The wonderful Spring Byington.
The wonderful Edmund Gwenn.
The wonderful Charles Coburn.
Seriously, it's wonderful that these three tremendous character actors get to shine in a film where they're really the stars! And all three of them do here what they often did throughout their careers -- stole the scenes they were in
But I said 3 out of 4 ain't bad. The bad in Ronald Reagan. P-U. He actually started out well. For the first third of the film I thought he's really pretty good here. But then when his character started to get angry -- which was most of the rest of film -- he was terrible. I'm not sure I blame him, however. Director Alexander Hall should have seen the character veering badly off target...or perhaps he even directed that Reagan go that way. Either way, it really puts a damper on an otherwise charming film.
The plot here is wonderful. Nothing unusual about a romantic triangle...except when it's oldsters!
The supporting cast does well, too. Ruth Hussey is dependable as always. Piper Laurie in her first role here, as the daughter. The once adorable Scotty Beckett isn't as adorable as an older teen (and several years later died early in life). Connie Gilchrist is fun as the housekeeper. And there's a young Martin Milner here, too ("Route 66").
A charming film and a poor performance for Bonzo. (By the way, Reagan had some very good films, too. My favorite being "King's Row").
Seriously, it's wonderful that these three tremendous character actors get to shine in a film where they're really the stars! And all three of them do here what they often did throughout their careers -- stole the scenes they were in
But I said 3 out of 4 ain't bad. The bad in Ronald Reagan. P-U. He actually started out well. For the first third of the film I thought he's really pretty good here. But then when his character started to get angry -- which was most of the rest of film -- he was terrible. I'm not sure I blame him, however. Director Alexander Hall should have seen the character veering badly off target...or perhaps he even directed that Reagan go that way. Either way, it really puts a damper on an otherwise charming film.
The plot here is wonderful. Nothing unusual about a romantic triangle...except when it's oldsters!
The supporting cast does well, too. Ruth Hussey is dependable as always. Piper Laurie in her first role here, as the daughter. The once adorable Scotty Beckett isn't as adorable as an older teen (and several years later died early in life). Connie Gilchrist is fun as the housekeeper. And there's a young Martin Milner here, too ("Route 66").
A charming film and a poor performance for Bonzo. (By the way, Reagan had some very good films, too. My favorite being "King's Row").