Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

H.C. Potter

Writers:

Eric Hodgins (novel)
Norman Panama (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

4 June 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A man and his wife decide they can afford to have a house in the country built to their specifications. It's a lot more trouble than they think.

Plot Keywords:

House | Apartment | Engineer | Advertising | Connecticut

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Jim Blandings
Myrna Loy	...	Muriel Blandings
Melvyn Douglas	...	Bill Cole
Reginald Denny	...	Henry L. Simms
Sharyn Moffett	...	Joan Blandings
Connie Marshall	...	Betsy Blandings
Louise Beavers	...	Gussie
Ian Wolfe	...	Smith - a real estate agent
Harry Shannon	...	W. D. Tesander
Tito Vuolo	...	Mr. Zucca - the steam shovel operator
Nestor Paiva	...	Joe Appollonio
Jason Robards Sr.	...	John W. Retch (as Jason Robards)
Lurene Tuttle	...	Mary
Lex Barker	...	Carpenter Foreman
Emory Parnell	...	Mr. PeDelford
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stanley Andrews	...	Mr. Murphy (uncredited)
Robert Bray	...	Workman (uncredited)
Don Brodie	...	Charlie, Painter (uncredited)
Cliff Clark	...	Jones (uncredited)
Kernan Cripps	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Frank Darien	...	Judge Quarles (uncredited)
Hal K. Dawson	...	Harry Selby (uncredited)
Jack Jahries	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Hurried diner (uncredited)
Gene Leslie	...	Taxi driver (uncredited)
Charles Middleton	...	Wrecker (uncredited)
Franklin Parker	...	Simpson (uncredited)
Cy Slocum	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Ralph Stein	...	Proprietor (uncredited)
Dan Tobin	...	Bunny Funkhauser (uncredited)
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	Workman (uncredited)
Bud Wiser	...	Customer (uncredited)
Will Wright	...	Eph Hackett (uncredited)

Directed by
H.C. Potter

Writing credits
Eric Hodgins		(novel "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House")
Norman Panama		(written by) and
Melvin Frank		(written by)

Produced by
Melvin Frank	....	producer
Norman Panama	....	producer
Dore Schary	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Leigh Harline

Cinematography by
James Wong Howe

Film Editing by
Harry Marker

Art Direction by
Carroll Clark
Albert S. D'Agostino

Set Decoration by
Harley Miller
Darrell Silvera

Costume Design by
Robert Kalloch		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor
Hazel Rogers	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
James H. Anderson	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Lane	....	assistant director
Alex Finlayson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Joel Freeman	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Clem Portman	....	sound
Francis M. Sarver	....	sound

Special Effects by
Russell A. Cully	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Charles Burke	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Jim Kirley	....	grip (uncredited)
Gaston Longet	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	musical director

Other crew
Charles Cirillo	....	stand-in (as Charley Cirillo)
Dore Schary	....	presenter
John Swope	....	technical advisor
Dan Cassell	....	stand-in: Cary Grant (uncredited)
Ivy Keene	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Jean Nash	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Reinhard W. Noack	....	German version dubbing director (uncredited)
Charlie Phillips	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Kay Phillips	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Pete Weissmuller	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures

Distributors

• Selznick Releasing Organization (1948) (USA) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1957) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Turner Classic Movies (TCM) (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Turner Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1948) (UK) (theatrical) (as RKO Radio Films)
• CDE (????) (Italy) (video)
• Colors Company (????) (Italy) (video)
• Eden Video (????) (Italy) (video)
• Home Video (????) (Italy) (video)
• M & R (????) (Italy) (video)
• Pana Record (????) (Italy) (video)
• Ricordi Video (????) (Italy) (video)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Éditions Montparnasse (2004) (France) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Solters & Digney  publicity (uncredited)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | West Germany:12 | France:U | Finland:S | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #12766) | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Administration Building, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Many critics in 1948 felt that Cary Grant and Myrna Loy were too old to play the naive young couple who don't know about building a house.

Quotes:

Muriel Blandings: You remember Bunny Funkhouser, dear, that clever young interior decorator that we met at the Collins' cocktail party.
Jim Blandings: You mean that young man with the open-toed sandals? What about him?
Muriel Blandings: Well, you know how long we've said we've got to do something about fixing up this apartment. Well, a couple of weeks ago, he called, and I asked him to come over, and he had some simply wonderful ideas, and I didn't want to bother you with sketches and estimates until I knew whether we could afford it. So I sent them over to Bill.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)

Building the American Dream

In Manhattan, the American middle class Jim Blandings (Cary Grant) lives with his wife Muriel (Myrna Loy) and two teenage daughters in a four bedroom and one bathroom only leased apartment. Jim works in an advertising agency raising US$ 15,000.00 a year and feels uncomfortable in his apartment due to the lack of space. When he sees an advertisement of a huge house for sale in the country of Connecticut for an affordable price, he drives with his wife and the real estate agent and decides to buy the old house without any technical advice. His best friend and lawyer Bill Cole (Melvyn Douglas) sends an acquaintance engineer to inspect the house, and the man tells that he should put down the house and build another one. Jim checks the information with other engineers and all of them condemn the place and sooner he finds that he bought a "money pit" instead of a dream house.

"Mr. Blandings Builds his Own House" is an extremely funny comedy, with witty lines and top-notch screenplay. Cary Grant is hilarious in the role of a man moved by the impulse of accomplishing with the American Dream of owning a huge house that finds that made bad choice, while losing his touch in his work and feeling jealous of his friend. In 1986, Tom Hanks worked in a very funny movie visibly inspired in this delightful classic, "The Money Pit". My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Lar, Meu Tormento" ("Home, My Torment")