User Reviews

I am always amazed and disappointed by commentators who cannot accept depictions of other eras without imposing their own contemporary socio-cultural values. Judging by many reviews of this film, Prince Charming must have been a stalker!

This film is a quaint depiction of a bygone era, with different social mores. It is a delightful comedy, and Betsy Drake is so charming, it is no wonder that she became Mrs. Cary Grant shortly after this film was completed. Grant, himself, delivers a fine, and rather subtle performance. Give him some credit; he portrays a very serious character that does not become a wet blanket in this light comedy. He is certain that he is being chased, then not so certain, and finally decides that it doesn't really matter. I am also a fan of Franchot Tone, and he delivers a nice performance in an undemanding role. Diana Lynn is also good. None of these roles is very demanding, but each actor creates a credible, likable character. The end also provides a fun surprise, and a brief appearance by a young Eddie Albert. Otherwise the plot is simplistic in the extreme; the film stands or falls on the characters. A bunch of likable, easy to watch characters make this an enjoyable little movie.

Romantic comedy about a young woman (Betsy Drake) determined to snag a handsome doctor (Cary Grant) as her husband. Obviously its old-fashioned ideas will not sit will well with everybody today. Personally I didn't find anything offensive about it. Yes it's dated but I don't watch a movie from 1948 expecting it to appeal to modern sensibilities. Part of the enjoyment of watching older films, at least for me, is they are a window into the past.

Probably not something Cary Grant would have signed on to do were he not trying to help out Betsy Drake, who he was dating at the time. He helped her get an RKO contract and this was her first movie. The two would marry the following year. Cary seems to be on autopilot with the unchallenging material. But a Cary Grant only half-trying is better than most stars giving it their best. Drake is likable despite her character being a stalker. Franchot Tone plays another guy who gets roped into Drake's scheme. All in all, it's a light bit of pleasant but forgettable fluff.

Lonely department store shopgirl Anabel Sims (Betsy Drake) gets hit by love-at-first-sight when she sees pediatrician Dr. Madison Brown (Cary Grant). The only problem is, he doesn't feel the same way, but she's determined to make it happen, even as she's pursued by the rich owner (Franchot Tone) of the store where she works.

This is primarily a showcase for Betsy Drake, so those who don't like her persona are likely to enjoy this less than I did. She and Grant were dating at the time, and they'd marry shortly after the film was released. Despite the seeming control one would assume Don Hartman had, seeing as he received three credits (writing, producing, directing), the truth seems to be that others were really calling the shots. Studio owner Howard Hughes monkeyed around with things so much that studio chief Dore Schary quit. Hughes allowed Grant to rewrite the script and have final say on all subsequent creative decisions, which Grant willing accepted since he wanted to highlight Drake. Things worked out in the end, as this ended up being RKO's most profitable film of the year. I thought that it was funny, and I found Drake charming. Grant doesn't get to shine as much, unfortunately.

As a Cary Grant fan, I enjoyed this movie tremendously. The humor was light hearted and the plot sweet, which can now be interpreted as sick, demented and freaky. A nice change from the ritzy movies of the 40s where everyone is wealthy in top hats and tails. This is a down to earth movie and should be taken with the girl meets boy girl gets boy idea in mind. As for the stalking, it seems to me she put a lot of work into getting her man so to speak in a nice way. Never once did I see it as "spook" movie or psycho thriller. However, if there was a remake in 2006, it most certainly would come out to be an R movie with a lot of gore and hype. Enjoy for the era.

It's just another day at work for shop girls Betsy Drake and Diana Lynn, who over lunch decide that Every Girl Should Be Married. Especially after Betsy sees just the man she ought to be married to in the person of Cary Grant. Ironically enough that's exactly whom she did marry in real life.

But back to this film, Betsy stalks and pursues him with the charm of an innocent child and as relentless as a jungle cat. These kind of films are kind of hard to pull off because if not done right you do come over like a stalker. Still Drake is successful enough to make you believe in her innocence.

In fact for a film that stars Cary Grant and Franchot Tone, the real lead in the film is Betsy Drake. Grant does get in a few good moments however, the best being when he in his capacity as a noted pediatrician, Drake takes his audience away with her questions about his bachelorhood. Grant's reaction shots are priceless.

Twelve years earlier Grant and Tone co-starred with Jean Harlow in Suzy with the billing completely reversed. It was at MGM and Tone's studio and Grant wasn't as big a name then. In those years their careers had completely reversed and Tone was now usually a second lead, but in this he was his usual rich playboy, the parts now he'd become used to being typecast in.

