I Love My Mother-in-Law But... (1948) User Reviews

Dave O'Brien Loses His Hair

[boblipton · 7/10 · 10 May 2020]

The long-running (and occasionally Oscar-winning) series of shorts narrated by a Smith called Pete tackles the the problem of mothers-in-law (notice where the 's' goes, youth of the IMDb!) and their place in slapstick comedy. Dave O'Brien is the husband, his real-life wife Dorothy Short is his wife -- see how that works out -- and Annie O'Neal is his wife's mom, a grim-faced, meddling, argument-provoking old snoop. And those are her good points.

Although most of the gags are telegraphed well in advance, there are a couple of very good ones. For those of us who enjoy Smith's snark, it's a lot of fun.

Not one of my favorite Pete Smith comedy shorts...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 17 June 2012]

A series of short vignettes illustrate the ways that a mother-in-law may irritate her son-in-law, with the usual pratfalls and comic errors made by lead actor Dave O'Brien with Dorothy Short as his long-suffering wife.

Anne O'Neal is the pinch-faced mother-in-law who causes all sorts of grievances with her constant interference and snooping. Dave tries to please her, but gets nowhere with her when his wife decides to take her side.

Has some funny moments, but none of this is as witty and hilarious as intended--although I do look forward to viewing these Pete Smith Specialties. You can always depend on stuntman Dave to take some real falls with his usual acrobatic timing.

The apparent aim of this brief film is to . . .

[pixrox1 · 6/10 · 1 February 2022]

. . . deter anyone viewing it from ever getting married. I LOVE MY MOTHER-IN-LAW BUT . . . Portrays the marital state as a fate worse than death. So-called "wedded bliss" inevitably results in a complete loss of privacy, BUT contends. This warning alert's narrator contends that all in-laws are bound to be "super snoopers," sure to uncover one's darkest secrets and rat them out to the Authorities. In this our Modern 21st Century, people are sure to wonder WHO would sponsor such a travesty as BUT. Seeing as how this film originates from the Nineteenth Century, heyday of the Shakers, it is quite likely that the Shaker Movement--which strictly prohibited ANY congress between males and females--is behind this infernal movie.

Fun Short from O'Brien

[Michael_Elliott · 22 January 2011]

I Love My Mother-in-Law, But! (1948)

*** (out of 4)

A husband (Dave O'Brien) wants to like his mother-in-law but she makes that impossible as she is constantly spying on his, getting into the middle of fights with his wife and also putting false things into the wife's head. This here was the third and final part of the trilogy that also included I LOVE MY HUSBAND, BUT! and I LOVE MY WIFE, BUT. Having seen all three I can say that each of them is a winner and they prove how funny O'Brien could be not only in the acting department but also his writing. His name probably doesn't ring too many bells today but show people his shorts and I'm sure they'll enjoy them. He does a very good job here acting out all the "drama" brought on by the mother-in-law and Pete Smith does his typical good narration. All of the scenes are pretty good with one dealing with a hanging picture stealing the film. Anne O'Neal is good as the mommy-in-law.