I was actually surprised at how funny this comedy was--I guess I wasn't expecting much. Still, I laughed out loud several times. Shelly Winters proves grating at times with her one-note performance, but Farley Granger (looking as sexy as ever)proves to be extremely good at comedy. However, the single best performance in this movie is given by Archie, the dog, who is crucial to the plot. And he's not even listed in the credits on this website! (I actually looked the movie up on IMDb just because I wanted to see if Archie was in other films. And I've never, ever done that for a DOG before.) Elisha Cook Jr. is very welcome in a cameo role, but is not given nearly enough to do.
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Cristi_Ciopron12 November 2009A young husband's plans of conjugal love are constantly discouraged by various facts—like the appearance and pranks of a Welsh terrier. His access to his pretty wife is severely restricted by adverse circumstances. BEHAVE YOURSELF belongs to a hybrid genre, the 'crime and conjugal comedy'. The crime plot is convoluted enough to be a sequel to the MALTESE FALCON. Young Farley was the consummate opposite of Bogart; neurotic, coward, etc., in fact a man who loved peace and his wife.
The couple of youngsters who hold the stage in the old fashioned macabre comedy BEHAVE YOURSELF was, at least partly, well chosen. Farley Granger and Shelley Winters are the young couple caught between rival gangs who sought to eliminate each other. She's not exactly Eve Marie Saint, he's not exactly Lemmon, but she played in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, he was a Hitchcock actor , which kind of qualifies them for such a tenebrous comedy where the underworld and the bourgeois meet; none of them made it to the first ranks of the stardom.
By the time BEHAVE YOURSELF was made, Granger (--who had already appeared in both those Hitchcock movies--) and Winters were very good friends, they went together to New York and took classes at the Actors Studio; they became lovers, he had affairs with Ava and with Marais, she had an affair with Gassman, and were later reunited for another movie.
By the time they made BEHAVE YOURSELF, Granger's career was practically over; Shelley still had a future. Granger shone only on Hitchcock's sets; Shelley had yet to give her important roles and had a career ahead.
It can be said that Farley overacts a bit and that, while full of the youth's charm, he wasn't, because of his more introspective and neurotic nature, put by Hitchcock to good use, exactly fit for the snappy style of such a mordant comedy.
Elisha Cook Jr., Lon Chaney do the respective stock characters.
There's also a cute, naughty Welsh terrier.
BEHAVE YOURSELF is, stylistically, quite exciting and accomplished; the comedies of the early '50s often reached this level of nonchalant charm. Lemmon did a couple of those.
Funny, nonsensical and lively, with an admirable pace, BEHAVE YOURSELF has gusto and brio, the plot is absurdly Maltese, and Shelley seems better than Granger who, as I said, sometimes loads his performance with overacting. If taken for what it is—an unpretentious small comedy about a family's meeting with the underworld—BEHAVE YOURSELF proves enjoyable. -
What talent, Shelley Winters, Farley Granger, William Demarest, Lon Chaney, Jr., Hans Conried, Elisha Cook, Jr., Allen Jenkins, Sheldon Leonard, Francis L. Sullivan, King Donovan. What an idea for a funny movie, having a stray dog get a newly married couple who have to live with the wife's obnoxious mother into all kinds of murder and intrigue. What a talented dog, Archie, right up there with Asta. What fine cinematography by James Wong Howe highlighting Wilshire Blvd in the early 1950's. Then what went wrong? One thing is a lack of comedy timing by Farley Granger who even overacts at time. Apparently he was using Jerry Lewis as his model, but was unable to come close to Jerry Lewis' élan. Other weaknesses involve the script and direction, by the same person, George Beck. In more capable hands Farley Granger could have been restrained and, given his acting ability, could have turned in a good comic performance. The script? With some revision it could have been a winner. As is, the best performances are by Elisha Cook, Jr., Hans Conried, and Shelley Winters, with the standout being by an uncredited canine who must have had a gifted trainer. This comedy is worth seeing if you don't expect too much.