In those same years Grant left his original studio at Paramount and his career pattern had him going back and forth from RKO and Columbia. Every Girl Should Be Married was Cary Grant's final film at RKO, a studio where he'd done such things as Bringing Up Baby, The Awful Truth, Mr Favorite Wife, and Mr. Lucky to name a few. Every Girl Should Be Married ain't quite up to the standards of these classics, but it has its moments.

While I am not a huge fan of the films Cary Grant made with his wife at the time, Betsy Drake, this still is a cute little time-passer. It's full of nice little moments but is pretty inconsequential. In other words, its the type of film I wouldn't rush out to buy but if it's coming on TV, I might give it a try. Although I score it a 7, I was really torn between giving it a 6 or a 7. I wish I could give it a 6.5! Ms. Drake certainly has a lot of energy in this film and in many ways its more her film than Cary's. She's pretty good at light comedy but the plot they give her seems a bit contrived and almost like a TV movie instead of a major motion picture. In the film, she's decided it's time to get married and looks for the perfect man. She sees that Cary is good-looking, a successful doctor and a decent guy, so without knowing anything else about him, she's 100% sure he's the one! Cary isn't as sure and has every reason to believe, based on her actions, that she's a total nut! Plus, he has no interest in marrying, so Drake really has her work cut out for her.

It's cute, watchable and that's really about it.

Cary Grant, of course, is always worth watching (Father Goose notwithstanding). Betsy Drake has a great cadence to support her slightly ditsy intonation, and I did not tire of it, as some have said, any more than I do the affectations of July Holiday or Marilyn Monroe.

The plot is not trivial, nor is it totally predictable.

Where this film fails in comparison to others of its era and genre is in the writing. The comedy is amusing enough, and there are some good moments, but the lines do not propel the viewer with the rapid-fire bite that is expected with a setup like this one.

I wanted it to be good enough for a 7, but I will stick with my 6 which in my metrics is still "definitely worth watching".

To those PC reviewers who were "disturbed" by the "stalker" aspect, I say: loosen up, it is a COMEDY! We have all laughed at Lucy being sillier, more extreme and more persistent. Beside, the movie starts by laying out the very sensible premise that a woman should be able to pursue an attractive man in ways similar to a man going after a desirable woman.

eg., Rough paraphrase of girl talk: "What would you do on a date?" "Take him on a drive in the country."

"And run out of gas?" "If I wanted to".

. . . and everything follows from that premise -- logical, consistent and, for me, engaging.

Lastly, I note that the best user ratings, as of this date, are by women of the age of Betsy Drake's character, and not by nostalgic curmudgeons like me.

Like fingernails scratching down a blackboard, Betsy Drake's annoying voice dominates this dreary offering from RKO. While nominally a Cary Grant film, Grant transparently takes second place behind the true star of the film, Betsy Drake. And what a painfully miserable choice she was. She is unable to open her mouth without engaging in a sanctimonious lecture about marriage and her plans to trap Grant, and barely two minutes ever go by in the film without her doing so. She is as unappealing an actress as has ever been my misfortune to waste time watching. Her endless speeches are unbearable, and I, who am able to suspend disbelief at the most outrageous plots, will go to my grave not accepting for a second that Cary Grant could ever have an interest at all in the most self-righteous and unattractive Betsy Drake.

If only Grant had been given more to do in this film.

But if you do choose to watch "Every Girl Should Be Married", there are a few interesting moments worth looking out for. The best comes when Cary Grant, going off on one of his diatribes against marriage in general and Betsy Drake in particular, actually does a very funny impersonation of Drake, complete with high pitched voice and female mannerisms. A quite enjoyable moment in what otherwise must have been a most boring assignment for Grant.

One other interesting moment occurs when Grant is sitting beside Drake in her home, and the telephone rings for a second time. The receiver is apparently placed backwards on the telephone base, so that when Drake reaches for it, she ends up picking up the receiver sort of inside-out, and it is rather awkward; however, her improvisation goes smoothly enough, and was obviously kept in the film.

Now you all remember the great telephone scene in "It's a Wonderful Life"; Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed are sharing the receiver as they speak to their old friend Sam. Because they have yet to openly declare their love for each other, the tension inherent in their being in such close proximity to each other is spectacular. Well, here in "Every Girl Should Be Married", there is a similar moment in the same scene as described above; as Drake and Grant are sitting next to each other, they pass the telephone receiver back and forth as it rings, and casually brush and touch each other's arms as they share a look at a baby magazine; here was some potential for some interesting tension. Unfortunately, like the entire rest of the movie, the potential is not even remotely realized. Just another small failure, though this is just a cog on a giant wheel of failure.

