Post by marshamae on Dec 27, 2019 17:08:29 GMT
Like all the best screwball comedies it’s full of great small moments. Who can resist Thelma Ritter in her first role , nailing that exasperated mother .and Natalie wood was truly one of The great child actors. She had a lot of long scenes, with three different actors, a lot depended on her ability to handle dialogue, facial expressions and to do comic impressions and sorrow. She was aces on all counts. One of my favorite never- mentioned moments is Mrs Shellhammer , full of triple martinis, drunkenly agreeing over the phone to have Santy clause as a house guest. Mr Shellhammer is a great foil for Maureen O’Hara. Finally there is wonderful Porter Hall with his talking eyebrow.
The smartest thing they did was cast the whole film with character actors. Even Maureen O’Hara and John Payne, who can both be fairly woooden and one note, rose to tge occasion.
The smartest thing they did was cast the whole film with character actors. Even Maureen O’Hara and John Payne, who can both be fairly woooden and one note, rose to tge occasion.