A Millionaire for Christy (1951) User Reviews

1930's style screwball comedy

[haroldg-2 · 6/10 · 27 June 2001]

George Marshall's 1951 'A Millionaire For Christy' is an enjoyable, fast-paced 1930's style screwball comedy starring Fred MacMurray and Eleanor Parker.

Eleanor Parker is marvelous as a gold-digging secretary out to snag a rich husband. I'm so used to seeing her in demanding, heavy dramatic roles, so it's was a pleasure seeing her be light and funny and very appealing as the screwball heroine. And Fred MacMurray, always so underrated, is an old pro at comedy performances, having played this kind of role many times before opposite Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert and others. His likeable masculinity is a perfect match for the beautiful and feminine Parker, and when the comedy slows down for their love scenes, they're very sexy and romantic together.

No classic, but an enjoyable comedy, especially for fans of the two underrated stars.

Screwball Comedy Making A Difference

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 7 November 2010]

George Marshall directs Fred MacMurray & Eleanor Parker in a film about a radio announcer who is going to get married to a wealthy woman he doesn't love. Richard Carlson is a best friend & doctor who schemes to not tell Fred he has inherited 2 million dollars. Parker is the woman who is in love with him, while Carlson loves the wealthy woman Fred is trying to marry.

This film is the classic screwball comedy mess up & works pretty well. Fred MacMurray is the romantic lead straight man who all the others play off & he does it pretty well in this one. The closing sequence gets pretty wild as everything which the film builds up too all go off at the same time.

It might have worked better in the 1940's but still is OK in 1951. This movie shows how slowly television is getting started as it still has a hotel bar that only has a radio. Trains are still the dominate form of transportation here too. All this is period appropriate for the early 1950's.

Mixed results

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 6/10 · 1 April 2011]

This movie is a difficult one to review, because it alternates between being clever and uproariously funny to being just plain stupid. So, I'll blame the director and screenwriters for its failures.

For example, early in the film, when Fred MacMurray is trying to explain who Eleanor Parker is to his fiancé and soon-to-be father-in-law...now that's clever and uproariously funny. As is the slapstick scene in a diner. But every time Parker faints...well, that's just stupid. Much the same can be said about the romantic scenes between MacMurray. One minute they're falling in love, the next minute Parker is being manipulative and downright obnoxious.

MacMurray is never funnier (and he could be a very funny actor) than when a situation befuddles him. That happens a lot in this film. On the other hand, this film is quite a departure for Parker...and it shows. She really fits better in dramas, and this screwball comedy proves that. Although, I have to admit I enjoyed her discomfort in the role.

Although I'm only giving this a "6", watch it and decide for yourself.

Back to the 30's

[dougdoepke · 15 November 2010]

The movie tries hard to bring back the madcap comedy of the 1930's. But that may be one reason it doesn't fully succeed—it tries too hard, coming across at times as more frantic than zany. That's not to say the comedy doesn't have its moments. The first twenty minutes amount to a promising set-up as drab single-girl Christy (Parker) crashes celebrity Peter's (MacMurray) wedding party to deliver an inheritance, but is mistaken instead for an old flame. As a publicist might say— hi-jinks ensue. The only question is how long it will take for Christy to win Peter's affection. In the meantime, she's got to act loopy to stay out of trouble.

For a heavy dramatic actress, e.g. Caged (1950), Parker adapts well to the Katherine Hepburn role, while the underrated MacMurray does some expert mugging. However, some of the scenes go on long after we've gotten the point, especially the kissy-face, which is surprising given that old comedy pro George Marshall is directing. I suspect the level of embraces, plus a lot of surprising innuendo, are attempts to combat the growing inroads of TV on audiences of the day. Be that as it may, it's a lively if less than sparkling 90-minutes of Hollywood make-believe.

Eleanor chases the sunshine man

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 15 July 2012]

After some highly dramatic items like The Detective Story and Caged, Eleanor Parker got to strut her comic self in A Millionaire For Christy. She certainly had the talent for comedy, but in that genre she's best in Many Rivers To Cross.

Parker plays a secretary in Douglass Dumbrille's law firm and she gets a cross country assignment. Travel from NY to LA and inform Fred MacMurray that he's inherited two million dollars. With a little advice from co-worker Una Merkel, Parker decides to set her cap for him if he's not a total beast.

