Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949)

Clifton Webb recreates his Sitting Pretty role as Mr. Lynn Belvedere, the World's Greatest Genius. Belvedere discovers that he is ineligible for an honorary award because he never attended ... See full summary »

Director:

Elliott Nugent

Writers:

Richard Sale, Mary Loos,

Stars:

Clifton Webb, Shirley Temple, Tom Drake

Cast

Cast overview:
Clifton Webb	...	Lynn Belvedere
Shirley Temple	...	Ellen Baker
Tom Drake	...	Bill Chase
Alan Young	...	Avery Brubaker
Jessie Royce Landis	...	Mrs. Chase
Kathleen Hughes	...	Kay Nelson
Taylor Holmes	...	Dr. Gibbs
Alvin Greenman	...	Cornelius 'Corny' Whittaker
Paul Harvey	...	Dr. Keating
Barry Kelley	...	Police Sgt. Griggs
Robert Patten	...	Joe Fisher (as Bob Patten)

Storyline

Clifton Webb recreates his Sitting Pretty role as Mr. Lynn Belvedere, the World's Greatest Genius. Belvedere discovers that he is ineligible for an honorary award because he never attended college. So he enrolls as a freshman in a major university, becoming the target for "hazing" from obnoxious upper class-man Alan Young. The middle-aged Belvedere rapidly builds himself into Big Man on Campus, which complicates his intention of remaining incognito while attending college. Journalism major Shirley Temple likewise threatens to blow Belvedere's cover by writing an article about him for a major magazine. Before earning his college degree (four years' worth of study in six months!), Belvedere plays Cupid for Temple and her estranged boyfriend Tom Drake. Mr. Belvedere Goes to College proved successful enough for a follow-up film, 1951's Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell.

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Plot Keywords:

sequel | mr belvedere | based on novel | character name in title

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Movieplayer.it - News and Info, Pics, Trailers (Italian)

Country:

USA

Language:

English Norwegian

Release Date:

May 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alla tiders primus

Filming Locations:

University of Nevada-Reno - 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on January 16, 1950 with Clifton Webb reprising his film role.

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Goofs

When Mr. Belvedere goes to the Student Employment Bureau, it is a square-framed building on the outside, but when he enters, the interior is a Quonset hut.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Operation Double 007 (1993)

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Soundtracks

"Mr. Belvedere"
(uncredited)
Written by Clifton Webb

User Reviews

Very enjoyable, but with film roles like this one, you can see why Shirley Temple soon retired!

In this second installment of the Mr. Belvedere series, our brilliant hero has decided to go college! Apparently, he was entirely self-taught but after years of being an expert at practically EVERYTHING, he finally saw a need for a formal education. His plan is to complete all four years of school in only one--and considering his many, many talents you naturally assume he'll succeed.

Oddly, you never actually see Belvedere in a single classroom scene--none! Instead, the film focuses on his extracurricular and work activities. Through these, he's able to do a lot to help all those around him and even his most ardent opponents were thoroughly won over by him by the end of the film. Three cheers for Mr. Belvedere!!!

I might have scored this film even higher--after all, I really enjoyed the film and in particular the wonderful character of Mr. Belvedere (who I'd seen in his previous film, "Sitting Pretty"). Clifton Webb was simply marvelous in this title role. However, the film had one serious problem that impaired my enjoyment of the film--and my wife was so frustrated with the problem that she actually started yelling at the TV set!! Really...I am not kidding. The character played by Shirley Temple was simply annoying--badly written and petulant for absolutely no reason. She simply was not a character but a cliché--and roles like these may have contributed to her retiring from films shortly after this film. After all, with films like this and "That Hagan Girl", it was obvious that Hollywood had no idea what to do with the grown up Ms. Temple--and you have to feel sorry for her in such thankless roles. But fortunately, apart from this, it's a nice and enjoyable film from start to finish. And, I sure wish that Clifton Webb had made more than only three Belvedere films!