Check Out These Must-Watch ‘Mister’ Films for a Fun Evening

The 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s all saw hit movies featuring the word “Mister” in their title. Perhaps most recognizable would be a couple of the Frank Capra greats, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” in 1939 and 1936, respectively. Though wonderful movies, they lean a bit to the serious side, and after last week’s dark picks about conspiracies involving the presidency, I thought this week called for some lighter fare and laughs. The “Misters” in the three titles below all get more than they bargained for, and you’ll get an entertaining evening watching them work through their dilemmas.

Enjoy!

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

RELEASE DATE: 1948 DIRECTOR: H. C. Potter STUDIO: RKO Radio Pictures HEADLINERS: Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas RUN TIME: 1 hour, 34 minutes FILMED IN: Black & White IMDb RANK: 7.2

SYNOPSIS: An advertising executive dreams of getting out of the city and building a perfect home in the country, only to find the transition fraught with problems when he invests in a money pit, the locals take advantage of his naivete, and his wife gets carried away with decorating.

NOTES: Based on the 1946 novel of the same name by Eric Hodgins. Grant is at his best in comedic roles, in my opinion, and this film is no exception. The house built for the 1948 film on the old Fox Ranch property in Malibu Creek State Park, in the hills a few miles north of Malibu, has been used as the park’s office and as offices for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. No information could be found about whether it survived recent wildfires in that area. To promote the film, RKO built 73 replica houses around the United States, including ones in Spokane, WA; Hartford, Bridgeport, Trumbull and Wethersfield, CN; Warwick, RI; Worcester, Natick, Newton and Springfield, MA; Pittsburgh, PA; Greensboro and Rocky Mount, NC; and Ottawa Hills, OH. They were sold by raffle contests and other methods. In 1950, after seeing the film at a local theater, dentist Luther Werner Fetter and his wife Mary purchased the plans for the house from RKO and built a complete replica of it on Mt. Joy Street in Elizabethtown, PA. Loosely remade in 1986 as the Money Pit and in 2007 as Are We Done Yet?

LINKS: Trailer | Full film | Rent/buy

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

RELEASE DATE: 1957 DIRECTOR: John Huston STUDIO: 20th Century Fox HEADLINERS: Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum RUN TIME: 1 hour, 46 minutes FILMED IN: Color IMDb RANK: 7.3

SYNOPSIS: In 1944 during World War II, the castaway Corporal Allison, adrift in a raft since his submarine was attacked, lands on tiny Tuasiva Island, where he meets Sister Angela. She’s the only person on the island, having been left behind while trying to evacuate a priest. The nun and the marine are stranded, but the island offers a bountiful supply of food. However, their paradisiacal life ends when Japanese arrive to build an outpost, forcing them to take refuge in a cave. The marine’s expertise in such conditions proves to be vital to their survival, and the two grow ever closer.

NOTES: Adapted from the 1952 novel of the same name by Charles Shaw. John Lee Mahin, who wrote the script, called the original novel “a very dirty book” and claims producer Gene Frenke kept pushing for more sex to be added. Ghis was resisted by both Mahin and Huston. A sexual tension remains between the two characters, however, a variation on a theme Huston first used in African Queen: a pious woman thrown together with an impious man in dire circumstances. Not a comedy per se, but the film does have its comical moments as the two learn to work together. Filmed on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago in what was then the British West Indies. Kerr was nominated for a best actress Oscar for her role.

LINKS: Trailer | Full film | Rent/buy

Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation

RELEASE DATE: 1962 DIRECTOR: Henry Coster STUDIO: 20th Century Fox HEADLINERS: James Stewart, Maureeen O’Hara, Fabian, Lauri Peters RUN TIME: 1 hour, 56 minutes FILMED IN: Color IMDb RANK: 6.8

SYNOPSIS: Banker Roger Hobbs wants to spend his vacation alone with his wife, Peggy, but she insists on a family vacation at a California beach house that turns out to be ugly and broken down. Daughter Katey, embarrassed by her braces, refuses to go to the beach, as does TV-addicted son Danny. When the family is joined by Hobbs’ two unhappily married daughters and their husbands, he must help everyone with their problems to get some peace.

NOTES: Based on the 1954 Novel of the same name by Edward Streeter. Filmed in California at Laguna Beach and Dana Point. Screenplay by Nunnally Johnson. During the scene in which Mr. Hobbs escorts his daughter Katey to a dance at the yacht club, Herb Alpert is the trumpet player in the band. The ongoing “party line” gag throughout the film will keep you in stitches, as will the couple Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs must entertain–prospective employers for their unemployed son-in-law. I enjoyed the Henry Mancini song “Cream Puff” sung by Fabian and Lauri Peters in the movie: