Main Cast: Judy Garland, Freddie Bartholomew, Mary Astor, Walter Pidgeon, Alan Hale
Release Year: 1938
Country: US
Run Time: 70 minutes
Plot
Two of MGM's top juvenile stars, Judy Garland and Freddie Bartholomew, team up for the otherwise unremarkable Listen, Darling. The story gets rolling when widowed Dotty Wingate (Mary Astor) decides to remarry for the sake of her children Pinkie (Garland) and Billie (Scotty Beckett). To prevent her mother from making this fateful move, Pinkie and her best pal Buzz (Bartholomew) conspire to "kidnap" Dotty by convincing her to take a cross-country motor trip. En route, the vacationers make the acquaintance of lawyer Richard Thurlow (Walter Pidgeon). Immediately altering her plan, Pinkie decides that Thurlow would make a perfect stepfather, and the rest of the film is devoted to the zany methods implemented by the kids to bring Thurlow and Dottie together. Early in the proceedings, Judy Garland sings "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart", easily the film's most memorable moment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
With an eye on rival Universal's sensational Deanna Durbin, MGM crafted this pleasantly foolish piece of fluff for their own teenage songbird, Judy Garland. But where Durbin did her romantic meddling mainly en coloratura, Garland prefers "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart," "On the Bumpy Road to Love," and "Ten Pins in the Sky." The first mentioned became one of the legend's great favorites and is indeed the main reason for watching Listen, Darling. That, and an early teaming with the delightful Mary Astor. But where, pray tell, was Mickey Rooney? ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Dolly Tree - Costume Designer, Edwin L. Marin - Director, Blanche Sewell - Editor, George Stoll - Musical Direction/Supervision, Charles Lawton - Cinematographer, Jack Cummings - Producer, Anne Morrison Chapin - Screenwriter, Elaine Ryan - Screenwriter, Katherine Brush - Short Story Author
