The Reluctant Debutante (1958)

Simply Perfect

Powerful

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

"The Reluctant Debutante" is a very good comedy of manners. Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall get top billing in a nice cast of young and "mature" stars of the day. The battle of manners plays out between Kendall and Angela Lansbury. These two are terrific in their rival- friend-rival relationship. Lansbury's Mabel Claremont is a far cry from the Jessica Fletcher of the long-running TV series (1984-96), "Murder She Wrote." The very talented Lansbury here is the noisy, butting-in, social busybody of London society. Kendall's Sheila Broadbent is a take charge, social butterfly who wants to get her stepdaughter lined up with the right man. The stepdaughter is Jane Broadbent (Sandra Dee) just arrived from the U.S., whom Sheila has never met, and her father hasn't seen in many years. All of this takes place in, around and because of "the season." In London, that means the coming out of 17-year-old girls through a grueling, seemingly endless round of debutante balls. Overseeing all of the wackiness that takes place, and suffering through long nights that end at wee hours of the morning, when he'd like to catch "a little nap before the office," is Rex Harrison as Jimmy Broadbent. Jimmy and Sheila didn't know what to expect of Jane. What will she look like? Her last photo was two years old and young. girls can change a lot in two years. Sheila wonders if Jane will like her. How will they get along? With all of this, Sheila hasn't even thought about Jane coming out in London society. But when they see the very attractive Jane, and run into Mabel Claremont and her daughter, Clarissa, Sheila announces that Jane too, will be coming out. Saxon plays David Parkson, and Peter Myers does a smashing job as David Fenner. He is a very funny overly snobbish sounding and acting eligible bachelor/suitor. All of the cast are fine. The film is a little slow getting started, but the comedy ramps up in the last half. This is a good film to show the comedy talents of all three mature leads. Harrison and Kendall were married at the time. It was her first and only marriage. She made only one more film after this and died a year later of leukemia. She was just 33 years old. In her short career, she was in 30 films and TV series. After a slow start in the 1940s, her star rose in the 1950s. She moved from TV series in 1951 to the silver screen. She won a Golden Globe for "Les Girls" of 1958. This was the first pairing of John Saxon and Sandra Dee. They would make three films together, all good movies. One of the funniest scenes is when Jimmy and Sheila hide in the kitchen to keep an eye on Jane and David. Another funny thing may not have been intentional – the strange flat where the Broadbents live. It looks like a tunnel off the living room to the bedroom section, and with a side door to the kitchen. In the end, Jimmy finds a way to save Sheila from the egg on her face. Here are some favorite lines from this film. For more dialog humor, check the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the film. Sheila, "Jimmy, if she brings him up here for a drink, she'll know we've been waiting up for her." Jimmy, "And so we have." Sheila, "But, darling, she musn't. Psychologically, it's wrong to let her see we're worried. You see, even if she isn't interested in David Parkson, she thinks we'd be against it if she was, she will be." Jimmy, "She was, she will be?" Sheila, "No, darling, she mustn't know. We must wait up for her, don't you see?" Jimmy, "But, Jane…" Sheila, "No, no, darling, in the kitchen."Sheila, "Now go in the kitchen." Jimmy, "The kitchen…?" Sheila, "To see if you can hear me." Jimmy, "But I can hear you from here." Sheila, "Oh, Jimmy, do try and understand. We're hiding in the kitchen. We have to know what's going on. Now run along." Jimmy, "My permission? I'm a married man. My wife and I make joint decisions." David Parkson, "Then tell her about Brenda Bassington." Jimmy, "She wouldn't believe it." David, "Do you?" Jimmy, "Yes." David, "Well, then." Jimmy, "Well, that has nothing to do with it. Truth doesn't mean the same to a woman that it does to a man. To them, it's what they want to believe, regardless of the facts…"Sheila, "Jimmy?" Jimmy, "Shhh. Later, darling." As they begin to dance, he kisses her tenderly.

