Grounds for Marriage (1951)

Director:

Robert Z. Leonard

Writers:

Laura Kerr (screenplay)
Samuel Marx (story)

Release Date:

19 January 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Plot:

Opera singer Ina Massine tries to win back former husband Dr. Lincoln I. Bartlett. |

Plot Keywords:

Singer | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Van Johnson	...	Dr. Lincoln I. Bartlett
Kathryn Grayson	...	Ina Massine
Paula Raymond	...	Agnes Oglethorpe Young
Barry Sullivan	...	Chris Bartlett
Reginald Owen	...	Dely Delacorte
Lewis Stone	...	Dr. Carleton Radwin Young
Richard Hageman	...	Dr. Engelstaat
Richard Anderson	...	Tommy
Paula Drew	...	Helen
Victor Desny	...	Count de Beaugard
Theresa Harris	...	Stella, Ina's Maid
Robert Sherwood	...	Petie
Elizabeth Flournoy	...	Brevarde
Torben Meyer	...	Donovan
Pat Williams	...	Office Manager

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #14742)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

In two movies, Kathryn Grayson sang the aria "Mi Chiamano Mimi" from 'Giacomo Puccini (I)''s acclaimed opera, "La Boheme" (lyrics by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa). Miss Grayson's black-and-white performance was done for this MGM film, and her Technicolor reprise, on loan to Warner Bros., appeared in the Grace Moore biopic, So This Is Love (1953).

Too much fun - Kathryn Grayson voiceless????

This film is the usual comedy from MGM - simple set-up and obvious ending, but it's still a charmer. The beautiful Kathryn Grayson plays Ina, who is trying to win back her ex-husband, played by Van Johnson. Kathryn is a singer (surprise surprise) and Van is a doctor. There are a few musical numbers, most notably the dream sequence, where the production does some famous selections from CARMEN. Kathryn sings them beautifully and Van Johnson is very obviously dubbed.

The big surprise is that Kathryn's character actually looses her voice throughout a good part of the film. This is simply criminal, considering the woman's vocal talent. However, she gets it back and still has plenty of songs. Van and Kathryn have great chemistry together, too bad they never made another film together. I love this movie, it's sweet and very funny, even if it is predictable.