The Awful Truth

After suspicion infects the marriage, a couple (Cary Grant, Irene Dunne) divorces and begins to sabotage their ex's newfound relationships. Leo McCarey won a Best Director Oscar for directing this hilarious screwball comedy, an accolade which is almost never bestowed today on the genre, with Grant in light, playful form and Dunne absolutely delightful. Asta the dog, best known for the Thin Man series, is a memorable standout here.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Make Way for Tomorrow

An elderly couple lose their home to foreclosure and are forced to live separately with their grown children who are either too busy, selfish, or put upon to deal with the inconvenience. Leo McCarey, a versatile director who crafted films ranging from romantic tragedies to Marx Brothers movies, devised this poignant, near devastating, and hard hitting tear jerker that, while somewhat dated and measured, has many fine moments.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Duck Soup

Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) is named supreme leader over the fictional land of Freedonia at the behest of heiress Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) over whose honor he declares war on adjoining Sylvania. In the meantime, the head of this rival nation has hired two bumbling spies (Chico and Harpo Marx) to keep tabs on their enemy's new leader. The Marx Brothers' classic melange is not so much a movie as a nonstop assault of gags, one-liners, one-upsmanship, and putdowns. In short, hilarious irreverence. Directed by Leo McCrarey, best known for more say respectable fare (Going My Way, An Affair to Remember), it features memorable sequence after memorable sequence (the mirror gag seemingly stands out for most) with each brother in top form.

**** out of ****

Going My Way

A magnetic, young priest is sent to smooth over the replacement of the old cantankerous pastor of a Brooklyn Church. While handling the affairs of the struggling parish, the musically inclined padre also starts a choir with the troubled local youth and aides a wayward runaway. "Going My Way" is old-fashioned corn presented in a highly affable manner, and made all the more palatable by the amiable nature of Bing Crosby, the famous crooner in his Academy Award winning turn, and the enderaring performance of Barry Fitzgerald, also an Oscar winner, as the cranky old cleric. Director Leo McCarey's immensely popular film seems dated in some regards, and almost impossible to succeed today. Despite oversentiment and a few meandering moments, it is still a highly entertaining and nostalgiac film.

An Affair to Remember

Nickie Ferrante is such a world famous bachelor that even one of the Gondoliers in Venice tells his clients that Ferrante is getting married. As he makes his way to America to see his fiance by ship he meets Terry, also engaged. The two form an immediate bond and have a great time during their fling. When they arrive at port they decide to meet again in 6 months atop the Empire State where they will both be wed. Leo McCarey remade his own Love Affair from 1939 and the result is a very fine first half of a film and a second half that is a letdown. After a while, the comedic airs dissipate and the sap settles in leading up to what proves to be an unsatisfying conclusion. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr are terrific in this film from 1957, but elements of the story are stale and the script could have used a little updating.
**1/2