Before I even pressed play on the 1948 American comedy film Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, I was pretty confident I would at the very least like the film. The mere inclusion of Cary Grant (Room For One More) and Myrna Loy (the Thin Man films), arguably two of the most charming performers of the Golden Age of Hollywood, was enough to make me thrilled to check out this beloved screwball classic. The film was adapted for the screen by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama from the popular 1946 Eric Hodgins novel of the same name. Of course, I knew a bit about the story due to my wife’s references to the 1986 comedy The Money Pit starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long, which counts itself as a remake of this picture. Director H.C. Potter (The Farmer’s Daughter) did not have the most illustrious career, but having a solid successful comedy such as this on your record does not make for a bad legacy. The film has long been desired on Blu-Ray by a myriad of people, and thankfully the time has come for Warner Archive to come and answer their prayers.
Cary Grant channels his boundless charm into Jim Blandings, an affable advertising account executive who lives in New York City with his wife, Muriel (Myrna Loy), and their two precious daughters, Betsy and Joan. While he is happy in his career and family, the one thing that Jim has grown increasingly frustrated with is the cramped quarters of his apartment. Every morning finds the couple wrestling for the sink and mirror, and let’s not even begin to speak of closets and drawers. The children are not in a much better state with the struggle for the bathroom springing eternal. Muriel hopes to combat this by planning a remodel in secret, but Jim does one better after falling for his own trick: advertising. An alluring portrait of houses in Connecticut has Jim with stars in his eyes, and this does not abate even when the couple visit to see a dilapidated farmhouse they feel they can easily renovate it without spending much more money than the planned remodel. As their friend and lawyer Bill Cole (Melvyn Douglas, Ninotchka) cautions them, sometimes it is actually better to follow your heart rather than your head.
Anyone can see that the plans for the new house are not simply going to go off without a hitch. What goes from a house with potential for renovation soon leads to a complete demolition and new plans for their perfect “dream house” – it is only going to cost them a little bit more. The movie conjures a lot of its hearty laughs from the increasingly costly additions and modifications to the house, along with the people in charge of those tasks. Yet, the most important part of the film is the interpersonal dynamic between Jim and Muriel. It is true that I believe Myrna Loy could have chemistry with a block of wood, but to have her opposite of the practically perfect Cary Grant is a match made in heaven. While I did not care for some of his immature antics in Room For One More, Grant displays none of that here; Jim respects Muriel even when their philosophies do not always align in regards to the construction. Every hit to the wallet that the family experiences hurts you a little bit as you come to really care for these characters. Thankfully the laughter keeps it from stinging too badly.
It would be a mistake to not give some acknowledgement to Melvyn Douglas in the role of the audience surrogate to the Blandings. He delivers more than his fair share of humor to the proceedings, but at the same time the script does not always do the sensible thing with his character. The only minor fault of this film is the way in which Jim does become jealous of Muriel’s previous relationship with Bill ages ago. It is not necessarily that the particular plot thread is not full of possibilities, but rather that this film does nothing interesting with it. By the time the end title appears, the narrative has not been impacted either positively or negatively by this detour which only makes it feel superfluous. Otherwise, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House is a top-notch feature that offers boundless laughs and tons of charm. It is easy to fall in love with the characters thanks to the spectacular performances from all involved. At just over 90 minutes, the movie moves along at a spritely pace that keeps this one fun throughout.
Video Quality
Warner Archive presents Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House for the first time on Blu-Ray with 1080p transfer sourced from a 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative. You can always count on Warner Archive to deliver impeccable work, and the image is nothing short of stunning for a film that is over seventy years old. This black and white feature has nice, natural film grain throughout that provides a great amount of detail to the image. The presentation has a pleasing amount of depth to it including in the shadows where there is no evidence of any black crush. Print damage is virtually nonexistent to these eyes throughout the duration of the movie. This disc also lacks anything in the realm of digital anomalies such as sharpening or compression artifacts. It is always amazing to see how film preservation can bring new life to a film, and Warner Archive has reached perfection with this release.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray release comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that sounds simply wonderful. Cary Grant has a signature vocal delivery style that always comes through crystal clear. As a matter of fact, none of the sound effects or the playful score from Leigh Harline ever overpowers the dialogue on this release. The more kinetic sequences including the clamor of various construction projects are appropriately lively in the speakers. There does not appear to be any damage and only a minimal amount of age related wear present on the track. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles available on the disc for those who need it. Overall, this is an excellent audio presentation that gives the material the life it deserves.
Special Features
- The House of Tomorrow: A seven-minute Tex Avery cartoon short which humorously shows a house with all the amenities you could ever possibly want. This HD short is also included in the Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume Two.
- Lux Radio Theater Broadcast with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne: A nearly 58-minute audio presentation originally broadcast on October 10, 1949.
- Screen Director’s Playhouse Broadcast with Cary Grant and Betsy Drake: A condensed 30-minute version of the story which was originally broadcast on July 1, 1949.
- Theatrical Re-Issued Trailer: A minute-and-a-half trailer which plays up the source material and the star power on display.
Final Thoughts
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House is a charming comedy that is sure to send those who have ever tried fixing up a house into a cold sweat. The chemistry between Cary Grant and Myrna Loy is undeniable in a way that brings about plenty of laughs and heartfelt moments. There are a couple of unnecessary plot developments, but for the most part this story feels very focused and considered. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that features a fantastic A/V presentation and some intriguing special features. This is a disc that would be welcome in any collection. Recommended
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
