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Cary Grant, Louise Beavers, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas, Reginald Denny ... see more see more... , Jason Robards Sr. , Lex Barker , Connie Marshall , Sharyn Moffett , Nestor Paiva , Emory Parnell , Harry Shannon , Lurene Tuttle , Tito Vuolo , Stanley Andrews , Robert Bray , Don Brodie , Cliff Clark , Kernan Cripps , Frank Darien , Hal K. Dawson , Friedrich von Ledebur , Charles B. Middleton , Franklin Parker , Dan Tobin , Ian Wolfe , Will Wright , Michael Lally , Jack Jahries , Cy Slocum , Ralph Stein , Bud Wiser

Fed up with crowded big-city living, advertising executive Mr. Blandings (Cary Grant) decides to seek out a big, roomy house in the country. Armed with more enthusiasm than common sense, Blandings cau... read more read more...ses many a headache for his lawyer/business manager Melvyn Douglas, who tries to keep the costs within a reasonable amount. Alas, Blandings bulls ahead on his own, first purchasing an estate on the verge of collapse, then opting to build his dream house from scratch. An unpleasant legal squabble over the fact that Blandings purchased his new property without checking with the prior owners throws even more good money after bad. The construction of the new Blandings digs is slowed down to a walk by doors and windows that don't fit, plumbing that fails to function, doorknobs that break upon contact with human flesh, temperamental workmen, and various and sundry other homeowners' nightmares (if all this sounds like the much-later Tom Hanks/Shelley Long comedy The Money Pit, it only shows to go how little has changed in forty years--except, of course, for the costs of things). Attempting to keep a level head throughout the proceedings is Mrs. Blandings (Myrna Loy), though even she is guilty of pretensions and excess, especially in the classic "choice of colors" scene. The humor in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House springs so naturally from the central situation that it seems intrusive when the scriptwriters throw in an arbitrary French-farce scene wherein Blandings suspects that his wife and his lawyer are fooling around (a plot point that the original Eric Hodgins novel did just fine without). One of the best bits comes near the end, when Louise Beavers, the Blandings' cook, saves the day for everyone by ad libbing "If you ain't eating Wham, you ain't eating Ham." Why should we spoil your enjoyment by explaining that line? Now you'll have to see the picture. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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75% liked it

7,376 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

14 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: H.C. Potter

Release Date: March 25, 1948

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DVD Release Date: June 1, 2004

Stats: 359 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (359)

  • kenstachnik
    July 21, 2011
    kenstachnik
    Great chemistry between the cast members keeps Mr. Blandings from being a real bore. It's got it's moments, but it's nothing to flip for.
  • ajv2688
    October 24, 2010
    ajv2688
    Grant and Loy make a great team in this hilarious comedy. I love it, and I recommend you see it too.
  • bottcorecords1
    April 20, 2010
    bottcorecords1
    Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House builds heavily on it's predecessors (Jack Benny's "George Washington Slept Here" for one, and W.C. Fields movies in general, for another), while at the same time, inspiring future "do-it-yourselfers-gone-wrong" movies ("The Money Pit" for one a... read morend "Are We Done Yet?" for another) and yet, it has something going for it that those other don't: Cary Grant. Sure, it may be a little difficult to picture the erudite Grant as the henpecked, middle class husband and father of two, but this is a Hollywood picture afterall, and we naturally suspend our disbelief when it comes to such matters. Then again, if I were married to Myrna Loy, I probably wouldn't mind being henpecked either. Mr. Blandings, sick of living life in a cramped New York apartment, decides to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and move to a little home out in the country. Unfortunately, he buys his home with his heart, not his head, and winds up with dilapidated, ramshackle house that, in the long run is cheaper to tear down and build over. And that's just the start of his problems. Mr. Blandings isn't rocket science, it's a cute comedy very much in the same vein as other cute comedies of the 40s and 50s, overall a very enjoyable classic.
  • jjnxn
    December 17, 2007
    jjnxn
    a riot!!!
  • moonrivers
    July 12, 2007
    moonrivers
    fun. and that's why you're NOT wasting your time watching these things...so watch and enjoy yourself
  • garyX
    June 12, 2007
    garyX
    A rather slight and lightweight piece of fluff, this feelgood comedy is the kind of thing that lives or dies on the likeability and charm of it's leads. In this, case Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. No problems there then. Remade in the 80s as The Money Pit, which is crap for the same ... read morereason.
  • binky013
    June 27, 2006
    binky013
    The only Cary Grant movie that I would ever consider for five stars. This is the only Cary Grant movie I've ever owned. A VHS version. I wore it out.

    Dare I say that I've prefaced a flixster review with "Dare I say" before? Okay, flixsters, forget the dare-I-say stuff.

    ... read moreI, flat out, am not a Cary Grant fan. For me, he's primarily personality, not acting ablity. The proverbial "cult of personality" has steered Hollywood's course, for better or worse, in the past, the present, and--dare I say!!!--will also do so in the future.

    If pushed to the wall, the reason why I revere this movie is because of the breathtaking comedic magneticism between Myrna Loy and Grant. Without any lesser personality than Loy to play opposite Grant, this movie would be one to which I'd be hard-pressed to give a five-star rating.
  • poohtiger
    October 20, 2010
    poohtiger
    Following the success of their first pairing, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, Cary Grant and Myrna Loy re-team for the highly entertaining comedy, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. Fed up with city living, New Yorkers Jim and Muriel Blandings find a house in serene Connecti... read morecut. Trouble is the house needs a lot of work and the family goes through all kinds of mishaps and failures trying to turn it into their dream home. Grant and Loy once again make for a wonderful pair, with Grant as Jim being constantly frustrated at all the problems the house seems to provide, not too mention the rising costs of repairs. And Jim also has to deal with family friend Bill Cole (all charm by Melvyn Douglas) who also use to be Muriel's ex-boyfriend.