Producer: Pandro S. Berman. Copyright 1958 by Loew's Inc. An Avon Production for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 14 August 1958 (ran 5 weeks). London opening at the Empire, Leicester Square: 26 December 1958. U.K. general release: 1 February 1959. Australian release: 26 March 1959. 8,617 feet. 95 minutes. No DVD available at present. COMMENT: This most British of British plays was a rousing success everywhere, thanks presumably to its extremely popular cast. The Broadway presentation, directed by Cyril Ritchard, starred Wilfrid Hyde White, Adrianne Allen, John Merivale and Anna Massey in the roles played in the film by Harrison, Kendall, Saxon and Dee. In the movie version, the first two acts are wonderfully funny, but proceedings are let down badly in the Gilbertian third act by the insipid acting of Saxon and Dee. Fortunately, not even this vital lack of support deters Harrison and Kendall. Indeed Harrison has the sort of role he was born to play – and he makes the charismatic most of all his delightfully witty lines and deft throwaways. His timing is absolutely brilliant. Kay Kendall is almost equally admirable as his fatuous snob of a wife. Angela Lansbury and Peter Myers are also well up to the amusing demands of their roles. Miss Dee, on the other hand, seems to have missed the point of the play's satire entirely and does nothing more than alternatively bubble over with either froth or dejection, thus forcing the other players to carry the whole burden of the comedy. She doesn't help in any way at all. Alas, if anything, Saxon is even worse. Like Miss Dee, he seems to have totally missed the Gilbertian overtones of his role. Instead he plays his character perfectly straight. In a sense, he's less on the ball than Miss Dee. She's just a hopeless bit of Hollywood fluff. On the other hand, Saxon gives the impression that he is deliberately mishandling his role in order to maintain his clean-cut, boy-next- door image. That he could enact other roles, is shown later in his career.

Kay Kendall is not old enough to be Sandra Dee's mom, so she is cast as Dee's Step-mom. That is a change from the play. Rex Harrison(Jimmy Broadbent) is a delight as Dee's father. John Saxon (David Parkinson) is great as the drummer who becomes smitten with Jane Broadbent (Dee). Meanwhile the stepmother Sheila Broadbent(Kendall) hears the lips wagging with rumors about David (Saxon) encounter with a young woman which are total lies. This turns out to be a case of father knowing best and step mother being an embarrassment. She hears the lips wagging and does nothing to find out about David who her daughter is falling in love with. Even worse David Fenner (Peter Myers) is who step mom chooses for her step-daughter. He is a womanizer of the first order and much too old for either Dee or the step-mother. This is the source of the comedy.Angela Lansbury (Mabel Claremont) is marvelous in a role as an older woman who helps the lips wagging and gets involved slightly in the plot. The thing Angela at age 33 has a great figure and is more attractive than Kendall who is actually a year younger than her in real life. In one scene, Lansbury comes out in a beautiful gown highlighting her figure and almost steals the scene with her looks.William Douglas-Home play is converted by the author into a screen play. In 2003 this was remade as "What A Girl Wants" starring Amanda Bynes. Bynes is a beautiful woman now, but the remake falls far short of this 1958 version. Colin Firth and the cast in that remake just do not have what this one has, and since the remake was made 10 years after William Douglas-Home's death, the script just is not updated well enough to make it work as well. Sometimes, it is better to watch the original. That is the case here. This is a very enjoyable film.

'The Reluctant Debutante' had a lot going for it, with talented actors like Rex Harrison, Kay Kendall and Angela Lansbury and a fine director in Vincente Minnelli. Also like comedy and romance and there are fine examples of both individually and both together.Of which 'The Reluctant Debutante' is one of them. It is not without its imperfections. The story is thin which makes some of the middle act sluggish and repetitious. Some of Sandra Dee and John Saxon's lines are clunky and not a patch on the adults' material. John Saxon has his bland and wooden moments and Peter Myers is a bore. With all that being said, a huge amount of 'The Reluctant Debutante' works and incredibly well. Sandra Dee is a pert and charming presence and her chemistry with Saxon has its sweet moments. The adult supporting cast are much more impressive though.Especially Kay Kendall (who died far too young a year later with much more to give), who is exquisite in every sense, comic timing, looks, everything. Rex Harrison delivers a lot of delicious lines with deft ease, with a flair for knowing comic timing and nuance. The film is actually worth seeing for their performances and irresistible chemistry alone. Angela Lansbury makes a thankless role interesting. Minnelli delivers on creating grand spectacle and gorgeous visuals, and paces everything that helps bring believability to the romantic and particularly comedic elements.Scripting here is generally very good, at its best excellent. The comedic elements are delightfully witty and sophisticated and the romantic elements radiate with charm. There is a great deal of energy too. Lush music score too, with some great use of songs, the Cole Porter hits and "The Boy Next Door" are particular bonbons.Visually, 'The Reluctant Debutante' looks wonderful. It's beautifully photographed, with opulently designed sets, gorgeous colours that pop out at you and especially those to die for costumes.Overall, immensely charming and entertaining. 8/10 Bethany Cox