As Young as You Feel (1951) Online

This is among my favorite "little movies"--movies that were small budget and about everyday people with everyday problems. The lead is played by the crotchety but very erudite Monty Woolley. Monty is forced to retire from his job as a printer due to his age, even though he still feels young and vigorous. Everyone around him seems to agree that retirement shouldn't be forced upon you if you are still able and willing to work, but no one in this large company where he works seems to be able to anything about this rule--especially since the company is actually controlled by a huge corporation. They just keep saying it's company policy and they would change it if they could--maybe he should talk the the guy in charge to get the rule changed someone suggests. Unfortunately, no one seems to know exactly who that is or how to find him. Out of sheer frustration, he hatches a plot to impersonate the company's CEO and make the changes himself! Unfortunately, this relatively simple plan snowballs and lots of unforeseen problems arise.

This is a brisk, cute movie that it sure to please. The acting is superb (I just love Woolley in films), the story well written and the film leaves you smiling.

PS--Get Marilyn Monroe OFF the Video Cover!!! She's barely in the movie at all--if you expect her, expect to be disappointed. Stupid advertising folks!

This film was indeed a mildly amusing comedy and one's acceptance of it will depend on one's affection for Monty Wooley. But I was fascinated by the credits. It's part of the feel-good type of movies of the early 1950s. The story is by a young Paddy Chakevsky, who would later write Marty, A Catered Affair, The Goddess, The Americanization of Emily, Hospital, Network, and Altered States, and the screenplay is by Lamar Trotti, who wrote the screenplays for John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln and Drums Along the Mohawk, for Ox Bow Incident, and won the screenplay Oscar for Wilson in 1944. A lot of talent in a thimble. It might be interesting to compare this screenplay to their other works for similarities. Chakevsky's work later became sharp and hard and even bitter. But his Marty, Catered Affair, and maybe even this show a gentle, humorous side. Trotti would die the next year, so this is one of his last screenplays

"As Young As You Feel" is a modest budget early 50's B&W comedy. While the creative people were experimenting with 'film noir' and 'neo-realism', the studios were cranking out stuff like this for a traditional audience. This adaptation of a story by Paddy Chayefsky was made during the McCarthy years, so the social satire aspect could only be subtly subversive. The themes (balancing work and play, doing work that gives you personal satisfaction, and maintaining your integrity) give the film a worthwhile message and are not delivered in an overbearing manner.

Monty Woolley (as John Hodges) carries the film as a printer who is pushed into retirement at age 65 and decides to impersonate the president of the holding company that owns the printing plant where he worked. This sets up a sort of 'Being There' effect, where his views on national affairs become an inspiration to the whole country. David Wayne (who would eventually play the Mad Hatter on "Batman") plays his prospective son-in-law and their scenes are all gems, partly because they have a real chemistry and partly because they got the best dialogue. The best scene is the opening, a very well staged scene of the company orchestra playing the "Nutcracker": the camera opens on a promotional poster, pans left and takes us into the concert hall as a little girl scurries to her seat. The camera moves around in the crowd where we meet most of the main characters. Hodges is playing one of the piccolos and he soon launches into an impromptu solo, much to the annoyance of the guest conductor and an accurate preview of what his role will be throughout the film.

This film is fairly entertaining but is most valuable as a cultural artifact. Because it was not a high budget production the cast is almost entirely older stars at the very end of their careers (like Wooley and Constance Bennett) and young actors at the beginning (Wayne, Jean Peters, and Marilyn Monroe). So there is a kind of torch passing at work. It is also hints at Monroe's special screen presence which somehow allowed her to beat the Hollywood starlet system. She and Peters were the same age (both were born in 1926) and had both started too late in the movie business. By this film they had already lost all the youthful luster of their early 20's (check out how much better Peters looked two years earlier in 'It Happens Every Spring' and Monroe before she became a blonde), yet Monroe was somehow able to transcend this and become a big star.

Arthur Miller said of Monroe: "She was rarely taken seriously as anything but a sex symbol. To have survived, she would have had to be either more cynical or even further from reality than she was. Instead, she was a poet on a street corner trying to recite to a crowd pulling at her clothes."

