Mary, Mary (1963)

Mary, Mary is one of those titles that I have heard about for years but never watched for the simple reason that I could not find a decent version to view. It never played on television, never had a VHS release, and never was put on DVD.... that is, until Warner Archives issued it several years ago. That wonderful Warner Archives series - that sadly was put to rest. 

Anyway, after years of hearing the name of this movie but never watching it, I can say that when I did finally see it, it did not disappoint. In fact, it is quite a charming comedy and I'll probably watch it again this week. 

Barry Nelson and Debbie Reynolds star as Bob and Mary, a recently divorced couple who are brought together again for one afternoon by their lawyer Oscar (Hiram Sherman) who - for tax purposes - wants them to itemize their expenses from the previous few years. Bob, a publisher, is about to wed Tiffany, a wealthy heiress ten years his junior. He is aghast at the thought of seeing Mary again since he only recently began to quench his anger towards her. 

Mary on the other hand, is pleased to be reunited with Bob, if only for a brief moment. She arrives looking fresh and well-dressed after having a makeover ("You look like a million bucks, Mary" Oscar declares) and quickly catches the eye of Hollywood actor Dirk Winston (Michael Rennie) who stops by Bob's apartment to discuss his new manuscript. This is when Bob begins to feel pangs of jealousy and realizes how much he misses Mary. Naturally, by this time the audience can guess that the story is leading to a reconciliation of Bob and Mary. 

Mary, Mary was based on a stage play of the same name by Jean Kerr (Please Don't Eat the Daisies) which was surprisingly long-running. It premiered in 1961 and ran until 1964 (1,572 performances) making it the most long-running non-musical play of the 1960s. This is surprising because it is a long script which made for an equally long film - 126 minutes. Director Mervyn LeRoy enjoyed the play in New York and thought it would make a great film. He wanted to retain the entire Broadway cast which included Barry Nelson, Barbara Bel Geddes, Michael Rennie and Hiram Sherman for the film adaptation. Jack Warner of Warner Brothers quickly gave him the greenlight for go but also slapped him with two conditions - that Debbie Reynolds get the lead and Diane McBain, the studio's newly groomed ingenue, play Bob's fiancée Tiffany. Both proved to be excellent casting choices. 

"I married Mary because she was so direct and straightforward and said exactly what she meant" - Bob

"Why did you divorce her?" - Oscar

"Because she was so direct and straightforward and said exactly what she meant!"

It would have been nice if the film adaptation was less stage bound then it turned out to be but most of the script was set in Bob's apartment so that is where the majority of the movie takes place. This apartment set - and the few other sets - was designed by John Beckman.

If you are not a fan of talkative New York comedies, stay clear of this one - it's a mouthful - but if you enjoy a witty wordy comedy then you'll find Mary, Mary to be a treat. Jean Kerr's script is highly amusing and an excellent character study of two distinctly different personalities. 

Through the course of one day, as Bob and Mary's discuss each other's faults, they come to realize their own. They also see their weaknesses and strengths. Bob is irritatingly sensible in everything he does, and Mary is a storehouse of wisecracks and flippant remarks. During their five-year marriage, each thought that their partner had a low opinion of each other. Mary thought that Bob considered her plain and uninteresting, yet he never expressed his feelings for her because he thought she would respond with a snide remark.... something she thought Bob expected of her, "You decided right at the beginning that I was the airy type impervious to wind and weather and small disappointments."

It is the presence of Bob's neighbor, actor Dirk Winston, that turns these characters thoughts to introspection. Dirk reveals to Mary how insecure she is and also reveals to Bob that he is the cause of it. All of these simmering emotions come to a boil when Dirk asks Mary to join him on a flight to New Orleans for a publicity tour. Then we witness a classic gather-all-the-cast-in-one-room finale reminiscent of the 1930s screwball films. 

Mary, Mary is little-known and rarely shown these days in spite of Debbie Reynolds name on the credits. This is most likely due to its 2-hour plus runtime (it could have easily been shaved by 25 minutes). If it does air on television however, it is worth watching. Barry Nelson gives a tour-de-force performance of Bob, a character he undoubtedly became after playing it for so long on stage. I wish he had appeared in more comedy films of the 1960s, he is so entertaining to watch. 

Debbie Reynolds was making her Hollywood return after her scandalous breakup with Eddie Fisher. She had her doubts that she could tackle a comedic role like this but, with the aid of MGM's resident drama coach Lillian Burns Sydney, she did an excellent job. Debbie would plunge into another comedy the following year - Goodbye, Charlie - with Tony Curtis. 

Mary, Mary is currently available on Warner Archives DVD.