Remains to Be Seen (1953)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Don Weis

Writers:

Russel Crouse (play) and
Howard Lindsay (play) ...

Release Date:

15 May 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery | Crime

Tagline:

M-G-M's Fright-FULLY FUNNY MIRTHQUAKE (original print ad - mostly caps)

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play

Cast

June Allyson	...	Jody Revere
Van Johnson	...	Waldo Williams
Louis Calhern	...	Benjamin Goodman
Angela Lansbury	...	Valeska Chauvel
John Beal	...	Dr. Glenson
Dorothy Dandridge	...	Herself
Barry Kelley	...	Lt. O'Flair
Sammy White	...	Ben
Kathryn Card	...	Mrs. West
Paul Harvey	...	Mr. Bennett
Helene Millard	...	Mrs. Bennett
Peter Chong	...	Ling Tan
Charles Lane	...	Delapp (examiner)
Larry J. Blake	...	Detective Minetti (as Larry Blake)
Morgan Farley	...	Kyle Manning

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Of June Allyson and Van Johnson's five costarring movies between 1944 and 1953 -- along with their separate musical appearances in Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) -- only their last pairing did not garner a contemporary New York Times review.

Soundtrack:

Taking a Chance on Love

Allyson and Johnson make a great couple

Let's get this straight right from the start: "Remains To Be Seen" is neither a cinematic masterpiece nor a standout comedy, even by the standards of its time. The storyline is rather thin, too, plus the movie tries to be a comedy and a mystery thriller simultaneously, a combination that rarely works.

Still, I like it a great deal. Why? As a light comedy, it's certainly entertaining and even a sourpuss will get at least some laughs out of it. Then, it's the setting, New York City in the early 1950s, a fancy apartment building on Park Avenue. I admit I've always been sold on 1940s and 1950s culture (including movies), the architecture, the automobiles, jazz music and even the way people used to dress back then. Americans in those days may have been a bunch of commie-baiting, racist, chauvinist bigots (I'm not saying they were, but they've certainly been amply characterized as such), but they sure had style, much more so than today (but that goes for popular culture in most Western countries, including Germany).

Anyway, what makes this movie really worth watching is the chemistry between the two main characters, played by June Allyson and Van Johnson. They gas each other practically the moment they meet, a fully credible romance one simply has to find enchanting. They're a wonderful match, two wholesome and outstandingly likeable people who seem to have been made for each other.

Other plusses for "Remains To Be Seen" are a host of great character actors like Louis Calhern, Barry Kelley and Angela Lansbury and, last but not least, an all-too-brief appearance by the magnificent Dorothy Dandridge, playing herself in a spirited, swinging and highly sophisticated rendition of that wonderful song "Taking A Chance On Love". Plenty of good swing music in that movie in general.

All the more reason to watch "Remains To Be Seen", which I caught on German Television late at night (and videotaped on that occasion). I'll keep it forever, that's for sure.