Monty Woolley's film career has not had as much discussion as it deserves. The one time head of Yale University's Drama Department, and close personal friend (possibly lover) of Cole Porter, had been involved in Broadway for many years. He was, for example, in the original cast of the Rodgers and Hart Musical ON YOUR TOES, as the Russian Ballet impresario who sings TOO GOOD FOR THE AVERAGE MAN. He also made many film appearances in the 1930s, including the irascible, but eventually dumbfounded French judge in Mitchell Leisin's MIDNIGHT. But his fame would come when he was starred in the original production of THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER, and subsequently was lucky enough to repeat his performance in the film version. Other film starring parts were his as well, such as THE PIED PIPER, and his pair of films co-starring Gracie Fields, HOLY MATRIMONY and MOLLY AND ME. But more frequently he ended up in supporting parts (even in THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER it was Bette Davis who was given the starring position in the credits!). More typical of his later films was MISS TATLOCK'S MILLIONS, where he and Dan Tobin were two greedy uncles of "Schuyler Tatlock" (John Lund). A better (deeper) part was the Latin Scholar in THE BISHOP'S WIFE, who is going to write the greatest history of Rome since Edward Gibbon.

The problem, for Woolley, was age. To an extent, in the early 1940s, he was able to still play grouchy sorts who were not too old (say about 50). But as the 1940s went forward, Woolley's age became a handicap. It was harder and harder to find material for him where he was the star.

Without a doubt his last starring role was as John Hodges, the 65 year old printer who is forced by a company policy to retire while he is still mentally and physically vigorous. Few films from Hollywood had tackled the issue of aging. The best known one was Leo McCarey's MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW, with Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi, which remains a heartbreakingly sad film. But that was made in 1935. Except for an occasional comment about aging in a film (like Berton Churchill's comment to John Carridine not to heed his white hairs if he is hesitant to challenge Churchill to a fight in STAGECOACH), most of the movies ignored aging. Even before the 1960s and President Kennedy's pushing a cult of youth and vigor, Hollywood was pretty much doing the same thing.

So this is why AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL is such an unusual film. Besides Woolley getting one of the best parts of his career, it tackled a relatively taboo subject. Why talk about the inevitable that nobody likes to think about - aging and weakening...and eventually death. It's a downer in terms of a theme for a film (as McCarey's movie had brilliantly shown). But in point of fact AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL is the reverse side of the coin.

Woolley is forced to retire from his firm, and is angry about it. Then, by chance, he is able to temporarily take over the media and town's attention when he is mistaken for the multi-millionaire (Minor Watson) who has taken over the factory that retired Wooley. Being an intelligent man, his opinions get huge publicity and sweep the nation. Woolley stresses that the chronicle age of the individual does not mean that he or she is to be put out to pasture, if he or she is capable of functioning and contributing to society. Soon Woolley finds he is in demand everywhere due to his spunky philosophy. Watson, of course, is amazed at the error, but does not stop it - he finds that it is enhancing his own public image (after all, the media and the public think Woolley is Watson).

At the same time, Woolley finds the masquerade is getting out of hand in many ways. It is playing havoc with his grandson (David Wayne's) career. It is also playing havoc with the family life of the manager of the factory (Albert Dekker and his wife Constance Bennett). So caught up in the American dream of making a success of himself for his family, Dekker has distanced himself from his wife and son. Then Woolley shows up, and Bennett decides she wants to divorce her stodgy husband Decker for that lively old wire Woolley!

It was a nicely written role (by Paddy Chayefsky)and Woolley did very well in it. Ironically, despite the philosophical point of view in the film, the studio system ignored the message. Woolley never had another great lead part after this film. His last memorable part was as an elderly adviser to the young Persian Monarch in the musical KISMET - not a really big part that.

Ironically too, the film was one of a long string of early films that Marilyn Monroe appeared in from 1949 (from LOVE HAPPY) to 1952 (the Cary Grant - Ginger Rogers MONKEY BUSINESS). Monroe did well in most of these roles, and they gave her exposure, but even in the meatiest ones (CLASH BY NIGHT) she did not "star" in them. Yet Marilyn's name means so much to this day in film lore to the public, these early films are usually sold in "Marilyn Monroe" collections. The ever youthful, ever too fragile Marilyn remains a Hollywood icon forty - four years after her death in 1962. Monty Wooley died in 1963, but I doubt that a hundredth of the people who adore the memory of Marilyn ever think seriously about Monty and his best performances.

