I didn't expect to appreciate this 1951 comedy as much as I did, but it's excellent pacing, effective script, and wonderful cast all contributed to a very positive cinematic experience. This film is almost as old as I am but seems to have aged much better than I have. Behind the comic facade lurks a very serious undercurrent concerning social status in America, which is just as relevant today as it was in 1951. The theme that prevails is that people are to be judged as individuals rather than by the socio-economic realm in which they exist.
John Lund, who also starred in "Foreign Affair" with Marlene Dietrich and Jean Arthur, gave a great performance as the newly wed who discovers that his working class mother has been hired by his aristocratic bride as their maid while he is forced to play along with the idea without revealing her identity. Gene Tierney as the wife is as charming as ever. I don't think that I would have liked the classic "Laura" very much without being enchanted by her quirky loveliness. Miriam Hopkins perfected the art of portraying some of the most obnoxious characters in cinema ("The Heiress", "Children's Hour"., etc.) and does so again as Tierney's repulsive and excessively snobby mother. But the performer who really steals the show, once again, is the one and only Thelma Ritter. No one can bring the silliest lines and the dullest movies to life like Thelma, who was recognized for her outstanding work here with the first of five Oscar nominations.
John Lund, who also starred in "Foreign Affair" with Marlene Dietrich and Jean Arthur, gave a great performance as the newly wed who discovers that his working class mother has been hired by his aristocratic bride as their maid while he is forced to play along with the idea without revealing her identity. Gene Tierney as the wife is as charming as ever. I don't think that I would have liked the classic "Laura" very much without being enchanted by her quirky loveliness. Miriam Hopkins perfected the art of portraying some of the most obnoxious characters in cinema ("The Heiress", "Children's Hour"., etc.) and does so again as Tierney's repulsive and excessively snobby mother. But the performer who really steals the show, once again, is the one and only Thelma Ritter. No one can bring the silliest lines and the dullest movies to life like Thelma, who was recognized for her outstanding work here with the first of five Oscar nominations.