Darling, How Could You! is a 1951 American period comedy film directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Joan Fontaine, John Lund and Mona Freeman. The script is based on the 1905 J. M. Barrie play Alice Sit-by-the-Fire.[1][2][3] It was produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
| Darling, How Could You! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Mitchell Leisen |
| Written by | Dodie Smith Lesser Samuels |
| Based on | Alice Sit-by-the-Fire by J. M. Barrie |
| Produced by | Harry Tugend |
| Starring | Joan Fontaine John Lund Mona Freeman |
| Cinematography | Daniel L. Fapp |
| Edited by | Alma Macrorie Eda Warren |
| Music by | Friedrich Hollaender |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editIn late 1906, brother and sister Cosmo and Amy Grey have not seen their parents for many years, their father being a doctor who has been in Panama during work on the Panama Canal. Their housekeeper sends them to see a play, Peter Pan, but by mistake they end up seeing a rather sophisticated family melodrama instead.
Robert and Alice Grey come home not sure what to expect. The children hardly know their parents at all. Baby Molly has formed a natural attachment to her nanny, and both are reluctant to have Alice come in and "take over". The three children warm to Robert readily, but Alice receives a cold welcome. Furthermore, the play has given Amy some peculiar ideas of how adults behave. When she hears Alice receive an invitation to meet family friend Dr. Steven Clark, she falsely assumes they are having a romantic tryst.
Amy shows up at Steve's unexpectedly, trying to talk him out of the "affair", much to his confusion. She then decides to hide in a closet when her parents arrive, but when a glove is found and Amy's presence revealed, everybody gets the wrong idea. Alice assumes the doctor is seeing her daughter, while Robert assumes the doctor is seeing his wife. Eventually, Alice discovers why Amy has believed she has been having an affair. She decides to follow the plot of the play and pretends to give Steve up in a dramatic fashion. This helps win Amy, and the other children, over to her side. She explains everything to Robert, much to his amusement, and the newly contented family sits by the fire.
Cast
edit- Joan Fontaine as Mrs. Alice Grey
- John Lund as Dr. Robert Grey
- Mona Freeman as Amy Grey
- Peter Hansen as Dr. Steven Clark
- David Stollery as Cosmo Grey
- Virginia Farmer as Fanny
- Angela Clarke as Nurse
- Lowell Gilmore as Aubrey Quayne
- Robert Barrat as Mr. Rossiter
- Gertrude Michael as Mrs. Rossiter
- Mary Murphy as Sylvia
- Frank Elliott as Simms
- Billie Bird as Rosie
- Willard Waterman as Theatre Manager
Reception
editIn a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Howard Thompson called the film "feeble, sticky and laboriously arch" and a "lusterless flapdoodle." Thompson wrote: "Ragged sentimentality and hackneyed misunderstanding march hand in hand through this tritely presented tale of parlor embarrassment. ... Paramount, how could you!"[4]
References
edit- ^ "Darling, How Could You!". AllMovie. United States: All Media Network. Retrieved April 16, 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Darling, How Could You!". Rotten Tomatoes. United States: Fandango Media. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ "Darling, How Could You!". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- ^ Thompson, Howard (1951-11-09). "The Screen: Two New Movies Shown Here". The New York Times. p. 22.