Like "Let's Make It Legal," this is another example of a stepping stone in the career of Marilyn Monroe. But, this succeeds where "Legal" doesn't. It focuses on a 65-year-old man who's been laid off due to company policy (in a bookbinding company) that prevents employees from working once they turn 65. Naturally, Monty Woolley doesn't take kindly to being put out to pasture. He's still young and fit as a fiddle. He promptly comes up with an idea to change company policy (just how I'm not telling) and in so doing, shaking things up. "As Young As You Feel" boasts a great cast with David Wayne, Jean Peters, Thelma Ritter, Allyn Joslyn, Albert Dekker, Russ Tamblyn, and Constance Bennett, who exceptionally plays Dekker's wife, who needs to feel loved and appreciated. A great movie vehicle for Monty Woolley, this film is fun, innovative, charming and leaves you feeling younger than when you started it.

Monty Woolley believes you're as "Young as You Feel" in this 1951 film also starring Thelma Ritter, David Wayne, Jean Peters, Allyn Joslyn, Russ Tamblyn, Albert Dekker, Constance Bennett and Marilyn Monroe.

Woolley plays John Hodges, who at the age of 65, is fired from his job in a printing company due to corporate policy that no one can work past 65. Many baby boomers wish that were the case today, because in fact, they'll be working way past 65. He finds out that the company he works for is a subsidiary of a huge company that is owned by a huge corporation. Finding out the name of the President of that huge corporation, he dies his hair and whiskers and poses as the man, comes to town, tours the plant, and makes a speech in which he declares that the knowledge of our elders is critical in printing, and changes the policy.

And there the fun begins. The boss' wife (Constance Bennett), feeling unloved by her husband (Dekker), falls for Hodges; his granddaughter's boyfriend (Wayne) recognizes him and tells someone else at the plant; and the corporation doesn't know what to do. This fake president has raised their stock and given them a fabulous profile, so much so that the labor union has settled their grievances with them. How can they call his bluff? I seem to have enjoyed this film more than some of the other posters. Thelma Ritter, as John's daughter-in-law, is a scream. An ex-singer who gave up her career to marry George (Joslyn), John's son, sings "Temptation" while in the kitchen - she's hilarious. Woolley is great as an older man not ready to be put out to pasture, and it's wonderful to see one of the great stars of the '30s, Constance Bennett, in a later role.

This film is remembered today as early Marilyn Monroe. She plays the boss' sexy secretary, and she does a wonderful job. It's a small role, but you can definitely see that she, Peters, who plays the granddaughter, and David Wayne are all getting the star buildup and are each at different stages of it. Monroe was just about to break through, and she and Wayne would appear together in "How to Marry a Millionaire" (where he says, "I already think you're quite a strudel.") Entertaining and definitely worth seeing.

Though released on DVD as part of Fox's "Marilyn Monroe Collection", her role – playing the spirited, though obviously dumb, secretary at a printing factory headed by Albert Dekker – is actually very brief. The film is an amusing, Capraesque comedy about 65 year-old printer Monty Woolley who refuses to accept the age imposition which sends him into retirement. The plot involves him impersonating the President of the corporation which owns the factory, paying them an unexpected visit and making a speech in which he retracts the current policy – thus enabling Woolley the printer to get back his job! Complications arise when David Wayne (fiancé of Woolley's niece Jean Peters), who also works at the factory, recognizes him – but also with the attentions given Woolley by Dekker's neglected wife Constance Bennett. The film features a solid supporting cast which includes Allyn Joslyn (as Woolley's son), Thelma Ritter (as his wife, who's proud of her Brooklyn origins), Clinton Sundberg (as Wayne's ambitious colleague at the plant who could blow Woolley's cover at any moment), Minor Watson (as the real President of the conglomerate) and a young Russ Tamblyn (playing Dekker and Bennett's confused son). It's a pleasant enough diversion – adapted by Lamar Trotti from a Paddy Chayefsky(!) story – given Fox's typically polished (if fluffy) treatment.

This is one of those conventional comedies of the '50s in which the righteous triumph over big bad corporate America, with MONTY WOOLLEY as a man who becomes indignant when forced to retire and goes about hatching a plan to draw attention to the subject of forced retirement.

