The Mating Game
Directed by George Marshall
Written by William Roberts from a novel by H.E. Bates
1959/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/YouTube rental
[box] Sidney ‘Pop’ Larkin: A gentleman always feels better after a little outing![/box]
The “gentleman” referred to in the above quote is a neighbor’s prize boar. When a movie starts with a bunch of pig-mating gags, you know you are in trouble. Bah, humbug.
Generations of the Larkin family has lived on a Maryland farm for 150 years. Pop Larkin (Paul Douglas) is a kindly old soul who makes his living by bartering. He is so into doing unto others that he sees nothing wrong with “borrowing” his snooty neighbor’s animal as a stud for his lonely sow. Naturally the neighbor does not see things the same way. He uses his influence to start an Internal Revenue Service investigation on the family, which has never filed a tax return.
Rabid tax official Oliver Kelsey (Fred Clark) assigns ambitious accountant Lorenzo “Charlie” Charlton (Tony Randall) to the case. Turns out Pop and Ma (Una Merkel) Larkin think the straight-laced young man would be an ideal mate for their sassy and rambunctious daughter Mariette (Debbie Reynolds) and she agrees. They loosen him up by getting him roaring drunk. Many hijinx ensue before the inevitable ending.
I found the jokes in this puerile and unfunny. I like Paul Douglas but thought he was miscast as a hayseed. You can’t win ’em all.
TRAILER
