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Shirley Booth, Anthony Perkins, Shirley MacLaine, Paul Ford, Robert Morse ... see more see more... , Wallace Ford , Perry Wilson , Russell Collins , Rex Evans , Gavin Gordon , Torben Meyer , Joe Forte , Sandra Giles , Jon Lormer , Arthur Lovejoy , Lorraine Crawford , Fred Somers

Thornton Wilder's 1938 stage play The Merchant of Yonkers was based on an old British stage farce by John Oxenford (which in turn served as the basis of an Austrian farce by Johann Nestroy). Merchant ... read more read more...of Yonkers was a bomb, but Wilder was quite fond of the piece, so he revised it as the considerably more successful The Matchmaker in 1955. The 1958 film version stars Shirley Booth as 19th-century matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi (a character not found in the Oxenford or Nestroy versions; Wilder "borrowed" Dolly from Moliere's The Miser). Dolly is currently trying to arrange a marriage between Yonkers dry-goods merchant Horace Vandergelder (Paul Ford) and hatmaker Irene Molloy (Shirley MacLaine)-though she secretly harbors a desire to march Horace to the altar herself. Meanwhile, Vandergelder's chief clerk Cornelius (Anthony Perkins), celebrating a recent promotion, decides to head to New York for a "good time". Though he's supposed to be minding the store, Cornelius abandons the shop, with fellow-clerk Barnaby (Robert Morse, repeating his stage role) in tow. Inevitably, Cornelius and Barnaby wind up escorting Irene Molloy and her co-worker Minnie Fay (Perry Wilson) to a fancy restaurant, where Horace and Dolly are also dining. As the many plot twists wend their way through the proceedings, the camera occasionally pauses to allow the character to speak directly to the audience, expressing their innermost desires and philosophies; this purely theatrical device works quite well on screen, especially the monologue about honesty delivered by handyman Malachi Stack (played with alcoholic whimsy by Wallace Ford). While the name "Malachi Stack"may not be familiar to you, the other characters-and the basic plot-will be instantly recognizable to fans of Hello Dolly, the 1964 musical comedy version of The Matchmaker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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58% liked it

765 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: Joseph Anthony

Release Date: August 12, 1958

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DVD Release Date: January 18, 2005

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Flixster Reviews (45)

  • ajv2688
    July 1, 2011
    ajv2688
    This play should probably stick to the theatre. Either that or they could have used a different director. This movie is very predictable on top of feeling like a play and how stupid everything the characters did seemed. Sometimes I found a bit of fun in a scene, and I thought ... read morePerkins and Morse were real cute, but other than that, this is pretty dull. If you really like romantic comedies, you may enjoy this more than I did, though.
  • jjnxn
    November 20, 2010
    jjnxn
    interesting to see Hello Dolly without music and some of the performers are better then in the other film particularly Shirley MacLaine but don't go out of your way.
  • jennifxu
    January 19, 2009
    jennifxu
    Shirley Maclaine has solidified her role as my favorite 60s cutie. This is an adorable movie that knows how adorable it is, what with the audience narration and everything. Charm doesn't make the story any more dimensional, however, and I don't think Anthony Perkins will ever sha... read moreke the typecast of creeper off him after Psycho.
  • purplemegan
    August 7, 2007
    purplemegan
    It was cute. We rented it because we had seen the play at a local theater (not the musical). It wasn't as good as the play. I think it makes more sense when the characters talk to the audience in a play than when they do it in a movie.
  • Doctor0Quinzel
    May 10, 2009
    Doctor0Quinzel
    Meh, It was interesting in one sense, but I was bored during most of the characters monologues.
  • x0hn0th3r4nc0rx
    August 18, 2007
    x0hn0th3r4nc0rx
    A cute little comedy that shows Anthony Perkins' comedic side. A delightful change from the Psycho series, he and the other stars give good comedic performances that leave you laughing from amusement in a good way.

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Critic Reviews

March 26, 2009
Variety

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A.H. Weiler
March 25, 2006
A.H. Weiler, New York Times

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January 1, 2000
Chicago Reader

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Emanuel Levy
July 4, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

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The Matchmaker Trivia

  • Name the 1997 movie starring Jeneane Garofalo, Denis Leary & Jay O Sanders with the plot outline:In an attempt to boost the failing re-election campaign of a United States Senator from Massachussetts, Marcy(Jeneane)is sent to a small town in Ireland to locate the Senator"s ancestors?  Answer »
  • What country did "The Matchmaker" predominately take place?  Answer »
  • In which movie did Hilary Duff play the role of a match-maker?  Answer »
  • What was the name of the woman women tried to impress in Mulan?  Answer »
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