''Darling, How Could You!'' is a 1951 American

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Mitchell Leisen James Mitchell Leisen (October 6, 1898 – October 28, 1972) was an American director, art director, and costume designer. Film career He entered the film industry in the 1920s, beginning in the art and costume departments. He directed his f ...

and starring

Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...

and John Lund. The script is based on the 1905

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succ ...

play ''Alice Sit-by-the-Fire''.

Plot

In late 1906, brother and sister Cosmo and Amy Grey have not seen their parents for many years, their father being a doctor who has been in Panama during work on the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

. Their housekeeper sends them to see a play, ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'', but by mistake they end up seeing a rather sophisticated family melodrama instead. Robert and Alice Grey come home not sure what to expect. The children hardly know their parents at all. Baby Molly has formed a natural attachment to her nanny, and both are reluctant to have Alice come in and "take over". The three children warm to Robert readily, but Alice receives a cold welcome. Furthermore, the play has given Amy some peculiar ideas of how adults behave. When she hears Alice receive an invitation to meet family friend Dr. Steven Clark, she falsely assumes they are having a romantic tryst. Amy shows up at Steve's unexpectedly, trying to talk him out of the "affair", much to his confusion. She then decides to hide in a closet when her parents arrive, but when a glove is found and Amy's presence revealed, everybody gets the wrong idea. Alice assumes the doctor is seeing her daughter, while Robert assumes the doctor is seeing his wife. Eventually, Alice discovers why Amy has believed she has been having an affair. She decides to follow the plot of the play and pretends to give Steve up in a dramatic fashion. This helps win Amy, and the other children, over to her side. She explains everything to Robert, much to his amusement, and the newly contented family sits by the fire.

Cast

as Mrs. Alice Grey * John Lund as Dr. Robert Grey *

Mona Freeman Monica Elizabeth "Mona" Freeman (June 9, 1926 – May 23, 2014) was an American actress and painter. Early years Freeman was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Pelham, New York. A lumberman's daughter, she was a model while in hig ...

as Amy Grey * Peter Hansen as Dr. Steven Clark *

David Stollery David John Stollery, III (born January 18, 1941 in Los Angeles, California) is a former American child actor and, as an adult, an industrial designer. He appeared in numerous Disney movies and television programs in the 1950s. He is best known for ...

as Cosmo Grey * Virginia Farmer as Fanny * Angela Clarke as Nurse *

Lowell Gilmore Lowell Gilmore (20 December 1906 – 31 January 1960) was an American stage, film and television actor. Life and career Lowell Gilmore first worked as a stage manager on the 1929 Broadway play ''The First Mrs. Fraser'', but got his chance as a ...

as Aubrey Quayne *

Robert Barrat Robert Harriot Barrat (July 10, 1891 – January 7, 1970) was an American stage, motion picture, and television character actor. Early years Barratt was born on July 10, 1891, in New York City and was educated in the public schools there. He ...

as Mr. Rossiter * Gertrude Michael as Mrs. Rossiter * Mary Murphy as Sylvia * Frank Elliott as Simms *

Billie Bird Billie Bird Sellen (February 28, 1908 – November 27, 2002), better known professionally as Billie Bird, was an American actress and comedian. She played Margie in '' Dear John'' (1988–1992). Early life Born in Pocatello, Idaho, Bird was ...

as Rosie * Willard Waterman as Theatre Manager

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', critic Howard Thompson called the film "feeble, sticky and laboriously arch" and a "lusterless flapdoodle." Thompson wrote: "Ragged sentimentality and hackneyed misunderstanding march hand in hand through this tritely presented tale of parlor embarrassment. ... Paramount, how could you!"

References

External links

* {{Mitchell Leisen 1951 films Films directed by Mitchell Leisen American black-and-white films American historical comedy films 1950s historical comedy films American films based on plays Films set in 1906 Articles containing video clips Films scored by Friedrich Hollaender Films with screenplays by Lesser Samuels Dodie Smith Paramount Pictures films 1951 comedy films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films