MacMurray is considerably more than that. He sounds like the replacement for Clifton Webb as Waldo Lydecker from Laura before he got all enamored with the title character and paid dearly. He's got a radio program like Webb and he's called the sunshine man. Only problem is that he's getting married to Kay Buckley the same day.

After Parker breaks up the wedding quite hilariously things get wilder and crazier. Do I have to say what happens to both of them?

A Millionaire For Christy is a nice, but vain attempt to recapture the spirit of the screwball comedies of the Thirties. Public tastes had changed post World War II and the movie-going audience wanted some more serious fare. Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn were doing more serious type work, in the Thirties they owned this kind of film.

Richard Carlson plays MacMurray's best man and rival for Kay Buckley. He turns in a droll performance trying to turn MacMurray's situation to his best advantage. He's a psychiatrist, but with a few drinks in him he's crazier than whom he treats. I wish we saw a lot more of Una Merkel in the film as well.

A Millionaire For Christy is amusing, but a throwback from another era.

A good comedy that could have been great

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 11 October 2019]

"A Millionaire for Christy" had the potential to be a tremendous comedy. It is a very good comedy, but could have been great. The plot is very good and mostly original. The screenplay is quite good. The script has witty dialog in many places with some hilarious scenes. And, the cast is first-rate. Yet, one role as played by Eleanor Parker, Christy Sloane, casts a shadow over the film that keeps it from being a top comedy.

Parker was a very good actress who played a variety of roles in her career. She was known especially for her dramatic acting and was very good in all of her mystery and thriller films. She made very few comedies, with mixed results. The only very good one was the 1955 film, "Many Rivers to Cross." Its plot was not unlike that of this film. But it had a huge cast and a screenplay with much humorous activity. This film has just three comedy characters and Parker seems wooden with very little energy for her role. Her mind seems to be elsewhere much of the time, as though she were stuck in the daydream scene she has very early in the film.

That leaves Fred MacMurray and Richard Carlson to provide most of the comedy, which they do. The film has some scenes in which MacMurray's Peter Lockwood and Carlson's Dr. Roland Cook have some very witty lines and repartee.

With a fresh version of the screenplay, and an actress like Carole Lombard, Irene Dunne, or Jean Arthur in the Christy Sloane role, this could be a tremendous comedy. It's still good with some very funny dialog, and most movie buffs should enjoy it. Here are some favorite lines from the film.

Christy Sloane, "Rich or handsome, you won't find me running after any man." Patsy Clifford, "Oh, if every single girl felt like that, the race would've died out years ago."

Peter Lockwood, "Oh, no, no, no, it's just a girl." Dr. Roland Cook, "Yes, I know. They taught us the difference in medical school."

Peter Lockwood, "I don't like your attitude much." Dr. Roland Cook, "My attitude? Isn't it enough that you took June away from me while I was studying in Menninger's?" Peter, "Well, you didn't study hard enough. That blond was a total stranger and nuttier than a fruitcake. Couldn't you tell that?" Roland, "Only if she were lying on a couch."

Peter Lockwood, "Who can afford to go crazy at your prices?"

Peter Lockwood, "Now, you be a good girl and get in this phone booth. Pretend you're a princess and you've been locked in a tower by the unhappy dragon."

Peter Lockwood, "You think you're traveling with a fellow who can only talk about prune juice?"

Christy Sloane, "Oh, you know, the Indians have lyrics too." Peter Lockwood, "Yes. I used them on my program last year for Lionel's Lozenges."

Christy Sloane, "Oh, I, I feel like such a heel. I mean, about spending your honeymoon with you." Peter Lockwood, "It couldn't be helped. I don't suppose it's too unusual for people to drive into the ocean. That's life."

Dr. Roland Cook, "This young woman - impressionable, overly sensitive. She's actually formed an emotional attachment from listening to you on the radio." Peter Lockwood, "Oh, one of those mash things, huh?"

Christy Sloane, "Oh, this is insane." Dr. Roland Cook, "That's my racket. Let me do the thinking."

Dr. Roland Cook, "You must realize that the female nervous system is a delicate mechanism." Peter Lockwood, "I can see that." Roland, "Did you kiss her fingertips?" Peter, "Well, why? Did her hand fall off or something?" Roland,, "I'm sorry; I've got to be systematic." Peter, "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to take a cook's tour around the human torso."

