The Mating Game (1959)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

H.E. Bates (novel)
William Roberts (writer)

Release Date:

October 1959 (Austria)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Tax-collector Lorenzo Charlton comes to the Larkins' farm to ask why Pop Larkins hasn't paid his back-taxes...

Plot Keywords:

Farm | Tax Collector | Based On Novel

Awards:

3 wins

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

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:S | West Germany:6

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Quotes:

[referring to a pig the family borrowed for breeding that is being returned]
Grant Larkin: Why's he have to be so ornery?
Lee Larkin: Well you'd be ornery, too, if they took you away from your sweetheart.
Grant Larkin: Not if she was a pig, I wouldn't.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist (1987) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I've Got You Under My Skin

Debbie Reynolds and Tony Randall are an Odd Couple

Rambunctious Debbie Reynolds (as Mariette Larkin) gets the urge to mate with tax collector Tony Randall (as Lorenzo Charlton). And, he wants to mate with her! - How? - Well, farming father Paul Douglas (as Sidney "Pa" Larkin) doesn't pay taxes; he trades things, and raises piglets. Maryland "Ma" Una Merkel raises children, and bakes blueberry pies. Ms. Reynolds rides a pig into wealthy neighbor Philip Ober (as Wendell Burnshaw)'s mansion, prompting Mr. Ober to summon Mr. Randall from the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). Will Randall collect taxes, Reynolds, or both?

Reynolds and Randall are not a very convincing romantic couple. They should have considered casting, perhaps, Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. Randall dances a drunken melody of "Frère Jacques" / "I've Got You Under My Skin". This is followed by an impossibly implausible (even for this type of film) implied sex scene, with Reynolds. Director George Marshall gives it an appropriate feature-length "sit-com" treatment; but, the material makes the increasing slapstick more painful than funny (witness the "barn" fight scene). The supporting cast, with its old pros and fresh faces, is a treasure trove, however.

***** The Mating Game (1959) George Marshall ~ Debbie Reynolds, Tony Randall, Paul Douglas