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jarrodmcdonald-11 March 2014Farley Granger and Shelley Winters form an unlikely couple in this screwball caper. The script was supposedly written in four days, and quite frankly, it shows. But there are some genuinely uproarious events, most of them involving William Demarest as a homicide chief. Hans Conreid appears in a heavy British accent, but he isn't nearly as funny as Demarest, though he certainly tries to be.
In fact, they all try to be funny in this offering from RKO, perhaps a bit too much. The energy, though, is good, and there is an adorable pooch named Archie whose presence is central to the plot. Near the end of the film, Granger bites Archie in an attempt to elicit laughs, proving there is such a thing as bad taste in movies. Obviously, Granger's character does not see the value in behaving himself. -
DKosty1233 December 2020There are several films where the Dog outshines the human cast. Not since George Ali playing Nana the Dog in the 1924 silent version of Peter pan, has a dog dominated a film like Archie does. Archie the dog carries this RKO B feature which had a script thrown together. in both cases, these players are in their lone movie role. What is amazing is the A-List Cast.
Farley Granger does better in other genre type of films but here is quite manic in a screw ball type of way. He is married to Shelley Winters (age 31 and sexy) who is henpecked by the wicked mother-in-law Margalo Gillmore (who just happens to have a role in a Disney TV Peter Pan in 1960). From there, we have a supporting cast that would be any film makers dream. William Demarest did a lot of work going back to silent films and is always great. Francis L. Sullivan is fat Freddy who died young in 1956 at age 53 is an excellent actor who is best known for Oliver Twist in the 1940's and is not remembered because he left so soon. Sheldon Leonard and Lon Chaney together? How often does that happen.
The script as a whole which tries to be a Comedy/Mystery works out better for laughs than for the mystery which gets kind of lost with the laughs. Granger gets to carry Winters around on stairs a lot, and gets totally confused and confuses his wife, mother-in-law, and Demarest to beyond reason. In the end, the great cast makes it a pleasant afternoon film. I think Archie only has 1 film is because after the dog eats bacon and lamb chops, he got too sick to act in any other films. -
ksf-224 January 2018A star studded cast -- Granger, Demarest, Lon Chaney, Allen Jenkins, Sheldon Leonard, Elisha Cook, Marvin Kaplan. Some bigtime hollywood names here. Bill brings a stray dog home after shopping for an anniversary gift for his wife, but she thinks the dog IS the gift. and this dog is special.... it's been trained to work for the mob. and they want it back ! it does get a little annoying. Bill spends a whole lot of time talking to the dog to get him to leave the bedroom, but for some reason, the dog doesn't seem to understand. that got annoying after a while. Fun premise, but so much time spent on stupid minor things. Script could have been so much better. just one mis-understanding after another. Demarest and Jenkins are the cops trying to railroad Bill (Granger). It's okay. Directed by George Beck... this was the one and only film he directed.
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bkoganbing2 July 2015One of the best supporting casts of familiar character players this side of a Frank Capra film is the best thing that Behave Yourself has going for it. When any of them are on the screen they make up for the fact that leads Farley Granger and Shelley Winters have absolutely no chemistry between them.
Behave Yourself finds Farley Granger getting adopted by Welsh terrier named Archie who follows him home. The dog has been trained as a courier among groups of gangsters, but he decides he likes Mr. Average Guy Granger instead. When he gets home the wife thinks that the terrier is an anniversary present. But now all kinds of strange and sinister people are contacting Granger about the dog. The police have taken an interest in him as well.
Any film that has Francis L. Sullivan, Sheldon Leonard, Hans Conreid, Marvin Kaplan, Lon Chaney, Jr., Elisha Cook, Jr., William Demarest, Margalo Gilmore, etc. is worth a look. But the core of the film, the leads just aren't up to the light touch this comedy needs. -
ackstasis7 February 2008Channel 31 is not a television station typically known for its quality programming, but, after first introducing me to 'His Girl Friday (1940)' some time last year, it can now add a second commendable achievement to its résumé. I'd just emerged from my bedroom in the morning when my father clicked over to the neglected station, and a vaguely familiar face {whom I would later identify as Farley Granger} was being troubled by an adorable little Welsh terrier named Archie. If I'd known that it was a movie I probably would not have continued watching, but, as fate would have it, I thought it was an ancient television comedy series, and so I figured it'd all be over in half an hour. Needless to say, by the time the thirty minute mark came and went, I was too engrossed in the amusing story that was unfolding, and 'Behave Yourself! (1951)' proved to be quite an enjoyable viewing experience.
