Teacher's Pet (1958)

A hard-nosed newspaper editor poses as a night school student in order to woo a journalism teacher who cannot stand him.

Director:

George Seaton

Writers:

Fay Kanin, Michael Kanin

Stars:

Clark Gable, Doris Day, Gig Young

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 7 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Clark Gable	...	James Gannon
Doris Day	...	Erica Stone
Gig Young	...	Dr. Hugo Pine
Mamie Van Doren	...	Peggy DeFore
Nick Adams	...	Barney Kovac
Peter Baldwin	...	Harold Miller
Marion Ross	...	Katy Fuller
Charles Lane	...	Roy
Jack Albertson	...	Guide
Florenz Ames	...	J.R. Ballantyne
Harry Antrim	...	Lloyd Crowley
Vivian Nathan	...	Edna Kovac

Storyline

James Gannon, the hardboiled city editor of a newspaper, believes that the only way to learn the business is by way of the School of Hard Knocks, and has a very low regard for college-taught journalism, so he's not pleased when his managing editor orders him to help Erica Stone, a college professor, with her journalism class. Finding himself attracted to her, he pretends to be a student in her class, not revealing he's Gannon, whom she despises. As they bob and weave around their mutual growing attraction, they both begin to gain respect for each other's approaches to reporting news, but how will Erica react when she finds out who he really is?

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Plot Keywords:

journalism | editor | night school | professor | class | 

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Taglines:

Their mixed-up romance adds up to this: GREAT DAY! GREAT GUY! GREAT FUN!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Enséñame a querer

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Perlberg-Seaton Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Clark Gable's wife, Kay Williams, a frequent set visitor, kept the company supplied with sweets. She brought homemade popcorn, a half-dozen boxes of chocolates, and even a huge box of fresh pretzels.

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Goofs

When Gannon is in Dr. Pine's kitchen getting a drink, a cabinet is opened with the open door located right behind Gannon's head. When the scene cuts to a shot showing the kitchen from the living room, the open cabinet door is nowhere in sight.

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Quotes

James Gannon: [providing an impromptu lesson to Barney] By the way, you heard about it, didn't you?
Barney Kovac: What?
James Gannon: Found him dead.
Barney Kovac: Who?
James Gannon: Boss.
Barney Kovac: No kidding. When?
James Gannon: Two minutes ago.
Barney Kovac: Where did they find him?
James Gannon: In his office.
Barney Kovac: What did happen?
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The O'Reilly Factor: Episode dated 22 February 2008 (2008)

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Soundtracks

Teacher's Pet Mambo
Words and Music by Joe Lubin

User Reviews

Entertaining comic 'Battle of the Sexes'!

"Teacher's Pet" is a deliciously funny look at journalism, and the clash between 'formal' education vs. practical experience, with higher learning championed by Doris Day, and the 'School of Hard Knocks' represented by the 'King', himself, Clark Gable. Despite an obvious age difference (Gable, at 57, was showing all of his years), the chemistry between the stars is electric, and with Oscar-nominated Gig Young providing terrific comic support as Gable's brilliant yet down-to-earth competition for Day, the film manages to be both witty and wise.

With over a quarter century of playing newspapermen, the role of hard-boiled City Editor Jim Gannon fit Clark Gable like an old shoe. No-nonsense, pragmatic, and a workaholic, Gannon was the classic 'school drop-out' who learned the newspaper business from the ground up, and held college in contempt. While Gannon was obviously a dinosaur, even by 1950s' standards, Gable appears to be having a ball as the cigarette-smoking, plain-spoken, 'blue-collar' hero.

Despite the constant "Will she or Won't she?" sexual undercurrent of so many of her best comedies of the fifties and early sixties, Doris Day was also a feminist during the era, with her characters self-sufficient, and often holding down important positions based on merit. As Erica Stone, an ex-reporter who returns to college to teach journalism, her demeanor is professional and her knowledge unimpeachable, making her the perfect foil for Gannon.

While the descriptions of Gannon and Stone sound like formula characters for Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (not surprisingly, as the script was penned by longtime friends Fay and Michael Kanin), the Gable/Day teaming provides a sexual tension that, by the late 1950s, would have been far less apparent had Tracy and Hepburn taken the roles. Even at the twilight of his career, Gable was so totally 'male' that he raised the bar of any actress opposite him, with Day's signature 'perkiness' transformed, here, into sexual potential in a tight skirt (watch her tease Gable, swaying her hips to "The Girl Who Invented Rock and Roll"; Day has never been sexier!)

While the resolution is not surprising, some remarkably candid observations of what makes good print journalism are given by both Day and Gable, with Day's comment of television replacing newspapers as the public's source for breaking news remarkably farsighted in 1958!

If you want a terrific comedy with two stars at the top of their game, look no further; "Teacher's Pet" delivers!