Move Over, Darling *** (1963, Doris Day, James Garner, Polly Bergen, Thelma Ritter, Chuck Connors, Fred Clark, Don Knotts) – Classic Movie Review 5,969

When Marilyn Monroe died, 20th Century Fox hastily revamped her unfinished movie Something’s Got To Give with a title change to Move Over, Darling (1963) as a vehicle for Doris Day.

In 1962 the screwball comedy My Favorite Wife (1940) was being remade with Marilyn Monroe leaving it unfinished just before her death (as Something’s Got To Give with director George Cukor), and 20th Century Fox hastily revamped it with a title change to Move Over, Darling (1963) as a vehicle for Doris Day.

Ms Day plays Ellen (‘Eve’) Arden, the wife supposedly killed in an accident when her plane goes down in the South Pacific, but who comes home after five years, rescued from her desert island by the Navy, only to find out that her husband Nicholas (played by James Garner) has given up on her and got a new wife, Bianca (Polly Bergen).

The old situation, played in various films for comedy or drama, runs all the way back to Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s 1864 poem Enoch Arden. This is the seventh film version of the poem. But it still comes up fairly fresh and amusing thanks mainly to the vivacious charms of Day and Garner, plus a fairly funny screenplay by Hal Kanter and Jack Sher, and expert comedy handling by director Michael Gordon.

The screenplay is based on the earlier Something’s Got To Give script written by Arnold Schulman, Nunnally Johnson and Walter Bernstein, which was in turn based on the screenplay My Favorite Wife by Leo McCarey, Bella Spewack and Samuel Spewack).

Also in the cast are Thelma Ritter, Chuck Connors, Fred Clark, Don Knotts, Elliott Reid, Edgar Buchanan, John Astin, Pat Harrington Jr, Eddie Quillan and Max Showalter [Casey Adams] as the Hotel Desk Clerk.

The title song was a hit for Day, reaching number eight in the British singles chart, and again for Tracey Ullman in 1983, also reaching number eight in the UK. Ullman is the richest female British comedian. The song was written by Day’s son, Terry Melcher, along with Hal Kanter and Joe Lubin.

Day was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globe Awards, but lost to Shirley MacLaine in Irma La Douce.

It was the year’s Christmas treat. Release date: December 25, 1963 (US).

It was chosen as the 1964 Royal Film Performance and had its UK premiere on 24 February 1964 at London’s Odeon Leicester Square in the presence of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Monroe began shooting. Something’s Got to Give (co-starring Dean Martin) in 1962, but was fired, then hired again and then died soon after, leaving the film unfinished.

Garner was the first choice for Something’s Got to Give but was already committed to doing The Great Escape. It is unusual to have a second chance like this. Thelma Ritter, who plays Grace Arden, was the sole cast survivor from Something’s Got to Give.

Garner accidentally cracked two of Day’s ribs during the massage scene when he pulls her off Bergen. But he didn’t know till next day when he put his arms around her and felt her bandage.

The film uses most of the interiors and studio exteriors from the original Cukor production for the Arden home. They were based on Cukor’s actual Beverly Hills home.

There is a happy ending to the story. It cost $3,350,000 and grossed $6 million in the US, for a worldwide total of $12,705,000, as one of the biggest hits of the year. That was great news for the production companies Melcher-Arcola Productions and Avernus Productions, as well as the distributor 20th Century Fox.

It is co-produced by Doris Day’s husband and business partner Martin Melcher, along with Aaron Rosenberg. Fox were in trouble at the time through its losses on making Cleopatra. So everybody won.

The stars had just filmed The Thrill of It All (1963) together.

The cast

The cast are Doris Day as Ellen (‘Eve’) Wagstaff Arden, James Garner as Nick Arden, Polly Bergen as Bianca Steele Arden, Thelma Ritter as Grace Arden, Fred Clark as Mr Codd, Don Knotts as Shoe Clerk, Chuck Connors as Stephen (‘Adam’) Burkett, Edgar Buchanan as Judge Bryson, John Astin as Clyde Prokey, Elliott Reid as Dr Herman Schlick, Pat Harrington J. as District Attorney, Alan Sues as Court Clerk, Max Showalter [Casey Adams] as Hotel Desk Clerk, Eddie Quillan as Bellboy, Jack Orrison as Bartender, Pami Lee as Jenny Arden, and Leslie Farrell as Didi Arden.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5,969

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