The Mating Game (1959)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

H.E. Bates (novel)
William Roberts (writer)

Release Date:

October 1959 (Austria)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Tax-collector Lorenzo Charlton comes to the Larkins' farm to ask why Pop Larkins hasn't paid his back-taxes...

Plot Keywords:

Farm | Tax Collector | Based On Novel

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Debbie Reynolds	...	Mariette Larkin
Tony Randall	...	Lorenzo Charlton
Paul Douglas	...	Sidney 'Pop' Larkin
Fred Clark	...	Oliver Kelsey
Una Merkel	...	Ma Larkin
Philip Ober	...	Wendell Burnshaw
Philip Coolidge	...	Rev. Osgood
Charles Lane	...	Inspector General Bigelow
Trevor Bardette	...	Chief Guthrie
William Smith	...	Barney
Addison Powell	...	David De Groot
Rickey Murray	...	Lee Larkin
Donald Losby	...	Grant Larkin
Cheryl Bailey	...	Victoria Larkin
Caryl Bailey	...	Susan Larkin

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:S | West Germany:6

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Quotes:

Sidney 'Pop' Larkin: A gentleman always feels better after a little outing!

Movie Connections:

Version of "The Darling Buds of May" (1991)

Soundtrack:

I've Got You Under My Skin

Clever Premise

Energetic romp overseen by that veteran of slapstick George Marshall. This is not his best, but he does keep things moving. Enjoyable for the most part if you can get past owlish Tony Randall as the answer to a maiden's dream (Debbie Reynold's). He certainly looks the part of an IRS collections tiger, but it's a stretch in the romance department. Lots of barnyard innuendo as earthy farmer Paul Douglas and his obstreperous family manage a living outside the money economy. He barters things in shrewd fashion, while enjoying life's simple pleasures. That is, until snobby neighbor neighbor Philip Ober sics the IRS on him in an attempt to grab his property after Douglas refuses to sell.

Really clever premise, with a provocative subtext that pits the older agrarian way of life against the modern complexities. Bureaucrat Randall must collect a lifetime of back taxes from throw-back Douglas who, of course, has never dealt in money. But Randall, all officiousness, has never encountered the likes of the artful farmer and his bursting-with-life family that keep him perpetually off-balance. At the same time, comely daughter Reynolds works her wiles in typical spirited fashion. Some funny set-ups, especially when the barnyard critters turn on the hapless bureaucrat.

However, some of the slapstick goes on too long for my liking, suggesting that Marshall is indeed past his prime. Nonetheless, Douglas is near perfect as the good-natured hick, while Reynolds manages the spunk without too much excess. Look for outlaw biker Bill Smith as a muscle-bound rowdy, and of course the great Fred Clark in one of his typical bah-humbug roles. All in all, there are some genuine guffaws, but in some ways the movie is more interesting than anything else. Come to think of it, comedy aside, the movie can be viewed as a must-include at any hippie or Libertarian film retrospective.