Unfortunately, in rising from bed a few minutes too late, I had missed the opening few scenes of the film, and so it took me a while to piece together the various puzzle pieces of the plot. William Calhoun "Bill" Denny (Granger) is a clumsy husband who is followed home one day by an intelligent dog, which is mistaken for an anniversary present by his wife, Kate (Shelley Winters). Meanwhile, for reasons I never really worked out, a cohort of gangsters are attempting to retrieve the dog, which somehow holds the key towards $100,000 in counterfeit banknotes. As Bill tries everything he can to return the dog to its original owner, he also finds that he has about the worst luck in the world, continuing to arrive at apartments just minutes after somebody has been murdered in there. The gangster comedy notably boasts an assortment of familiar faces, including Lon Chaney Jr. and Elisha Cook Jr., both playing characteristically-shady characters.
Though undoubtedly lightweight, 'Behave Yourself!' is an enjoyable comedic twist on the gangster genre, with Farley Granger doing a surprisingly good job as the leading klutz. The film is full of small amusing details, such as the icily-sarcastic remarks of Bill's mother-in-law (Margalo Gillmore), the chief detective repeatedly referring to Bill as "O'Denny," and the continual confusion as to who the hell this Archie character is. Of course, it's the young canine performer who really steals the show, demonstrating an assortment of clever tricks and flawless comedic timing, in the same way that Asta dominated the 'Thin Man' films. Though it's not very well known, George Beck's comedy is presumably in the public domain, and so shouldn't be all that hard to find. If you're ever in the mood for something silly and entertaining, this one is a good bet. -
mark.waltz14 April 2014A huge cast of familiar faces are one of the only assets here, tossed together in this unfunny comedy about a trained dog who escapes from his master's voice and follows accountant Farley Granger home where his wife (Shelley Winters) assumes that the friendly pup to be an anniversary present. Granger is determined to get the dog back to its rightful owners which leads to a string of murders involving stolen money. Granger, of course, becomes a top suspect, perplexing the police because he really has no purpose in being involved.
Winters and Granger share a nice chemistry with Margalo Gilmore as her stereotypical nasty mother who obviously hates Granger and constantly reminds him of her generosity of having them in her house. Bad guys played by Elisha Cook Jr., Hans Conreid, Sheldon Leonard, Marvin Kaplan, Francis L. Sullivan and Lon Chaney Jr. all seem to serve a purpose of being killed off in unique ways. The cops, played by William Demerast and Allen Jenkins are as stereotypically dumb as they come.
As for Archie, the cute pooch, there's no doubt that he's adorable, but he's also a trouble-maker, getting Granger in more hot water with the mother-in-law from hell over eating raw bacon and even locking Granger out of the apartment. So when the dog takes Granger's dinner more than one time, you really can't blame him for picking the pooch up and taking a bite out of him. The screenwriters were barking up the wrong tree when they thought that this was funny. -
remobec18 July 2002***SLIGHT SPOILERS*** Archie the dog is a Welsh Terrier (the breed resembles a miniature Airedale terrier), although his head looks very much like a schnauzer to me. The dog is just a plain and simple dog. I mean, even though he's certainly one of the main characters, he doesn't act part human, as many movie dogs do today. He's mischievous, he's a thief, he's playful, he's heroic, he did what he's been trained to do, he didn't do what he was told to do--he's a 100% dog! All the good and bad and endearing qualities. Although he just acts like a dog, he did it in front of the camera, for most of the movie, so I'd say the little guy was a good actor, with a good trainer. However, I think the sound people wanted to ruin the little guy's credibility, because they added all kinds of weird noises to him, that he obviously was not making.