Peter Lockwood, "And I knew doc was wrong about... well, I mean, you would never commit suicide, would you?" Christy Sloane, "Not unless you don't get to the point."

Dr. Roland Cook, "You know, this is the first time I've ever had tequila. I like it because it doesn't hit you like those mortoonis do." (sic)

Dr. Roland Cook, "Even in school, I was much brighter too". Christy, "Than who?" Roland, "Peter." Christy, "Oh." Roland, "Had a better mind, was a think quinker." (sic) Christy, "Doctor, you're drunk".

too kooky and contrived--even for a screwball comedy.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 29 March 2011]

Eleanor Parker is a secretary for a law firm. She is sent to inform a man (Fred MacMurray) that he's just inherited $2,000,000. But, when she sees how handsome and rich he is, she acts on the crazy little voice in her head in the hope that she'll capture his heart. The problem, though, is that she comes off like a nut and MacMurray is about to get married--and he wants her to just go away. And, she also, inexplicably, never adequately explains why she is there. This strains credibility way past the breaking point--way past.

So at this point in the film (by about 20 minutes into it), it's obvious that there are two major problems with the film. First, if Parker made just succinctly explained why she was following MacMurray, then the whole kooky mix-up never would have occurred and he never would have thought she was insane. A comedy that relies on a plot that can easily be resolved but isn't is not a particularly good comedy. Second, the film is LOUD and KOOKY--and never the least bit subtle.

So does it get any better after the kooky wedding scene? Well, it certainly doesn't run out of energy! After Parker totally screws up MacMurray's wedding, he tries to take her to a mental hospital but on the way, the fog is so bad that the car goes off the road and into the ocean--talk about being contrived. Now, stuck in the middle of no where, they happen upon a group of Spanish-speaking men--none of which can understand MacMurray or Parker--or vice-versa. There is no phone nearby and the charming Hispanic men think the two are on their honeymoon and throw them a party(?)--during which lots of tequila is consumed and merriment follows. While none of this makes the least bit of sense, at least it's all rather charming. However, when they then inexplicably fall in love it made me annoyed. Only minutes before, MacMurray assumed Parker was crazy. Then, with the infusion of some tequila and moonlight, he completely forgets this and makes love to her (1950s style)! Were the folks who wrote all this the ones who were actually crazy?!

Eventually, the pair make it to the La Jolla Clinic (mental asylum). Why Parker would let him take her there is beyond me but there she meets MacMurray's rival in love (Richard Carlson)--and he contrives to help her win MacMurray. After all, Carlson wants to marry MacMurray's fiancée, so marrying him off to Parker will do the trick. And, not surprisingly, by the end of the film, Parker gets her man.

Despite a few cute scenes, this is a pretty bad comedy. The plot is chaotic and contrived and rarely works. I just wished they'd had a re-write as some basic elements of the film worked--and Parker and MacMurray try their best and could have been funny together. The bottom line is that his just a bad script and it needed a significant re-write.

Even in 2001 a 1951 movie works just fine

[HapRay · 8/10 · 1 September 2001]

Sometimes going back for a fun-filled romp in one of those old situation-comedies, is just the tonic for an otherwise uneventful day. This film is one of those "feel-good" movies that used to abound back in the early Fifties. Fred MacMurray has always been adept at handling light comedy, and Eleanor Parker shows a humorous side that a lot of you will be impressed by. The plot is zany, but it's a "good" craziness that permeates this film. I found myself giggling aloud at some of the passages, and even tried to teach the couple how to speak Spanish. (You'll see what I mean when you watch the movie).

It's in black and white, but it's so entertaining, you won't miss the splash of color. It also introduces and old love standard, which is not featured, but playing in the background in a lot of the scenes. The song is, "I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you".

Get comfortable...click the remote, and travel back to when "real" people had "real" fun.....oh yes, there IS a love story here as well.

**

[edwagreen · 4/10 · 28 August 2017]

Though Fred MacMurray and Eleanor Parker do prove that they're adept at comedy, this 1951 film becomes tiresome after a while. You want to shout out-tell him that he inherited the $2 million because his father died. At that only come to pass, a story could have still revolved about that and the audience would have had more fun in viewing this film.

