Monkey Business (1952)

A chemist finds his personal and professional life turned upside down when one of his chimpanzees finds the fountain of youth.

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

Ben Hecht (screenplay), Charles Lederer (screenplay)

Stars:

Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Cary Grant	...	Dr. Barnaby Fulton
Ginger Rogers	...	Mrs. Edwina Fulton
Charles Coburn	...	Mr. Oliver Oxley
Marilyn Monroe	...	Miss Lois Laurel
Hugh Marlowe	...	Hank Entwhistle
Henri Letondal	...	Dr. Jerome Kitzel
Robert Cornthwaite	...	Dr. Zoldeck
Larry Keating	...	G.J. Culverly
Douglas Spencer	...	Dr. Brunner
Esther Dale	...	Mrs. Rhinelander
George Winslow	...	Little Indian

Storyline

Barnaby Fulton is a research chemist working on a fountain of youth pill for a chemical company. While trying a sample dose on himself, he accidentally gets a dose of a mixture added to the water cooler and believes his potion is what is working. The mixture temporarily causes him to feel and act like a teenager, including correcting his vision. When his wife gets a dose that is even larger, she regresses even further into her childhood. When an old boyfriend meets her in this state, he believes that her never wanting to see him again means a divorce and a chance for him.

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Plot Keywords:

youth | chimpanzee | age regression | husband wife relationship | invention | 

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Taglines:

It's Some Fun!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Darling I Am Growing Younger

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Edwina refers to Lois as "that pin up girl". Of course the character Lois is played by Marilyn Monroe, the most famous of pin up girls.

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Goofs

When Edwina jumps over the fence, her pant legs are rolled up. When she walks towards the front door, the pant legs are unfolded. After she walks into the house, they're rolled up again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Howard Hawks, Man in Opening: Not yet, Cary.

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Crazy Credits

During the opening credits, an offscreen voice twice says, "Not yet, Cary" when Barnaby (Cary Grant) opens his front door to come outside. Each time, he closes the door again so the credits can continue.

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Connections

Referenced in Grand Theft Auto V (2013)

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Soundtracks

The Whiffenpoof Song
(uncredited)
Music by Tod B. Galloway
Lyrics by George S. Pomeroy and Meade Minnigerode
Sung by Cary Grant
Also sung by Ginger Rogers
Also sung by Ginger Rogers, Charles Coburn and the Executive Board

User Reviews

Good Fun

This is a very good movie to watch when all you want to do is to have a good time and some good laughs. There isn't a minute of it that would hold up to logical analysis, but there's barely a minute of it that isn't fun to watch. The story is pleasantly zany, the characters are entertaining, and the stars were all perfectly chosen for their roles.

Hawks's opening gag with Cary Grant in the doorway sets the tone, and lets you know right away that you can sit back and not take anything seriously for a while. Grant's character, a somewhat befuddled scientist who is trying to come up with a "youth formula", is the kind of role he could play in his sleep. As Grant's wife, Ginger Rogers doesn't get much to do for a good while, but then she has some fine comic moments later on. Charles Coburn is perfect as Grant's boss, and he gets a couple of the best lines in the whole show. And who better than Marilyn Monroe to play Coburn's secretary?

It's an entertaining throwback to the screwball comedies of a slightly earlier era. "Monkey Business" may be no masterpiece, but it's good fun of the pleasantly offbeat kind that is rare anymore.