This 1948 predecessor to “The Money Pit” (1986) and inspiration for “Are We Done Yet?” (2007) stars Cary Grant and Myrna Loy as Mr. and Mrs. Blandings, a man and wife with two lovely daughters, a bird, a live-in maid, and everything that is entailed in having a good life. However, there is not enough room in their apartment to contain all of these things, and Mr. Blandings is feeling a little squished and more than just a little bit put upon. Having to share his bathroom with three females? It’s more than a man can bear.
Upon flipping through the newspaper one day and seeing an ad for the countryside, he gets an idea. Why not leave the hustle and bustle of the city and buy a home out in the country? The commute wouldn’t be too bad, and they would have all the room they needed. They go looking at homes and find a beauty. It’s full of rustic charm (and rust). With some sprucing up, it will be perfect. They make the purchase and begin to plan the remodel.
However, four experts tell them that the house can’t be fixed the way it is; they will have to tear it down and start from scratch. They can do that, they decide, and they meet with the architect to draw up some plans. The more they talk about what they want, the more convoluted their plans become. Bedrooms and bathrooms everywhere! A staircase in the closet! The upstairs is twice as big as the downstairs! The architect takes matters in hand and manages to steer them to a more reasonable floor plan, but then things really fall apart.
Broken machinery, a flooded cellar, and a well that doesn’t lead to water are just the first things on the list that go wrong. And of course, the more things that go wrong, the more money is thrown into the house. But this is their dream house, and everything must be just right.
They finally think everything is under control, until Mrs. Blandings gets a great idea. There is some pavement left over from a garden project, and she asks the workmen to lay it on the floor of her flower room. That is the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Cary Grant is at his comic best in this movie. This is one for your entire family, and it’s one you can definitely relate to if you’ve ever bought, sold, or built a house.
Side note: Cary and Myrna starred opposite each other just one year previously in “The Bachelor and the Bobby-soxer.”
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