Even the endless appearance of the great old song "Sailing" (recorded most memorably by Bobby Darin) becomes grating after a while.

On the other hand, quite pleasing is the surprising un-credited appearance of genial Eddie Albert in the long closing scene. A great job by Albert, but sadly too little too late.

Is this film awful? Maybe not awful, but at best, unbearable.

The interplay between grant and the other characters by itself made this movie a ten for me. It served as yet another reason why this is my favorite actor. The plot-dynamic is a comedy that is funny with out trying explicitly to appear as a comedy. Anabel's duplicitous overtures to trap Madison as a husband, are made even more humorous by Madison's complete mastery of the situation. Always aware of her efforts he neatly side steps them at every turn, only to accept her at the end inspite of her silliness. If you understand how Ricky Riccardo could love Lucy inspite of her antics you will appreciate this movie!

Talky and dull. My mind kept wandering as she droned on and on. This premise has been done before, done to death. Betsy Drake could just not bring anything new to the role and the writing was so boring she didn't have much chance. Cary Grant didn't add a lot, either. Franchot Tone at least had energy and woke me up. And he gave me a smile. He had been married three times. "I like marriage. My wives didn't but I do."

So much for the WWII movies with strong female leads with more on the mind than a husband. This presages the glop of the Fifties and early Sixties.

"I haven't done a single thing that isn't legitimate for a girl." I'm guessing this movie was pretty nauseating even in 1948 when actually it was remarkably easy to get married with all the returning soldiers flooding the country. We know what happened when the children of the mothers at the seminar grew up. They rejected ideas about tricking men into marriage and wanted equal relationships.

The only genuine and interesting part of the movie for me was the smile and kiss Betsy and Cary shared at the end. Cary practically glowed.

Give this movie a break. It is a cute funny little film. Betsy Drake's character is looking for the perfect husband. Can't you tell by the title, "Every girl should be married"!

I was just watching "My Man Godfrey" last night and Carole Lombard was chasing after William Powell like a loon, because she wanted him. She loved him. It's the same with the girl in this movie. She isn't stalking him to kill or hurt him, but because she is in love with him. She wants to marry him. If you thought you could get a man like Cary Grant, wouldn't YOU try?? (If you fancied him of course)

I like this movie and Betsy Drake. I think she is sweet and pretty. So leave her alone and pick on the ones that wrote the script!!

Every Girl Should Be Married is directed by Don Hartman who also co-writes with Stephen Morehouse Avery and Eleanor Harris. It stars Cary Grant, Betsy Drake, Franchot Tone and Diana Lynn. Music is by Leigh Harline and photography by George E. Diskant.

Betsy Drake (in her screen debut) plays Anabel Sims, a department-store clerk who goes after paediatrician Dr. Madison W. Brown (Grant), determined to snag him as her husband.

Women have found it necessary to use subterfuge and their own feminine devices for centuries.

Fun, frothy and a little daring, Every Girl Should Be Married is of its time but none the worse for it. It's a different spin on the battle of the sexes format with Betsy Drake's determined femme proving to be the aggressor in the pursuit of happiness. There would have been some feminists cringing at the notion of one of their number seemingly courting marriage as a reason for being, but digging further into the character reveals a strong lady who knows what she wants and sets about getting it. As the character stands up and says during a marvellous sequence at a lecture given by Grant's eminent doctor, who wrote the rule that only men can ask a girl out? To be the one doing the pursuing? It's relevant stuff and via its comedy zeal puts the sexes on an even playing field. And you know what? As a red blooded male I found this in itself to be very sexy! Drake only had a short career, she would marry Grant soon after this film had been a hit at the Christmas 1948 box office. It's a shame we never got more from her because she owns this film. Managing to shift easily from girlish charm to strong willed woman when the narrative demands, she offers up a counterpoint to the foggy memory of the "Suzy Homemakers" so rife in 50s and 60s American romantic comedies . Drake brings originality to the role, while simultaneously providing great comedy opposite the ever coy Grant. She also has a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts. Grant, Tone and Lynn are playing second fiddle, but that's not to the film's detriment, and with Hartman unfussy in his direction it rounds the film out as a winner. It does pick some ideas from the pockets of previous screw balls, but with its centre fresh and interesting it would be churlish to criticise some outer edge formula steals. 7.5/10

Every Girl Should Be Married is one of my favorites. It's a lighthearted romantic comedy from the 40's, not a stalker movie. Although I'll admit that it could be remade as a 90's stalker movie if someone wanted to.

