I Was A Male War-Bride (1949)

   "...a past master at playing the handsome      he-man thrown for a loss by a difficult dame..."

I Was A Male War-Bride - Review is taken from 'The Films of Cary Grant' by Donald Deschner (1973):

"A temperamental French army captain and a strong-minded WAC lieutenant stationed in Occupied Germany spend the first half of this comedy hating each other and the second half trying to find a way for the captain to emigrate to the United States.  There is a short intermission between halves in which the two sparring partners get married.  

The film is poorly paced.  By the time Captain Rochard and Lieutenant Gates get to the altar, it seems as if we've had our money's worth.  But, no - complications are barely beginning.  It appears that the only provision under which Rochard may accompany his wife back to the States is the law regulating the immigration of war brides.  It is with this embarrassing predicament that the film finally gets down to the business announced in the title.  

The comedy has its share of bright and breezy moments.  Cary Grant is a past master at playing the handsome he-man thrown for a loss by a difficult dame or an undignified situation.  But none of the boy-girl situations in this opus is original enough to stand being spun out for two hours."   

- Scholastic Magazine

New Artwork by Rebekah Hawley at Studio36 -
Number 54 - I Was A Male War-Bride (1949) (Lobby Card Style)

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Quote From Today 2 September 2022

On This Day 2 September 2021

On This Day 2 September 2020

Quote From Today... I Was a Male War-Bride (1949)

    "I'll explain to them I think you're repulsive."

With Marion Marshall and Ann Sheridan. 

I Was a Male War-Bride was Cary Grant's 54th full length feature film.

Lt. Catherine Gates: [humiliated after Capt. Rochard publicly returns her laundry in an insinuating manner] Oh, what a stinker YOU are.

Capt. Henri Rochard: [coolly] Did I forget something?

Lt. Catherine Gates: What a dirty stinker - and you're going right back in that office and explain to them how you got my laundry by mistake in Dusseldorf and forgot to give it back to me.

Capt. Henri Rochard: Well, it's such a dull story. Who would care?

Lt. Catherine Gates: You know what you made them think?

Capt. Henri Rochard: [feigning innocence] I don't quite understa... Oh, no! You mean you and ME? Well, I'd be glad to explain to them. The very idea of any connection is revolting.

Lt. Catherine Gates: No, you don't. No, you don't. Never mind. Just forget it.

Capt. Henri Rochard: But I'd be delighted. I'll explain to them I think you're repulsive.

On This Day...I Was A Male War Bride(1949) and People Will Talk(1951)

Today's date sees the release of Cary Grant's 54th and 56th full length feature films, I Was A Male War Bride and People Will Talk.

I Was A Male War Bride (1949):

Cary Grant plays suave French captain Henri Rochard.

Ann Sheridan co-stars as his assistant, Lt. Catherine Gates, who shares in their love-hate relationship!

"...Under Howard Hawks's direction, the end product is one of the most sparklingly original comedies of the year." - Newsweek

"Cary Grant is a past master at playing the handsome he-man thrown for a loss by a difficult dame or an undignified situation." - Scholastic Magazine

"...Cary Grant, as the French captain, and Ann Sheridan, as the WAC who married him, put their all into the fun and manage to keep things moving at a fast pace." - Philip T. Hartung, The Commonweal

With Ann Sheridan.

Although only appearing in the closing scenes, Cary Grant in his horse tail wig and WAC uniform has become the iconic image of the film.

Cast:

Captain Henri Rochard           Cary Grant

Lt. Catherine Gates                 Ann Sheridan

Captain Jack Rumsey             William Neff

Tony Jowitt                             Eugene Gericke

WACS                                    Marion Marshall, Randy Stuart

Innkeeper's Assistant              Ruben Wendorf

Waiter                                     Lester Sharpe

Seaman                                   Ken Tobey

Lieutenant                               Robert Stevenson

Bartender                                Alfred Linder

Chaplain                                 David McMahon

Shore Patrol                            Joe Haworth

Trumble                                  John Whitney

Sergeants                                William Pullen, William Self

Shore Patrol                            John Zilly

Sergeant                                  Bill Murphy

On location.

Lobby Cards:

Directed by Howard Hawks.

Distributed by 20th Century-Fox.

Running time: 105 minutes.

People Will Talk (1951):

Cary Grant plays Dr. Noah Praetorius, a doctor with a mysterious background who comes under investigation.

