4/10
Not very interesting; perhaps it needed more Mikes
9 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Noticeable cast—Mrs. Wyman is the stewardess, Howard Keel is the 1st Mike, Van Johnson is the 2nd Mike, a certain Barry Sullivan, who resembles a fellow who played vampires in the '70s, Langella, is the 3rd Mike ;a bright stewardess meets three guys—one's an airline pilot who takes a rather noble view of his job, 'the whole world to fly around', dazzlingly tourism—bent (that's the future husband of Miss Ellie from DALLAS—Keel—perhaps even less likable as a dynamic youngster, without that contemplative bonhomie given by age); one's a scientist who studies Bioluminescence and looks like a poster—boy (Johnson, you've already guessed); one's a businessman who works in the advertising and might be the creepiest of the trio.

This Jane Wyman comedy is not so much unfunny (because there are occasionally things which could make one laugh if in a movie theater), as it is uninspired and unlikable, a bit stale, if you take my meaning; and another thing—the settings bizarrely leave the impression of a rarefied world, as if the action takes place in a depopulated society, as if they barely gathered a few people for the stage. Other than that now, Mrs. Wyman plays a self—confident stewardess taking the first steps in the job, the movie would of required that conventional '50s hedonism of the sex comedies. Maybe more Mikes would of fueled the script up? The male stars, Van Johnson and Keel, are perhaps a bit better as comedians than Mrs. Wyman; but then again, the script is so lifeless ….

It occurred to me that our Spader resembles Johnson—well, if added a bit of perfidiousness and malice to that missionary blandness ….

It takes long to establish the basic comical situation, that a girl meets three men named Mike—Van Johnson enters after a ½ an hour; the too short scene, of a quiet and mild poetry, where he shows the stars (Ursa Major, Casiopeea) to the girl and the stewardess is touching—as are generally the people taking an interest in the stars.
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