The Mating Season (1951)

Ellen McNulty leaves her New Jersey hamburger stand and heads west to pay a surprise visit to her son and his new bride. When Ellen arrives, her daughter-in-law mistakes her for the maid ... See full summary »

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writers:

Charles Brackett (written for the screen by), Walter Reisch (written for the screen by),

Stars:

Gene Tierney, John Lund, Miriam Hopkins

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gene Tierney	...	Maggie Carleton
John Lund	...	Val McNulty
Miriam Hopkins	...	Fran Carleton
Thelma Ritter	...	Ellen McNulty
Jan Sterling	...	Betsy
Larry Keating	...	Mr. Kalinger, Sr.
James Lorimer	...	George C. Kalinger, Jr.
Gladys Hurlbut	...	Mrs. Conger
Cora Witherspoon	...	Mrs. Williamson
Malcolm Keen	...	Mr. Williamson
Ellen Corby	...	Annie
Billie Bird	...	Mugsy
Mary Young	...	Spinster
Samuel Colt	...	Colonel Conger
Grayce Hampton	...	Mrs. Fahnstock

Storyline

Ellen McNulty leaves her New Jersey hamburger stand and heads west to pay a surprise visit to her son and his new bride. When Ellen arrives, her daughter-in-law mistakes her for the maid she has hired for a big party they are throwing. Rather than cause any embarrassment, Ellen goes along with the charade, which leads to many complications.

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Plot Keywords:

mother | party | mistaken identity | marriage | maid | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Relative Stranger

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although playing his mother in this film, Thelma Ritter was only 6 years older than 'John Lund'.

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Quotes

Ellen McNulty: You don't know what it was like working with her yesterday. I felt like I was 21 again.
Val McNulty: Oh Malarky
Ellen McNulty: Look wiseguy, I didn't feel like I was 21 when I was 21.

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Soundtracks

"When I Take My Sugar to Tea"
(uncredited)
Music by Sammy Fain
Lyrics by Irving Kahal and Pierre Norman
Sung by James Lorimer at the party

User Reviews

A Classic

The other review of this movie got the plot wrong. Thelma Ritter is the MOTHER-IN-LAW of Gene Tierney, not her MOTHER. Ms. Ritter's son in the film, played by John Lund is the pretentious one. When his mother arrives to attend his wedding to the gently brought up Ms. Tierney, who is actually a sweetheart and a lady in the best sense of the word, he hands Thelma some cash to get a makeover, noting that she should especially purchase GLOVES, to hide her hands that have worked hard at a hamburger stand to put him through a fancy college. This guy is a real stinker!! Thelma ends up not going to the ceremony, fearful she will embarrass her jerk of a son. She then gets some jobs to buy a fantastic outfit so she can drop in on the newlyweds. When Ms. Ritter gets there, Gene Tierney thinks she is the cook she wanted, and latches on to her because Ms. Tierney is having her first dinner party, and she is in a state of panic and disaster. The plot revolves around the fact that Thelma stays on to help out, and swears her son to secrecy about who she is. There are absolutely SOLID GOLD performances by Miriam Hopkins, as Gene's snooty mother, and Larry Keating, as John Lund's down-to-earth boss. The best part of this movie is when Gene discovers the masquerade and tells her insensitive husband off, defending his mother as a wonderful, honorable woman. DO NOT MISS THIS MOVIE !!