Jeanne Crain plays a patient who is treated by Dr. Praetorius, after attempting suicide. She eventually marries the doctor, but is unsure of his motives.

With Finlay Currie and friends.

"We've no space to go into particulars - to discuss the inventiveness and skill of Mr. Mankiewicz' story telling, the cleverness of his people's talk or the arch humor of his expose.

Neither can we do more than mention the delightfulness and the good sense of the performance of Cary Grant as the professor, of Jeanne Crain as the troubled girl, of Finlay Currie as the mysterious companion and of Hume Cronyn, Walter Slezak, and many more.

All we can say is that a picture so mature and refreshingly frank as to hold that an erring young woman might be rewarded  with a wise and loving mate is most certainly a significant milestone in the moral emancipation of American film, not to mention an unexpected portent to greet an eager reviewer on his return.

People Will Talk should foment chatter, but that should be all to the good."

- The New York Times.

With Julia Dean and Katherine Locke.

"And once again, Hollywood's ranking "genius" - the only man to win four Academy Awards in two years - has something to say and says it frankly and funnily.

The film, which has a three-way plot, concentrates on one of the strangest and most adult love affairs ever to emerge from Hollywood...Grant...turns in one of the most intelligent performances of his nineteen-year Hollywood career." - News Week

"Cary Grant is excellent as Praetorious..." - Ann Helming, Hollywood Citizen-News.

With Jeanne Crain, Walter Slezak and Sidney Blackmer.

With Jeanne Crain.

Cast:

Dr. Noah Praetorius         Cary Grant

Annabel Higgins             Jeanne Crain

Shunderson                      Finley Currie

Prof. Elwell                     Hume Cronyn

Prof. Barker                    Walter Slezak

Arthur Higgins                Sidney Blackmer

Dean Lyman Brockwell  Basil Ruysdael

Miss James                      Katherine Locke

John Higgins                   Will Wright

Miss Pickett                     Margaret Hamilton

Mrs. Pegwhistle               Esther Somers

Technician                       Carleton Young

Business Manager            Larry Dobkin

Nurse                               Jo Gilbert

Dietician                          Ann Morrison

Old Lady                         Julia Dean

Secretary                          Gail Bonney

Student Manager             William Klein

Haskins                            George Offerman

Mabel                               Adele Longmire

Coonan                            Billy House

Photographer                   Al Murphy

Toy Salesman                  Parley Baer

Cook                                Irene Seidner

Gussie                              Joyce MacKenzie

Night Matron                   Maude Wallack

Bella                                Kay Lavelle

Doctor                              Ray Montgomery

Students                           Paul Lees, Wm. Mauch, Leon Taylor

You can look at this two ways!!

Lobby Cards:

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Distributed by 20th Century-Fox.

Running time: 109 minutes.

Based on the play "Dr. Praetorius" by Curt Goetz.

"Light, Camera...Action!" - The Directors - Part 1

When Cary Grant received his Academy Award for his unique mastery of the art of screen acting, in 1970, he thanked all those who had assisted in his career.

He thanked by name, six directors, Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, Leo McCarey, George Stevens, George Cukor and Stanley Donen.

So, that made me think about which directors he worked with and how often?

Howard Hawks:

30th May 1896 - 26th December 1977

Hawks and Grant worked on a total of six films together:

Bringing Up Baby (1938) with Katharine Hepburn

Only Angels Have Wings (1939) with Rita Haywood

His Girl Friday (1940) with Rosalind Russell

I Was a Male War Bride (1949) with Ann Sheridan

Monkey Business (1952)

Hawks on Grant - "He was so far the best that there isn't anybody to be compared to him."

Howard Hawks directed many films include those from the silent era, but as well as his first three films with Cary Grant he is probably most remembered for Scarface (1932), Twentieth Century (1934), Sergeant York (1941), To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and Rio Bravo (1959).

What's In a Name...Change?

So we know that Cary Grant was a name change from Archie Leach.

But did you know that there have been other name changes connected with Cary Grant?

Six films of Cary Grant had title changes for the UK market.

When You're In Love (1937) had the title changed to, For You Alone.

The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (The Amazing Adventure 1937) had its title changed to Romance and Riches.

Holiday (1938) was changed to a much longer title, Free to Live, Unconventional Linda.

The Howards of Virginia (1940) reverted to the title of the novel it was based on, 

The Tree of Liberty.

(Novel artwork)

The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer (1947) became titled Bachelor Knight.

 

I Was a Male War Bride (1949) was re-titled to, You Can't Sleep Here.