Practically Yours *** (1944, Claudette Colbert, Fred MacMurray) – Classic Movie Review 12,012

Fred MacMurray.

A dog called Piggy gets mixed up with a woman named Peggy in the ludicrously plotted, scatterbrained comedy romancer Practically Yours (1944). Somehow, Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray make it work.

Producer-director Mitchell Leisen’s 1944 Paramount Pictures black and white US comedy film Practically Yours is written by Norman Krasna, and stars Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray.

Practically Yours is a lighter-than-air comedy romancer with MacMurray as a presumed dead flyboy, young pilot Daniel Bellamy, whose love letter to his pooch, a dog called Piggy, inadvertently ends up in the hands of Peggy (Colbert), a woman who worked in his office, causing her to think that she is his secret love.

It is a feather-brained story, with long-drawn-out, absurd complications. But Leisen’s polished direction and the slick performances from the two splendid stars and fine long support cast save the day – and it has worn well.

Practically Yours runs 90 minutes.

Also in the cast are Gil Lamb, Cecil Kellaway, Robert Benchley, Rosemary DeCamp, Tom Powers, Jane Frazee, Isabel Randolph, Mikhail Rasumny, Stanley Andrews, Sam Ash, Warren Ashe, Don Barclay, Byron Barr, Hugh Beaumont, Hugh Binyon, Gladys Blake, Roy Brent, Hillary Brooke, Jack Clifford, Yvonne De Carlo, Dorothy Granger, Earle Hodgins, Charles Hamilton, Charles Irwin, Arthur Loft, Donald McBride, Jack Rice, Reginald Simpson, Sonny Boy Williams, Isabel Withers, and Will Wright.

Krasna wrote the original story in his spare time on duty for the armed services in Los Angeles and Paramount head of production Buddy DeSylva, who had previously produced his script Bachelor Party, bought it in September 1943.

Paulette Goddard was to star but left for a wartime army camp tour and was replaced by Claudette Colbert. Then Mitchell Leisen replaced George Marshall as director.

Filming started in January 1944 and it was released on 20 December 1944.

The cast are Claudette Colbert as Peggy Martin, Fred MacMurray as Daniel Bellamy, Gil Lamb as Albert W Beagell, Cecil Kellaway as Marvin P Meglin, Robert Benchley as Judge Robert Simpson, Tom Powers as Commander Harry Harpe, Jane Frazee as musical comedy star, Rosemary DeCamp as Ellen Macy, Isabel Randolph as Mrs. Meglin, Mikhail Rasumny as LaCrosse, Kitty Kelly as wife, Stanley Andrews, Sam Ash, Warren Ashe, Don Barclay, Byron Barr, Hugh Beaumont, Hugh Binyon, Gladys Blake, Roy Brent, Hillary Brooke, Jack Clifford, Yvonne De Carlo, Dorothy Granger, Earle Hodgins, Charles Hamilton, Charles Irwin, Arthur Loft, Donald McBride, Jack Rice, Reginald Simpson, Sonny Boy Williams, Isabel Withers, and Will Wright.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,012

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