There were a few strange elements in the movie. The police were ridiculous, refusing to listen to the story, when it was so obvious that the dog obviously had something to do with the murders. Then there was the case of Mr. Denny and the dog. Put simply, the dog followed him home. He didn't tell his wife that he hadn't brought the dog because she thought it was an anniversary present for her. But when everything got complicated, it would have been the best thing to do to just tell his wife everything. Hopefully he's not such a liar that his wife wouldn't believe him. I realize he did try to tell her, but it was just silly not to let her know right at the very beginning.
The people were okay, although some of their relationships were a little confusing. The husband seemed madly in love with his wife, but the wife seemed manipulative and stand-offish, half the time accusing him and half the time defending him. I suppose this could be a realistic relationship, but there seemed to be something missing in their relationship--chemistry, or maybe it was just poor acting.
Especially among the bad guys, I had a lot of trouble figuring out who was who and what exactly the heist was that they were trying to pull off. There was so much spying and back biting and mix ups. . . well, I was totally mixed up. But despite not knowing where all the bad guys stood in relation to each other, I knew they were all bad, so I understood it well enough in the end. -
morgie553 April 2012Behave Yourself!
Not sure why the film is titled the way it was. I did want to watch it as I have not seen an early Shelly Winters film. I could only imagine an older, larger Shelly from the film "Poseidon Adventure."
The film is a situation comedy of sorts. The early 50s version of situation comedy includes lots of misunderstandings, a mother-in-law doing Dianetics classes in the evenings, and an innocent man who (a) forgot his wife's anniversary; (b) had a run-in with a dog who is trained in finding drop-off points for smugglers and (c) is always at the scene of a murder or three!
Sorry but the overacting was just too much. The comedy was not that funny to the modern viewer and the cops not really understanding what was going on as the stumbled through the scenes and the equally dumb gangsters with pratfalls and further misunderstandings – well!
Stars: Fun to see William Demerist in something other than his "My Three Sons" TV series (from the Sixties). And Lon Chaney Jr. as a heavy was a sight to see.
Shelly Winters acted as a clueless woman who faints more than she babbles on about her husband. The mother-in-law was a gem, how she accuses her son-in-law of murder and says "it figures" several times throughout the film.
Unless you're a big Shelly Winters fan, probably not the style for you. Lucille Ball played this theme so much better.
DVD: My DVD was from Alpha Video and did not have any features other than scene selections.
Cast & Crew:
Director: George Beck Writers: George Beck (screenplay), George Beck (story),» Stars: Farley Granger, Shelley Winters and William Demarest -
JohnHowardReid2 March 2018SYNOPSIS: Gangster's dog escapes from his trainer and follows Farley Granger home. Wife Shelley Winters thinks dog is an anniversary present, little knowing gangsters are in hot pursuit . . .
COMMENT: An amusingly off-beat farce that deftly combines comic cops and robbers with domestic squabbles. Beck's stylishly fast-paced direction helps to overcome some over-talkative passages in his script. The cast is as fine a collection of character players as you could gather together, while Miss Winters and Mr Granger do well by the lead roles. Production values are A-l, with a special commendation to photographer James Wong Howe for his polished camerawork and J. McMillan Johnson for his excellent sets.
OTHER VIEWS: Joseph McMillan Johnson was a young architecture graduate when he worked as an assistant to William Cameron Menzies on Gone With The Wind. By 1951, he had become a leading architect. Beck deserves the credit of luring him back to films with the challenging assignment of creating a "Honeymoon House" for this amusing yet stylish film. Johnson subsequently worked on such movies as To Catch A Thief, The Facts of Life, Mutiny on the Bounty and The Greatest Story Ever Told.
James Wong Howe's photography is also a major asset. Although he never mentioned the film in interviews (preferring He Ran All the Way and The Brave Bulls as more representative of his 1951 work) his skill shines through every frame.