It's more about the single-minded determination of one young woman to nab the man she wants. The only part of it that might keep you up nights is wondering whether or not your wife was that scheming in her plan to marry you.

I think Betsy Drake and Cary Grant were hilarious. The scene where Cary Grant's character is delivering a speech to the Lady's group is a classic. I wish that it would come out on DVD so that I could delete it from its permanent spot on my TiVo.

Shopgirl Anabel Sims (Betsy Drake) falls for pediatrician Dr. Madison Brown (Cary Grant) and works to entice him into marriage. She pretends to be a high class girl on a date with Roger Sanford (Franchot Tone), the owner of the department store where she works. The scheme gets out of hand but she's relentless.

Anabel picks the wrong guy. I don't mean that Cary Grant isn't the one automatic leading man in every rom-com he's in. I mean that Anabel should pick Sanford over Dr. Brown for the sake of the comedy. She needs to be wrong for the comedy to be right. I guess that this was female empowerment for its time. It does not make it funny but I don't actually mind the dated premise. It's a little funny if done correctly. I do find Anabel's obsession kind of adorable in a funny way. I just think that she could be a more compelling funny character if she gets her comeuppance by being wrong. Also, Dr. Brown gives off a gay vibe. He's a very eligible bachelor who doesn't want anything to do with dating. That actually may be comedic but it's definitely not the 40's.

This film made me very uncomfortable as a woman of the new millenium. Anabel Sims is trying so hard to get married to Dr. Madison Brown that it seems incredibly pathetic that she has no self of her own, only an exaggerated desire to catch the good doctor. He certainly puts her in her place all throughout the film, but she keeps trying all kinds of silly tricks, until the inevitable happy ending of course.

The one scene that I really liked, however, was the one where she appears at Dr. Brown's lecture on pediatrics to mothers, making an impassioned speech about women needing to have the right to pursue a man out in the open if they so desire. I almost cheered but then she asks the females in the audience to stand up if they have ever used female wiles and subterfuge to catch a man, and they ALL STAND UP!

Those were the bad old days...

I read a few reviews that made me sit down & review the movie myself. I am amazed by the number of people who did not get the dark humour in this picture. If the title hasn't been so suggestive, 5 min into the movie you would know that Annabel (played by an adorable Betsy Drake) is desperate to get her man (aptly played by Grant) so she could be settled. To get there, she is ready to do anything! Much of the movie's comic elements come from what Annabel does later. Her actions never seemed "creepy" as some put it, if anything, she was simply adorable in her "menouvres" as Grant put it. The most "violating" (for some of these audiences) of her actions (ie climax scene) at best looked harmless fun, if not, hilariously cute. And could anyone notice, not once Grant's character looked victimised or helpless. Funny that some viewers dont have the sense of humour the character had! My intention is not to discredit anyone of their ability to review a title but i would definitely not call it a disaster - that is going overboard. Its a good comedy with a few screwball elements and an insanely funny female lead. Enjoy it if you love those delightful Golden Age romcoms. I loved it! 7/10.

Stalker is right! Girl sees guy, girl wants guy, girl contrives mundane ways to keep bumping into him, girl won't leave him alone, girl pretends to be a patient, girl can't stop talking about him, girl pretends to love another guy (or two), he doesn't pay attention to her because she's annoying, girl STILL won't leave him alone. Played right, Drake's character could have been charming but she's completely, wholly, unrelenting in her pursuit of Cary Grant's character, her girlfriend-in-cahoots is dull, and sadly, Drake's attempt at playing, "charmingly screwball" comes off as, "disturbingly demented." Grant is himself, as usual, which is fine for Cary but it's as close to a phoned-in performance as I've ever seen from him. The direction is lackluster and the dialog is just plain dim.

Screwball comedy is very difficult to do successfully and when it fails, like in this stubbed-out butt of an attempt, it just stinks. Worse still, Drake spends the entire film in need of a lot of Valium and a restraining order. She ruins any humor to be found in this drier than mummy dust relic.

Ha ha this movie is great! I've never been a Cary Grant fan, but he won me over in this one. This movie is all around funny. Now of coarse the girl in the movie is kinda a stalker, but that's what makes it so great. Watch it, it's cute!