The theme isn't conventional, but the treatment is. Woolley gets to strut his stuff in scene after scene until the point becomes so obvious that you're willing to watch others in the cast who seem to be watching him on the sidelines. And there are some new faces to watch. David WAYNE, JEAN PETERS, RUSS TAMBLYN and newcomer MARILYN MONROE, who already had such a publicity build-up from Fox that many flocked to see the film because Marilyn was in it. She has a small, but choice role, as a curvy secretary who knows her effect on men. She shines (glows is a better word) in a charming small role.

If you're a Monty Woolley fan and like his particular style of emoting (acid-tongued and quick witted most of the time), you'll enjoy this, although it's certain a lesser work considering that it was written by Paddy Cheyefsky, who was then at the height of his writing powers.

I really enjoyed this fine screwball comedy, from a very clever story by Paddy Chayefsky, about a man forced to retire from a beloved printing job because he turned 65. He decides to go straight to the president to question the ageist policy, discovers no one knows what the president looks like, decides to impersonate him, and hilarity ensues. Wonderful roles for Monty Woolley, Thelma Ritter, Constance Bennett and Marilyn Monroe. Heartily recommended if you're in the mood for a few good laughs at the expense of American big business. Still a relevant question that wrangles society today: Whether or not capable people should have to stop doing what they love because of age. I wonder if many instances are simply excuses to incorporate age-related discrimination.

You come away feeling great after seeing this 1951 gem. Notice that LaMar Trotti did the screenplay and co-starred Thelma Ritter and David Wayne. The three were together the following year in "With A Song in My Heart." Note how Ritter acted almost in the way she did the following year in "Heart." Notice again the references to Brooklyn in her early lines.

This film is inspiring because in a comical way it covers some social issues that are pertinent today. A man, played by the wonderful Monty Woolley, protests when he is victimized by the mandatory age of retirement rule. He makes believe he is the head boss of the concern and gives a terrific speech calling for hard work, individual initiative and the end to forced retirements. The speech causes a huge success and leads to one of the boss's wives wanting to leave him to run off with Woolley. Constance Bennett is great as the woman whose marriage has lost its sparkle and husband, Albert Dekker, who is a constant worker.

David Wayne and Jean Peters play the young lovers in this highly entertaining, enjoyable, feel-good movies of the early '50s. Notice a young Russ Tamblyn here as a teenage son of Dekker and Bennett's.

This is a likeable little comedy/drama. It has a good cast, and a fairly interesting plot. One thing, though. The movie jacket for "As Young As You Feel" has a large photo of Marilyn Monroe and her name is printed on the top. Don't let that fool you, though. Marilyn only has a small part in this movie, portraying a secretary, although she makes the most of her scenes.

Seeing that this was adapted from a story by Paddy Chayefsky, I expected a little more venom. But I guess this is before Chayefsky started sharpening his pen. At the end of the film when a good jab at big business could be given, all we get was something along the lines of make sure you enjoy your work. It didn't quite convince my wife as she was rooting for Monty Woolley to do the opposite. Woolley does a splendid job as John Hodges but truth be told, he played these type of characters many times before. Also notable is Marilyn Monroe in a small role but already stealing her every scene.

Watching As Young As You Feel I got the impression that this was a film originally meant for that other Fox contract player Clifton Webb. It seems like just the kind of material that Webb would be doing throughout the 50s.

Woolley plays a 65 year old man who is mandatorily retired from his job at a large company as a printer. He lives with his son Allyn Joslyn and his wife Thelma Ritter and their daughter Jean Peters. Woolley works with David Wayne at the company who is going out with Peters.

Other than job and family Woolley's only other diversion is playing the piccolo in an orchestra. Feeling he still has a lot to contribute he decides upon an audacious plan. Putting some dye into that famous beard of his, Woolley gets some expensive threads and masks himself as the visiting head of Consolidated (General) Motors which owns the small firm he's employed at. He makes the boss Albert Dekker really jump to his attention and Dekker's wife Constance Bennett start looking in Woolley's direction. OK because Dekker has been looking at his secretary Marilyn Monroe quite lasciviously. Marilyn has only a couple of lines, but she's dressed to accent her best features.

The whole thing is kind of silly, but entertaining. Good thing the real head of the firm Minor Watson has a sense of humor because Woolley was flirting with some fraud charges.

Either Clifton Webb was not available or he passed As Young As You Feel By. What he passed on Monty Woolley makes adequately amusing.