As a secretary struggling to help her family out, Parker is encouraged by fellow secretary, Una Merkel, greatly unused here, to catch MacMurray who has just inherited $2 million.

Through missed opportunities and MacMurray going off to his wedding, Parker, who exhibits feigning fainting spells to draw MacMurray's sympathy to her, she is unable to convey what has really occurred and Fred thinks she has amnesia.

A sub-plot evolves around Fred's friend, nicely played by Richard Carlson, as a psychiatrist who wants to extract revenge on the MacMurray character for taking his girl away.

Their night together in a Spanish speaking place is fun, but you reach a point where you want the truth to come out, and when it finally does, you're tired of the whole thing-even with the money going to charity and MacMurray and Parker fleeing police, newsmen and others at film's end.

Cute story, well directed and acted, but stolen by Richard Carlson

[morrisonhimself · 8/10 · 21 July 2021]

Richard Carlson has been one of my favorites since my childhood, but I don't recall ever seeing him so loose, so allowed to shine and sparkle as he does in "A Millionaire for Christy."

Fred MacMurray and Eleanor Parker are terrific as a somewhat pompous radio performer and a somewhat dizzy attorney's assistant who is sent to tell the former he has inherited money.

Her friend and office mate, and romance encourager, is played, wonderfully (of course), by Una Merkel, who by herself makes a movie more than watchable.

As silly as the story's premise might seem, when one watches this movie, one realizes it's plausible enough. More important, there are lots of likable or at least watchable people to overcome any script flaws.

It's light entertainment, well directed, filled with good actors, including Lane Chandler, uncredited and with only one line (but he has a good and recognizable voice), but above all, it gives Richard Carlson a chance to break loose and show the world what a talent he was.

A Comedy for Eleanor

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 17 July 2012]

On her way to work, San Francisco secretary Eleanor Parker (as Christabel "Christy" Sloane) attracts stares and whistles from everyone, due to her blonde beauty. She is sent to tell Los Angeles radio talk show host Fred MacMurray (as Peter Ulysses Lockwood) he has inherited two million dollars. Financially strapped, Ms. Parker's decides to follow advice from co-worker Una Merkel (as Patsy Clifford) and get MacMurray's marriage proposal before revealing his wealth...

Unfortunately, Parker arrives as MacMurray is about to marry another woman. Fortunately, his psychiatrist pal Richard Carlson (as Roland Cook) wants to stop the wedding and marry heiress Kay Buckley (as June Chandler) himself. This is a partially successful attempt to put Parker in a 1930s style comedy. Producer husband Bert Friedlob includes a fine team, especially MacMurray and photographer Harry Stradling. Alas, Parker and the co-stars' scripted love never seems believable.

***** A Millionaire for Christy (9/2/51) George Marshall ~ Eleanor Parker, Fred MacMurray, Richard Carlson, Kay Buckley

The one with the daffy heroine and the millionaire

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 1 March 2014]

There does not seem to be much logic in A Millionaire for Christy. The main problem one has with Eleanor Parker's character Christobel is that only ten minutes into the film, she is already feigning all sorts of maladies to attract Fred MacMurray's character. Funny? Perhaps. Does it make sense? Not really.

If there had been better character development, maybe with a montage, where we had seen Eleanor Parker's character go through a series of disastrous dates-- then, we just might be able to buy into some of her predicament. But as it is, she gets to California and looks up MacMurray and then throws herself at him like a lunatic would.

The second half of the film is almost like a different movie. The setting has changed (from Los Angeles to La Jolla). It leaves the viewer feeling that A Millionaire for Christy is an uneven film that had a lot of potential.

Anyone notice how similar this movie is to the very famous: "Bringing up Baby"?

[haskala · 5/10 · 4 May 2014]

I am watching this movie today on TCM and enjoying it.

However, I feel like I have seen this movie before. Then I remember my favorite and very famous movie of the 1930s with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, "Bringing up Baby". Same plot: plain but wacky and eccentric woman tries to lure very proper stuffed shirt handsome man away from his even more proper stuffed shirt fiancé.

Am I alone in seeing this redundancy of plot? Please comment after watching both movies.

Also, isn't there a pattern of Hollywood using old cookie cutter plots with new cast of characters and minor added details and settings?