"Ever Girl Should be Married" is not a movie about protagonists – female and male. It's a plain story of one person falling for and pursuing another. Well, not necessarily "falling for" initially. First, it is a determination by Anabel Sims (played very well by Betsy Drake), that she must get married and soon; and then she must look for the right man. That may be the part of the plot that sticks in the craw of most of us, and a fault in the screenplay. Had it been that Anabel was first attracted to Cary Grant's Dr. Madison Brown, and then reasoned that she should get married and pursue him, I think the plot would have seemed to be more natural. As it is, it is a calculated decision bereft of any love, romance or other emotion. I contend that that is the problem with the film for most of us, and the weakness of the screenplay for being able to build and deliver some great comedy sequences.

I'm also not quick to dismiss some viewers who may see Anabel as a stalker. With the caveat that stalking by an attraction of one person for another of the opposite sex in the early 20th century did not have the connotation that stalking has by the 21st century. She was a stalker in what she did then, but it wasn't the dastardly act of a social misfit or emotionally disturbed person we associate it with today. Anabel was stalking Dr. Brown to get him to fall for her. Some may not appreciate the obviousness of Annabel's pursuit, but the very exaggerated nature of it is what makes for the most comedy.

The rest of the cast are all very good. Diana Lynn is a great friend as Julie Howard. Franchot tone is perfect as Roger Sanford. Alan Mowbray and Elisabeth Risdon shine as Mr. Spitzer and nurse Mary Nolan. Nolan had a line that might have been impromptu because I thought Grant faltered a second with it and then commented on her sense of humor. She said, "A doctor can't lose his patience without losing patients."

While Annabel's exaggerated efforts are the source of most of the humor in this movie, they could only carry so much weight. So long as she was the innocent, earnest person she played. Unfortunately, the screenplay didn't offer much more. The movie would have been lifted another notch or two with more witty dialog, especially between Madison and Roger. In the end, I think this movie pokes fun at both sexes over the age-old natural process of mate matching. It doesn't rank with a host of excellent comedies and films in Grant's portfolio, but it is an entertaining watch.

After making this movie, Grant and Drake were married. Grant was on his third of five marriages, and this was his longest by many years. It was Drake's only marriage. The couple separated for four years after Grant had an affair with Sophia Loren while filming "Houseboat" in 1958. They divorced in 1962. Besides this movie, they made another film together three ears into their marriage. "Room for One More" was a wonderful 1952 comedy drama based on a true story.

Cary Grant was 19 years older than Drake. He was 58 when they divorced and he made only three more films after 1962 before he retired from film in 1966. He had 76 films to his credit, all but the first four in which he starred. Betsy Drake was a French-born American actress and writer. She made only 11 films in her screen career, and the latter were interspersed with her writing. Her novel, "Children, You Are Very Little," was published in 1971 under the name of Betsy Drake Grant. Drake did volunteer work in health and education and earned a Masters degree in education from Harvard. Drake had an interesting and fearful experience in 1956 when she survived the collision of the Andrea Doria and Stockholm ocean liners. She was one of 1,660 people rescued from the Andrea Doria before it sank off the coast of North America. She died at age 92 on Oct. 27, 2015, in London.

That was just my little dig at the PC crowd. This movie may be an anachronism for today's society, but it is a fun watch, and a highly entertaining movie. It stars Cary Grant and Betsey Drake. Betsy plays a goofy girl with a good heart, who pursues the seemingly unattainable Grant, who she fell for after they met at a magazine rack in a local store. She is smitten and pursues him like a woman obsessed. Grant is a pediatrician, who has no interest in her whatsoever. She creates what seem like chance meetings, much to the chagrin of Grant. He is wise to her antics and just finds them amusing, knowing full well that this relationship will never get off the ground . I as a viewer thought to myself that there is no way this good looking successful man is going to fall for this goofy and strange person. If that happened today he would probably get a restraining order out against her. The two of them have this wonderful interplay that is very amusing. He does a brief imitation of her to someone, and it is dead on. I always wondered if he improvised that scene. I won't tell you the ending, since you may not have seen it, but it is a surprise. Betsy Drake and Cary Grant were married soon after doing this movie together. I believe the marriage lasted 10 years. Give it a shot. They certainly don't make them like this anymore

I always found Betsy Drake rather creepy, and this movie reinforces that. As another review said, this is a stalker movie that isn't very funny. I watched it because it has CG in it, but he hardly gets any screen time. It's no "North by Northwest"...