    And Jim is also dealing with a deadline he has to make for his ad agency. It's their maid Gussie (a terrific Louise Beavers) who comes up with the new campaign slogan. Mr. Blandings is a very good movie with excellent performances from the entire cast. It will remind you of the 1942 film, George Washington Slept Here with Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan. If you enjoyed that film, then you will like this one as well. Pay close attention to the classic scene where Muriel is trying to show the painters what colors to use. One of the best classic comedies of yesteryear.
  • codyfranklin2
    October 12, 2009
    codyfranklin2
    The Money Pitt set in 1940's. It's good,but not near as good as other Cary Grant comidies. The movie looked good,but I think the problem was in the direction. With a great script and all around flawless group of actors this film should be at least a 4 star film, and would be if C... read moreapra,Hawks, or Lubitsch would have been directing. The film gets 3.5 because Grant,Loy, and Douglas are oozing with charm and they just make this fun to watch and I did laugh out loud a couple of times.
  • broadwaymo
    May 25, 2008
    broadwaymo
    Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House to me was (forgive the pun) rather bland. Maybe I just couldn't buy into Cary Grant as a successful, yet financially inept, ad executive. Or, that I'd been tainted by Tom Hanks and Shelley Long in the very similar 1986 stinker, The Money Pit. ... read moreMyrna Loy, as Mrs. Blandings, seemed a bit underused. While Melvyn Douglas, as the Blandings' attorney and sole voice of reason, was given all the best lines. Overall, a tad disappointing...

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Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz
April 18, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Those in the middle-aged demographic might find this middlebrow comedy more pleasing than others. Full Review

Mark Athitakis
May 30, 2005
Mark Athitakis, Filmcritic.com

best appreciated as a sort of adult version of teenage hygiene films from the '40s and '50s Full Review

John J. Puccio
June 22, 2004
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

The incredibly handsome, photogenic, movie-star image seems to disappear as Grant becomes simply the harassed Everyman. Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus
June 6, 2003
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide

Much of the Blandings’ dissatisfaction is of their own making, as they discover that realtors can be shrewd, mortgages can be complicated, and everything costs twice as much as you initially exp... Full Review

Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
April 20, 2003
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies

[Grant] has perfect comic timing and an amazing ability to contort his body in hilarious bits of physical comedy. Full Review

Nell Minow
April 4, 2003
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Mr. Grant builds my dream movie!

Ken Hanke
March 18, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Remains perhaps the most effective of Grant's domesticated films. Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Jake Euker
July 17, 2005
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
July 14, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

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Facts

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    • Bill Cole: You've been taken to the cleaners, and you don't even know your pants are off.
    • Muriel Blandings: I refuse to endanger the lives of my children in a house with less than four bathrooms.
    • Jim Blandings: replies: For 1,300 dollars they can live in a house with three bathrooms and ROUGH IT.
    • Joan Blandings: Oh look. Mother's diary. It's slightly torrid.
    • Jim Blandings: What's with this kissing all of a sudden? I don't like it. Every time he goes out of this house, he shakes my hand and kisses you.
    • Muriel Blandings: replies to Jim: Would you prefer it the other way around?
    • Bill Cole: The next time you're going to do anything or say anything or buy anything, think it over very carefully. When you're sure you're right, forget the whole thing.
    • Jim Blandings: This little piggy went to market. A meek and as mild as a lamb. He smiled in his tracks. When they slipped him the axe. He KNEW he'd turn out to be Wham!
    • Muriel Blandings: I want it to be a soft green, not as blue-green as a robin's egg, but not as yellow-green as daffodil buds. Now, the only sample I could get is a little too yellow, but don't let whoever does it go to the other extreme and get it too blue. It should just be a sort of grayish-yellow-green. Now, the dining room. I'd like yellow. Not just yellow; a very gay yellow. Something bright and sunshine-y. I tell you, Mr. PeDelford, if you'll send one of your men to the grocer for a pound of their best butter, and match that exactly, you can't go wrong! Now, this is the paper we're going to use in the hall. It's flowered, but I don't want the ceiling to match any of the colors of the flowers. There's some little dots in the background, and it's these dots I want you to match. Not the little greenish dot near the hollyhock leaf, but the little bluish dot between the rosebud and the delphinium blossom. Is that clear? Now the kitchen is to be white. Not a cold, antiseptic hospital white. A little warmer, but still, not to suggest any other color but white. Now for the powder room - in here - I want you to match this thread, and don't lose it. It's the only spool I have and I had an awful time finding it! As you can see, it's practically an apple red. Somewhere between a healthy winesap and an unripened Jonathan. Oh, excuse me...
    • Mr. Delford: You got that Charlie?
    • Workman: Red, green, blue, yellow, white.
    • Mr. Delford: Check.
    • Gussie: If you ain't eatin' Wham, you ain't eatin' ham.
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Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House Trivia

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream Ho... Trivia

  • Cary Grant and Myrna Loy star in 2 movies together - what are they?  Answer »
  • How much was a hotdog in the diner in Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House?  Answer »
  • Jim was born and raised when in Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House ?  Answer »
  • Who was Jim's best friend in Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House ?  Answer »
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