Themes: Fish Out of Water, Opposites Attract, Age Disparity Romance
Main Cast: Irving Bacon, Cary Grant, William Bakewell, Myrna Loy, Ian Bernard, Shirley Temple, Veda Ann Borg, Rudy Vallee, Ray Collins
Release Year: 1947
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
Judge Myrna Loy decides that the best way to curb the excesses of playboyish art teacher Cary Grant is to force him to do what he does best--romance a willing young lady. In this instance, the girl is Loy's own sister, played by a blossoming Shirley Temple. Aware that Temple has a serious crush on Grant, Loy orders him to date the teen-aged Temple until the girl gets him out of her system; he is also ordered to keep his hands to himself lest he wind up in the pokey. Grant finds the irrepressible Temple rather wearisome, but he throws himself into his sentence full-force, donning teenaged clothes, speaking in nonsense slang ("Voodoo! Who Do? You Do!" etc.) and participating in the athletic events at a high school picnic. Grant eventually divests himself of Temple by arranging for her to fall for a boy her own age; meanwhile, Loy realizes what we've realized all along--that it is she who is truly smitten by Grant. Adding to the frothy fun of Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer are the supporting performances of Ray Collins as a sagacious psychologist and Rudy Vallee as a stuffy district attorney. The film's screenplay won an Academy Award for Sidney Sheldon, who went on to create I Dream of Jeannie and to matriculate into a best-selling novelist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Although quite dated in some ways, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer is a very enjoyable little farce. The biggest drawback to modern audiences is, unfortunately, its very premise: that an adult man would be encouraged to date a teenage girl -- and the girl's sister, yet. The situation nowadays comes across as rather smarmy, and one wonders about the wisdom of a judge that would create a situation that could conceivably lead to terrible consequences. Once one accepts the premise, however, there's a great deal to enjoy in Sidney Sheldon's screenplay. The plotting is just what is expected, but it comes across as inevitable rather than predictable, and Sheldon has supplied his characters with amusing situations (the opening trial sequence and Nugent and Margaret's dinner are especially fine) and sharp, delightful dialogue. Irving G. Reis' direction keeps the film moving at a brisk pace, allowing the jokes to land, but never lingering a moment too long. Cary Grant is, of course, in impeccable farceur mode, showing off both his charm and his sense of timing to their very best advantage. He's well matched by the delectable Myrna Loy, and Shirley Temple comes off quite well in one of her few "grown-up" parts. Bachelor is a trifle, but it's fun. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Carroll Clark - Art Director, Albert S. D'Agostino - Art Director, Edward Stevenson - Costume Designer, Irving G. Reis - Director, Frederic Knudtson - Editor, Leigh Harline - Composer (Music Score), Constantin Bakaleinikoff - Musical Direction/Supervision, Robert de Grasse - Cinematographer, Nick Musuraca - Cinematographer, Dore Schary - Producer, James Altwies - Set Designer, Darrell Silvera - Set Designer, Russell A. Cully - Special Effects, John L. Cass - Sound/Sound Designer, Clem Portman - Sound/Sound Designer, Sidney Sheldon - Screenwriter
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer is a 1947 American screwball comedy film directed by Irving Reis. The screenplay was written by Sideny Sheldon. The film stars Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Shirley Temple in a story about a teenager's crush on an older man. The film was a critical success. Sheldon won an Academy Award for the screenplay.
Seventeen-year-old Susan Turner develops a crush on Richard Nugent, a sophisticated bachelor who gives a lecture on art at her high school. Susan's uncle, a psychiatrist, believes Richard is an innocent bystander, but manages to persuade him to play along with Susan until the infatuation ends. He reluctantly agrees. When his efforts to shake her off fail, he throws himself into the charade hoping Susan's older sister Margaret will put an end to the affair. The film ends with Nugent and Margaret falling in love and Susan returning happily to her high school sweetheart, Jerry.
Cast
Cary Grant as Richard Nugent, a sophisticated bachelor
Some of the patter from the film ("You remind me of the man." "What man?" "The man with the power." "What power?" "The power of hoodoo." "Who-do?" "You do." "Do what?" "Remind me of the man." "What man?" and so forth) was used by David Bowie in one of the songs from "Labyrinth".