The theme of this unusual comedic drama is that the policy by many companies of the time of mandatory retirement at a certain age(commonly 65 or 70) is of questionable advisability for the company and robs many still quite capable seniors of some of their potentially most productive years, as well as an opportunity to help support themselves and perhaps others. There are, of course, various reasons why a company might feel it benefits from a mandatory age cut off.. Older workers typically cost more in salary and health insurance. They generally have much more health issues. Many will have lost their youthful zip or feel burned out. So, which policy is likely to be best for the company? Monty Woolsey, as John Hodges, argues that it's best to have some capable elderly workers around, with more work and life experiences than younger ones. Should a company's managers decide who is capable and who is not, rather than one shoe fits all?

There are basically 3 personal happy endings dramatized that result from Woolley's masquerading of the CEO of the parent company of this very complex multicompany conglomerate(Consolidated Motors).Firstly, Woolley does manage to convince the president(McKinley) of his own company: Acme Printing, to rescind the policy of mandatory age-based retirement, which means that he, as a recent retiree is allowed to return to his job if he wishes. Also, 2 couples are indirect beneficiaries. His granddaughter's fiancée(Elliott) gets a promotion because his rival claimed to McKinley that Cleveland, the CEO of the parent company, was the victim of an imposter, causing McKinley to conclude that he must be crazy. Also, McKinley, was 'forced' into a reconciliation with his wife of 20 years, after she announced she would file a divorce so that she could marry the more charming and flattering Woolley(Cleveland), who was a widower. Seems McKinley had been neglecting her in recent times in favor of his young curvaceous secretary(Marilyn Monroe). But Woolley convinced her that, in the long run, she would be better off with her same-aged husband, if he reformed.

So, where is the comedy, as some reviewers have asked? True, it's not a belly laugher. Partly, it's the idea that Woolley succeeded beyond his wildest dreams in not only lobbying to do away with the age cut- off, but in becoming an overnight celebrity within his company and even the newspapers, because of his superficial pronouncements on how to keep the country out of depressions and inflationary spirals. The lack of recognition of either Woolley or Cleveland by McKinley serves as a sarcastic take on the growing anonymity of workers, and even bosses, in huge plants and in huge conglomerates. Then, there's the blast of condemnation by both McKinley and other manager, when Erickson(Elliott's rival for a promotion) claims that the man they were convinced was Cleveland was an imposter. Also, when McKinley arrived at the Hodges home, looking for his wife, when the real Cleveland there claimed he was such, McKinley flew into a rage, calling him another imposter.

Of course, in reality, it's implausible that a man with such a distinctive look and style of talking would be missed by his president. This is a significant, but necessary, weakness of the script.

Besides Woolley, middle-aged Constance Bennett, was nearing the end of her Hollywood days. Both would find some work in TV dramas. Woolley had most often been cast as a character actor, although he had a few other leading man roles. For a man brought up in the high society of Manhattan, a graduate of Yale and Harvard, his erudite aristocratic persona came naturally.

Thelma Ritter, although first billed among the women, didn't have much of an impact on the proceedings. Easily recognized by her Brooklyn accent. ...Jean Peters, as Woolley's mature granddaughter, would again be cocast with Marilyn Monroe in the popular "Niagara". Marilyn appears several times in the present film ,as McKinley's secretary and apparent lover.

Did you notice that the president of Acme Printing Company and the CEO of the parent company both have the name of a US president of the late 19th century.

Available as part of the Marilyn Premier DVD Collection

John R. Hodges (Monty Woolley) is a printer at ACME Printing. He receives notice that he must retire because he is age 65. The rule comes from Consolidated Motors, the parent company of a vast conglomerate that owns ACME. John takes great pride in his job and enjoys the dignity that comes from doing good work. He decides on an unorthodox strategy to get his job back.

"As Young As You Feel" is a comedy, but it contains serious messages about age-related issues and the unintended effects of technology and modern production methods. More than sixty years later, those viewpoints--as expressed by John--are just as relevant today.

But the messages do not sidetrack the fun. Monty Woolley plays John with a twinkle in his eye. His positivity influences the lives of others (on a grand scale), except maybe for a couple of annoying members of his own family.

One notable aspect of this film is that is adapted from a story by Paddy Chayefsky, who won three Oscars for screen writing. After his service in the war, Chayefsky worked in his uncle's printshop--a connection with this story.