Farley Granger is well cast as the dumb-cluck husband, while Shelley Winters fills the part of his young wife more than adequately. The gangsters are a joy (particularly Hans Conried and Francis L. Sullivan), opposing William Demarest in a made-to-order role as a fumbling, fulminating plainclothesman. -
SimonJack16 November 2013"Behave Yourself" has two things going for it – a big cast of recognizable character actors, and a very good plot that makes it quite funny. The lead actors are just OK, but neither Shelley Winters nor Farley Granger seem quite right for their parts. I can think of a number of actors who may have carried off the role of Bill Denny much better. Tony Randall would get huge laughs. Danny Kaye would have turned it into a laugh riot.
The fact that this was a B movie by RKO shouldn't weigh against it. RKO made some excellent films in its day, with cast-offs or leading actors on lay-off from their major studios over rifts. But, this film didn't get the right mix of leads to make it the hit it could have been.
So, my high score for the film rests mostly on the brief appearances of a host of wonderful Hollywood character actors of the time. And for the plot. Francis Sullivan, Lon Chaney Jr., Marvin Kaplan, Hans Conried, Elisha Cook, Henry Corden, and Allen Jenkins are faces that movie-goers of the mid-20th century would know from the many films they made. They were usually cast as heavies, buffoons, cads, or nervous or frightened characters. In this movie, each has his familiar place.
And, as the plot develops, we see one "con" group knock off a couple crooks, then another group get the next one, etc. The plot was so solid, I wonder why it wasn't picked up after that and made into a smash comedy with the right lead actors and supporting team. -
wes-connors2 July 2010"Young newlyweds Bill and Kate Denny (Farley Granger and Shelley Winters) take in a stray dog named Archie. Archie is really a trained dog that is a go-between for two rival gangs of criminals. With a million-dollar counterfeiting scheme causing hostilities between the two gangs, our newlyweds and their adopted dog are thrown into the middle of the mix," according to the DVD sleeve summary. The more dramatically inclined co-stars have a lot of range, but it doesn't show in "Behave Yourself!" Most of the time, they seem out of their element. Made a few years earlier, with Cary Grant and Lucille Ball starring, this might have been a classic.
***** Behave Yourself! (9/19/51) George Beck ~ Farley Granger, Shelley Winters, Margalo Gillmore, William Demarest -
dougdoepke26 June 2016The plot's something about a go-between dog that gets lost from its two smuggler gangs and finds a home, sort of, with a young couple.
Granger strives mightily to put the mad in madcap, but unfortunately it's too mightily. His incessant mugging in the latter half not only gets tiresome but amounts to unfunny desperation. Actually, the real problem with this misfire--as others point out--lies with director-writer Beck. In short, the screenplay is much too congested, probably to insert the many first-rate supporting players who could have provided real laughs if properly directed and defined. Instead, the likes of Leonard, Conreid, Cook, Jenkins, are largely wasted by a turgid screenplay. Only grouchy Demarest and sarcastic Gillmore manage to register. Winters' comedic talents are also largely wasted as the neglected wife, a role a hundred lesser actresses could have filled.
Looks like the producers were intent on promoting Granger's career since he monopolizes the screen time. Looks also like he was trying to expand his range into comedy. Too bad the package doesn't work. At the same time, judging by his credits, the actor quickly returned to drama, and being the bobby-sox idol he was so good at. Anyway, I hope they gave Archie triple treats for his lively tail-wagging turn. He may not be a glamorous Lassie, but he'll sure do. -
Tweekums26 November 2017William Denny has forgotten that it is his second wedding anniversary till he is reminded on the phone he claims to have a present so quickly goes to by one. Unfortunately for him he is followed into the shop by a dog; the dog causes a scene and he ends up paying for the damage and leaving without a present. He gets home, still followed by the dog and his wife, Kate, thinks it is her present and names him 'Archie'. What neither of them realise is that Archie was part of a criminal plot; he was meant to lead one criminal gang to another now they are keen to get him back. William intends to return the dog to its rightful owner but is soon caught up in events that see him suspected of murder as he has trouble with the police, smugglers and counterfeiters.
