The 1961 film version of the very successful Broadway play "The Marriage-Go-Round" was a flop at the box-office. I thought the screen play clearly didn't live up to the title. In contrast, that title fits this film perfectly, despite the fact that there is only one marriage, and we don't even get to see that. It was MGM's biggest grossing film of the year, second behind "Cleopatra", overall. It should have been good, as 3 of MGM's top actors lead, in Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, and Clark Gable, along with the gifted screen writer Joseph Menkiewicz.
Twice, Montgomery's character: Dill, and Joan's character: Maria, are nearly married, once at the beginning and again at the end. But, Maria is essentially jilted at the alter in the first instance, while she returns the 'favor' at the end. Unfortunately, neither of these jiltings seems to make any sense, although they provide a surprise for audiences, hence presumably increase their interest in the film. In the initial instance, a previous flame of Dill: Connie(Frances Drake) arrives on the afternoon before his wedding, and corners him, expressing a sudden urge to marry him. Dill clearly prefers Mary, with whom he has been in love since childhood, and tells her so. But, she's persistent and suggests they have some drinks while continuing to talk. That's the last we see of them until we learn, the next morning, that they have married. I can't imagine Dill being talked into this unless maybe he was so drunk, he didn't realize what he was doing. In any case, he soon regretts this sudden switcheroo.
Then, near film's end, after Dill's divorce from Connie, Dill and Mary again are about to be married, when Gable's character: Jeff, who too has been pals with Mary since childhood, decides to have a heart-to-heart talk with her. He reveals that he will be taking a ship back to Spain in a few hours, thus will miss tomorrow's wedding. He also finally states that he's been in love with her since childhood, but assumes she will be happier with Dill. Mary acts surprised that he's been carrying this 'secret' all these years. But, we know from their prior interactions that this can't be news to her. Jeff, then leaves for the ship. Mary's mind in now in a turmoil what to do. Gable's buddy Shep(Charles Butterworth) now happens by and innocently mentions that Jeff, not Dill, ordered her favorite flower: corn flowers, for their first almost wedding. This bit of trivia now cements her wavering decision to abandon Dill, and rush to make the ship, before it weighs anchor. Somehow, she makes it, and the two meet, presumably planning a marriage in Spain.
This was my first exposure to Robert Montgomery. I understand his character was a typical playboy-like role for him. He provides most of the physical comedy, with occasional slapstick pratfalls, or dressing in a woman's nightgown, as the only thing he could find to change for his soaked clothes. However, Gable upstages him in this respect with his spanking of Mary with a hairbrush, when she tells him she's going to accept Dill's offer to accompany him in a romantic drive to the Adirondacks, without Dill's wife. Besides Gable, some of the reviewers are angry that Mary would accept this risky venture with the man who jilted her. But, unexpectedly?(or was this the secret plan?), it leads to their second chance to marry. .........I couldn't believe Mary's continuous positive attitude during their disastrous trip, in which she is dumped from riding a bicycle's handle bars by an ill-guided bicycle, into a pig sty, she is a passenger in a car that runs into a tree , forcing them to walk many miles to a phone to call for help, then to walk many miles, in the rain, to a cabin, where they will stay until recued, and also are met by an enraged Connie.
The inimitable, fast-talking, hyperkinetic fuss body, Billie Burke makes frequent appearances, thus adding enjoyment to the film. She was the then-deceased Florenz Ziegfeld's wife, and had two movie careers: one ending in 1921, with her retirement, the other in talkies, forced out of retirement by the '29 stock crash. She played the good witch, in "The Wizard of Oz".
Also, the uniquely instantly recognizable, tall, thin, stiff British-trained Arthur Treacher, is occasionally encountered in his type-cast role as butler or manservant.
Frances Drake, who played the sly, venomous, Connie, was a good-looking brunette, much reminding me of the contemporaneous twice Oscar winner: Luise Rainer.
See this, free, at YouTube.
