Move Over, Darling (1963)

After five years lost at sea, a missing wife thought long dead returns just after her husband remarries.

Director:

Michael Gordon

Writers:

Hal Kanter (screenplay), Jack Sher (screenplay)

Stars:

Doris Day, James Garner, Polly Bergen

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Doris Day	...	Ellen Wagstaff Arden
James Garner	...	Nicholas Arden
Polly Bergen	...	Bianca Steele Arden
Thelma Ritter	...	Grace Arden
Fred Clark	...	Mr. Codd (Hotel Manager)
Don Knotts	...	Shoe Clerk
Elliott Reid	...	Dr. Herman Schlick
Edgar Buchanan	...	Judge Bryson
John Astin	...	Clyde Prokey
Pat Harrington Jr.	...	District Attorney
Eddie Quillan	...	Bellboy
Max Showalter	...	Hotel Desk Clerk
Alvy Moore	...	Room Service Waiter
Pami Lee	...	Jenny Arden
Leslie Farrell	...	Didi Arden

Storyline

Three years into their loving marriage, with two infant daughters at home in Los Angeles, Nicholas Arden and Ellen Wagstaff Arden are on a plane that goes down in the South Pacific. Although most passengers manage to survive the incident, Ellen presumably perishes when swept off her lifeboat, her body never recovered. Fast forward five years. Nicky, wanting to move on with his life, has Ellen declared legally dead. Part of that moving on includes getting remarried, this time to a young woman named Bianca Steele, who, for their honeymoon, he plans to take to the same Monterey resort where he and Ellen spent their honeymoon. On that very same day, Ellen is dropped off in Los Angeles by the Navy, who rescued her from the South Pacific island where she was stranded for the past five years. She asks the Navy not to publicize her rescue nor notify Nicky as she wants to do so herself. Upon arrival back home, a shocked Grace Arden (Nicky's mother) informs Ellen that Nicky just got remarried ...

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Plot Keywords:

stranded | slapstick comedy | presumed dead | remake | woman | 

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Taglines:

It's sheer bedlam from morning 'til night ... !

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

25 December 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Something's Gotta Give

Filming Locations:

California Highway 1, Mugu Rock, Ventura County, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,350,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$12,705,882, 31 December 1963

Company Credits

Production Co:

Melcher-Arcola Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 99 min (FMC Library Print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Color by Deluxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Bianca is helping Nicholas out of the car and into the house (Nicholas pretending to have hurt his back), the jacket Bianca is wearing is the same pattern/material as one of Marilyn Monroe's dresses from Something's Got to Give (1962) - specifically, Marilyn's dress when she first comes home and sees her children in the pool (on which this film's script is based).

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Goofs

When Ellen is in the car wash, she pushes some buttons. It is obvious that the audio is unsynchronized.

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Quotes

Ellen Wagstaff Arden: Child? Oh! Nick is not a child.
Grace Arden: No, he's not that smart. He's only a man.

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Connections

Referenced in Wild Seed (1965)

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Soundtracks

Bridal Chorus (Here Comes The Bride)
(1850) (uncredited)
from "Lohengrin"
Music by Richard Wagner
Played as part of the score when James Garner and Polly Bergen arrive at the hotel

User Reviews

Moderately enjoyable.

Although this glossy remake of the 1940 comedy "My Favorite Wife" did not turn into the funniest Doris Day vehicle, it does provide several highly amusing moments (Doris's posing as the Swedish nurse is priceless). There are a couple of scenes that could have done with some trimming (Day and Garner's scene in the hotel room and the opening courtroom sequence come to mind) but the film benefits from an excellent supporting cast, Thelma Ritter being the stand-out.