Marilyn Monroe has a small, but well-acted, part in the film as secretary to the executive who runs ACME. Her larger roles were yet to come. I enjoyed seeing Jean Peters and Constance Bennett as well. And there's a small part played by a very young Russ Tamblyn.

This film is a feel-good story that focuses on the subject of human dignity. It is light-hearted and written to entertain.

AS YOUNG AS YOU FEEL tries hard to be entertaining, and succeeds to a limited degree. The basic story is a social commentary on the errant ways of big business, and it remains somewhat relevant 51 years after the films release. It is classified as a comedy, but if the viewer is looking for belly laughs, there are none here. The main plot point (forced retirement of workers at age 65 by corporate policy) is belabored to the point of exhaustion. The film is dominated by Monty Wooley (he is in almost every scene), and if one is not particularly enamored of his acting style, the film quickly grows tedious. A notable highlight is the presence of a young Marilyn Monroe in the role of a secretary. The sexist treatment she receives from her boss, and her reactions to it, are the outstanding moments in the film, even though they have nothing much to do with the main story line.

In summary, this is a dry, bland film that will tend to bore audiences of the present day. Older viewers (especially fans of Mr. Wooley) may find it somewhat appealing.

"As Young as You Feel" is a warm comedy set in a city somewhere not far from New York City. The year is 1951. World War II is well past, and the Korean conflict had not yet begun. (Korea wasn't properly called a War until years later.) America and the world were retooled and making goods for the consumer markets.

The Cold War hadn't really heated up yet between the Soviet Union and the West - it was just in the smoldering stages. That's the setting for this film, and it helps modern audiences decades later to appreciate the film. If one understands the time and the social climate, the gist of the story will make more sense.

So, here is a story about a widowed man who lives with his son's family. Monty Woolley plays Grandpa John Hodges. Son George is played by Allyn Joslyn and his daughter-in-law, Della, is played by Thelma Ritter. Granddaughter Alice is played by Jean Peters. Other key players fit in the story. David Wayne plays Joe Elliott, Alice's fiancé, who works at the same company where grandpa is employed - McKinley Printing.

Albert Dekker plays Louis McKinley, head of the printing company, and Constance Bennett plays his wife, Lucille. Minor Watson plays Harold P. Cleveland, the Chairman of the parent corporation that owns many others. And, Marilyn Monroe plays Harriet, secretary to McKinley. There are a number of other supporting cast who do a fine job.

As an aside - I laughed when I ordered and received the DVD of this film, because the cover artwork is just a huge photo of Marilyn Monroe. She has a very small part in this movie, and it's not bad. For once it isn't about flaunting her sex. But that the movie industry thinks it must flaunt such sex stars to attract customers and sell products says something of the minds of those people. If I had only the DVD design to go by, I wouldn't have been lured to buy the movie. But, the story and the characters appealed to me.

There aren't lots of clever or funny lines in this film. Rather, it's about a huge humorous situation. Grandpa John enjoys his work, the company, and his associates at work. He has no inclination for sitting around playing checkers or cards, or taking up hobbies in retirement. He's healthy and happy, and is a craftsman in the printing field. So, when he gets a notice of mandatory retirement when he reaches 65, he wants to challenge the company policy. But where does that policy come from. It's not from his employer but a parent corporation way up the ladder somewhere.

When John finds out that no one knows what the chairman of the big corporation looks like, he devises a plan. Remember, this is 1951 when TV was just becoming a household staple. The names and photos of business heads weren't readily available on computers, cell phones, or methods as they are in the 21st century.

And that's the set-up. The ensuing scenes make up the bulk of the story. The situational humor is wonderful. And, the film touches on drama in marital relations, social issues and the mores of the day. This isn't a great comedy or drama, but it is a warm, feel-good and enjoyable film about a slice of real American society of the time as one family might have lived t. All, but the comedic situation that John Hodges creates, that is.

This character comedy could have truly been something special, but at only 75 minutes, it's missing about 20 minutes of material to really explore what could have been. The always amusing Monty Woolley is pretty much the entire film, playing a forced retiree from a major corporation who puts into play a scheme to get himself rehired. To do that, he disguises himself as the head of the parent company who nobody has ever seen, and becomes a media sensation. enjoying this, he changes many lives, just like he did in his successful play and movie, "The Man Who Came To Dinner".

