Mr. Blandings Builds His Dreamhouse

This movie may have come out in 1948, but it is still so very relevant today. (Anyone who has ever gone through the pains of renovating or building a home can attest to that.) After all these years, this movie is still delightfully fun.

Cary Grant is, to me, one of the greatest actors of all time...especially when it comes to comedy. He is such the straight-man, struggling to deal with the "crazies" around him. In this movie, those crazies are his kids, his maid, his wife, his best friend and the myriad of workmen who come together to build...well, his dream house. Myrna Loy, another favorite of mine from The Thin Man movies, plays Blandings' wife, and as usual, she is clever as heck. Melvyn Douglas plays the ever-suffering best friend and adds a bit of narration. They all come together to make a delightfully funny movie. Add in the "subplot" about the ad campaign for Wham (a "canned pork product" which I assume is loosely based on Spam) and you cannot watch this movie without laughing.

I am not a fan of "bathroom" humor, and toady's movies seem to be filled with those types of jokes. It's nice to be able to grab a classic like this and laugh without being embarrassed.