkey Business (1952)

Hello everyone!

I can't believe that we are almost done with 2019. It seems like it was just starting! This will be my last movie review in this year, and it is fitting because the film that I am reviewing is one of the first that was new to me that I saw in 2019!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.


Monkey Business (1952):

"We dream of youth."
A professor, Barnaby Fulton, thinks that he has almost figured out the secret to an elixir of youth. What really happens is that a chimpanzee, Esther, figures it out first and dumps the solution into a water cooler. When Barnaby drinks the water, he starts acting like a 20-year-old! Later, his wife ends up drinking it and now has the mindset of a prank-pulling teenage girl! The company that Barnaby works for wants to know how to make it, but can't figure out how to make them tell. Will they ever turn back to their original ages?
"Grown-up men playing with monkeys."

Genre: Screwball Comedy.
Length: approx. 97 minutes.
"The history of discovery is the history of people breaking rules."
Costumes: 6, there are a few times when people aren't wearing shirts, and other times when the costumes are low and really tight.
Script: 10, no bad words! I thought that this line was a very funny play on words and is something I would get mixed up:
"Mr. Oxley has been complaining about my punctuation so I arrived promptly at 9."
Crew:
Directed by: Howard Hawks.
Written by: Ben Hecht, Charles Lederer, I.A.L. Diamond, & Harry Segall.
Starring:
Cary Grant as Dr. Barnaby Fulton.

Ginger Rogers as Mrs. Edwina Fulton.

Charles Coburn as Mr. Oliver Oxley.
Marilyn Monroe as Miss Lois Laurel.

Hugh Marlowe as Hank Entwhistle.
Henri Letondal as Dr. Jerome Kitzel.
Robert Cornthwaite as Dr. Zoldeck.
Larry Keating as G.J. Culverly.
Douglas Spencer as Dr. Brunner.
Esther Dale as Mrs. Rhinelander.
George Winslow as Little Indian.

Cinematography: 8, seeing black and white movies is always fun for me.
Cinematography by: Milton R. Krasner.
Music: 7, I don't remember anything about it.
Music by: Leigh Harline.
Quotes: 9. "You're only old when you forget that you're young."

Content: 8, there is some drinking, and some suggestive things, enough to make me a little uncomfortable a few times.

'"Imagine people never aging."

"Sounds frightening."'

Originality: 8, this is a fun idea, it had the ridiculous factor needed for a screwball, that's for sure.
Good For: Cary Grant fans, fans of screwball comedies.
Age Range: This would be good for all ages, and I think that little kids might even get more of a kick out of it than I did.
Overall Score: 7.

Bonus thoughts:
I know a lot of people who love screwball comedies, and I know a lot of people who can't stand them. For this one I didn't love it as much as I do others (such as another by this same director, Bringing Up Baby [1938]), but there were times that I laughed out loud and Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers were swell together!


If this was one of the first movies I saw in 2019, then why am I writing a review of it now? Well, Crystal of In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood and Michaela of Love Letters to Old Hollywood are hosting The Second Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Blogathon!

When this was hosted the first time, I wrote a (very late) review of the movie Let's Dance (1950) which just starred Fred, so for this time I thought I would focus on a movie featuring Ginger!

For the blogathon:
"I love you, you potato head."

I don't think I had ever seen a movie with Ginger Rogers where she didn't dance! I know that there are a lot out there, but this was my first. I thought that she did such a good job in this! As I already said above, she and Cary Grant worked so well together. When she has a younger mindset she has such a good whining voice that it was very believable. And, in her 'usual' state of mind, she was so sweet and caring and always helping Barnaby when he forgot things.

Thank you to both Crystal and Michaela for hosting this, and thanks to all of you for reading! I hope that you all enjoyed my last review of this year, and this decade!

MovieCritic