Always packaged is a Marilyn Monroe movie, what should be made known is that Marilyn only has a small role in this as the secretary and girlfriend to Albert Dekker, the head of the company who forces Woolley to retire. Impacted by Woolley's actions are his family, employees of the corporation wooly retired from, Dekker's family and ultimately the real head of the company (Minor Watson) who shows up out of the blue.

Members of Woolley's family include daughter Thelma Ritter, grandson Allyn Joslyn, granddaughter Jean Peters and potential grandson-in-law David Wayne who works for the same company. Dekker is married to Constance Bennett, a lovely society hostess who feels neglected, and together they have a young son, Russ Tamblyn, a teenager with ambitions of changing the world. Others involved in this heartwarming comedy include Clinton Sundberg and Wally Brown. ironically, all of these actors are built in the opening credits above the title, a rare occurrence in a Hollywood film.

Why this film doesn't rank higher in my book is simply that it Could have been expanded from a second-rate comedy into something truly thought-provoking. That element of the film is barely there and thanks to Woolley's terrific performance, that issue becomes truly noticeable. I can certainly relate to his character who does not want to be put out to pasture, being involved in the corporate orchestra as seen in the opening of the film where he plays the piccolo and pretty much brings the house down with his solo performance. Seen briefly in that sequence is Renee Riano, best known as Maggie from The "Jiggs and Maggie" comedy series, hysterically hamming it up as an aggravated violin player. Having just seen a film of the outtakes of 20th Century Fox movies, something tells me that a few key scenes were taken out that had they remained would have transitioned this into what would now be considered a classic. In fact, with Paddy Chayefsky listed as one of the writers, I am now certain of it.

or, 'Frank Capra Joins a Union.' A strange, almost confounding exploration of labor, corporate cynicism and citizen activism/civil disobedience. Directed without much inspiration or cleverness by Harmon Jones. It's a somewhat interesting dud. The ideas intrigue, but the tone is extraordinarily flat.

Wooley is outrageously miscast as a laborer (!), who disguises himself (barely) as the head of his own firm, to agitate in the favor of older employees (because he was let go). Despite multiple family members working alongside him, it takes half an hour of film time for them to figure out that no firm has two effete, erudite, wordy, opinionated figures like Wooley associated with it. Going even further, the movie promotes other unlikely ideas; A 43 year old woman abandons her family for a 65 year old. Writer Paddy Chaevsky thinks he's saved some time and effort by having three of the workplace characters also be relations of Monty Wooley, but it just clutters up the movie, and cheats it of a smarter structure. The script feels like it never got a 2nd revision, and though ripe with comic potential, there isn't a single laugh in it; perhaps due to Wooley's overbearing presence. It operates at a weird domestic scale: many of the scenes occur in a living room filled with people, or in a second household, as if it had been a play once. The most interesting idea is a throwaway; corporations in 1951 have grown to an anonymous scale at which no one knows what the boss looks like anymore.

Making all these convolutions more confusing is that two different actors, who look way too similar, play boorish heads of households (Allyn Joslyn / Clinton Sundberg). Wooley and his faux-continental accent are simply over the top. Thelma Ritter is completely extraneous to the plot. Russ Tamblyn in an early role, reads his lines without any energy, facing away from characters, as if he's reading cue-cards. Don't watch it for Monroe. She has twenty lines as a put-upon secretary, and is not a key figure in the piece. This is strictly a Wooley vehicle. It reminded me of George Bernard Shaw's labor/morality tale, 'Major Barbara.'

Yes, this is a bit of a treat for Marilyn Monroe's legion of fans, but be warned! Despite the fact that Marilyn and Marilyn alone graces the front cover of 20th Century Fox's DVD, her role is actually rather small. We keep waiting for her return in Act Three, but she doesn't make an appearance. Instead the camera focuses mostly on Monty Woolley, whose theatrically over-pitched, one-tone voice can become more than a little wearying. I'm surprised that director Harmon Jones made no attempts whatever to hose Woolley down a bit, but allowed him to run roughshod over all the other players. The lovely Jean Peters has a particularly thankless role. Not only is she pushed into a corner by Monty Woolley, but director Harmon Jones then allowed David Wayne to step all over her! As I said for Monroe fans, this movie is a must- have! Just don't expect too much!