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The Mating Game (1959)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
October 1959 (Austria) morePlot:
Tax-collector Lorenzo Charlton comes to the Larkins' farm to ask why Pop Larkins hasn't paid his back-taxes... more | add synopsisPlot Keywords:
Awards:
3 wins moreUser Comments:
The Barter Economy more (13 total)Cast
(Credited cast)| Debbie Reynolds | ... | Mariette Larkin | |
| Tony Randall | ... | Lorenzo Charlton | |
| Paul Douglas | ... | Sidney 'Pop' Larkin | |
| Fred Clark | ... | Oliver Kelsey | |
| Una Merkel | ... | Ma Larkin | |
| Philip Ober | ... | Wendell Burnshaw | |
| Philip Coolidge | ... | Rev. Osgood | |
| Charles Lane | ... | Inspector General Bigelow | |
| Trevor Bardette | ... | Chief Guthrie | |
| William Smith | ... | Barney | |
| Addison Powell | ... | David De Groot | |
| Rickey Murray | ... | Lee Larkin | |
| Donald Losby | ... | Grant Larkin | |
| Cheryl Bailey | ... | Victoria Larkin | |
| Caryl Bailey | ... | Susan Larkin |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
96 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreSound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)Fun Stuff
Soundtrack:
I've Got You Under My Skin moreFAQ
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The Mating Game's plot is based entirely on the premise that in the mid 20th century, a family could live on the barter system and hence not come up on anyone's radar including the IRS. It was forced then, but in today's computer world with the increasing use of credit cards, it would be impossible to make.
Yet that is what we are to believe about the Larkin clan led by Paul Douglas and Una Merkel and their five kids, oldest being Debbie Reynolds who dusts off her Tammy character for this film. A neighbor, Philip Ober, who is a little tired of the Larkin's Tobacco Road ways, has finally ratted them out to the IRS and Tony Randall's been sent to investigate the situation.
The rest of the film is about the Larkin income tax situation and how everything is ultimately resolved in the end. The best scenes in the movie involve Tony Randall getting smashed on some of the Larkin's concocted schnapps.
Unfortunately in order to make this work it would have to have been set maybe at the turn of the 20th century. Had they done so, the situations might have been believable. For instance, the Larkins have a television. I'd love to know just what they would have offered in barter every month for the electric bill. Or how did they manage to pay the phone bill.