The Matchmaker (1958)

Director:

Joseph Anthony

Writers:

Thornton Wilder (play)
John Michael Hayes (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 July 1959 (West Germany)

Genre:

Romance | Comedy

Plot:

Thornton Wilder's tale of a matchmaker who desires the man she's supposed to be pairing with another woman.

Plot Keywords:

Matchmaker | Clerk | Milliner | Yonkers New York | Uncle Niece Relationship

Cast

Shirley Booth	...	Dolly 'Gallagher' Levi
Anthony Perkins	...	Cornelius Hackl
Shirley MacLaine	...	Irene Molloy
Paul Ford	...	Horace Vandergelder
Robert Morse	...	Barnaby Tucker
Perry Wilson	...	Minnie Fay
Wallace Ford	...	Malachi Stack
Russell Collins	...	Joe Scanlon
Rex Evans	...	August
Gavin Gordon	...	Rudolph
Torben Meyer	...	Alex, Headwaiter, Harmonica Club
Rhubarb	...	Himself - a Cat

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #18757) | Finland:S | West Germany:12

Company:

Don Hartman Productions

Trivia:

The stage version of "The Matchmaker" opened in New York on December 5, 1955 at the Royale Theatre and closed on February 2, 1957 at the Booth Theatre. Ruth Gordon starred as Dolly Levi and Loring Smith as Horace Vandergelder. Robert Morse as Barnaby Tucker was the only actor to reprise his role in the movie version.

Quotes:

Dolly "Gallagher" Levi: [after the two clerks emerge from under a table] Good heavens, who else is under there?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Ties: Matchmaker (#5.28)" (1987)

Superb package

Do you like situation comedy? How about clever dialogue? Do the elements of classic farce make you laugh? Many a film has sustained itself on one of the foregoing. In "The Matchmaker," you get all three. The picture is perfectly cast, with the peerless (though by now, nearly forgotten) Shirley Booth as a sly but gentle, voracious but sweet, determined yet vulnerable Dolly. Paul Ford huffs and puffs in his characteristic manner, without overplaying. Anthony Perkins reminds us of his versatility with this twinkle-in-the-eye triumph in romantic comedy. A young Shirley MacLaine is simply adorable. Too bad the talented Robert Morse has so little to do, but with such a strong cast in more prominent roles, he had to save his elfin hijinks for another day.