This comedy is definitely silly at times; in fact it is silly most of the time but I still thought it had sufficient genuinely funny moments to have been worth watching. The story is simple enough but it is told in such a way that makes it understandable that everybody caught up in the events is utterly confused. Unlike most canine capers the dog causes so much chaos that it isn't a surprise when William does not end up loving the mutt by the end. Farley Granger does a fine job as William; he may overplay things at times but that fits with the tone of the film. Shelley Winters is solid as his wife and Margalo Gillmore is entertaining as William's battle-axe of a mother in law, in whose house they live. Overall this isn't a must see but it is certainly amusing enough and doesn't contain any material likely to offend. -
lynpalmer13 July 2022Pretty funny movie combining gangsters with domestic life with a cute dog thrown in. Some good jokes and one liners, some a little risqué. Lots of familiar character actors. Shelley Winters does a great job, actually seeming a lot LUCY RICARDO-ish, which is unusual as I LOVE LUCY actually premiered the same year. Don't miss the clever, closing credits "In order of their disappearance" showing some characters after they've been murdered.
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rmax30482319 October 2013A romantic comedy in which a scruffy dog is a central player. Already I feel a suspicion of nausea uncoiling deep in my innards. A funny movie about a dog.
But it's not the dog that keeps the film from being better than it is. It's the writer/director, George Beck, who does his earnest best to turn a feature film into a television situation comedy.
Comedy is obviously not Farley Granger's forte. He's fine as an innocent and exploited schlub -- "Strangers on a Train," "Rope," "They Live By Night." Here he overacts, loudly, and the director should have reined him in. Not that he could have saved the script, which has him walking along a crowded sidewalk and talking to himself while everyone stares. I'm not even sure that Spencer Tracy could have handled the role as written.
And something could have been done with the narrative. In itself, it has potential. A dog trained to sniff out dope at dropout points escapes and attaches itself to Granger and his wife, Shelley Winters. Rival teams of gangsters try to recover the dog. It's all in your face but with a bit more subtlety in the gags and the acting it could have been much improved.
But Beck seems to think it's funnier than it is. I don't know how many minutes are spent on a scene near the beginning. It's the wedding anniversary of Granger and Winters. They want to make love but they can't coax the pestilent Archie out of the bedroom. Granger throws shoes into the hallway, tries to coax him out the door, tugs him along, but there is no getting rid of Archie. It's amusing, not funny, and doesn't deserve the screen time it gets. At that, it's an improvement over the incident in which Archie gets tangled in Granger's feet and Granger has to fall down a flight of stairs. Not even Ricky Ricardo was so humiliated.
Some of the better scenes involve small parts played by familiar actors doing their usual shticks. Sheldon Leonard is a hard-boiled Damon Runyan hood, "Shortwave Bert." Elijah Cook, Jr., is the goggle-eyed loser and an unexpected Francis X. Sullivan is a big-time hood, "Fat Freddy." -
didi-528 April 2008A snappy enough feature teaming Shelley Winters with Farley Granger, as a newly-married couple still living with the mother-in-law from hell. He accidentally acquires a dog which she assumes is an anniversary present, when 'Archie' is a prop for a criminal gang to find some booty.
You can see the pattern here. Everyone who wants the dog back gets murdered - and our hapless husband is always there, leaving his visiting card behind (!), while the Irish policeman (who calls everyone O' something or other, ho ho, not a stereotype there then) doesn't believe a word ...
With character players like Elisha Cook Jr, Francis L Sullivan, Han Conreid, and the like, this film is fun to watch, but ultimately a little lightweight. -
Erewhon6 November 2003A terrific supporting cast, plus Shelley Winters could and should have resulted in an outstanding, fast-paced comedy. But Farley Granger can't play comedy -- at least he can't here. George Beck's script is too busy, but that could have been dealt with by an able comedy director. However, Beck himself directed, and that's the element that sinks this mess completely. Everyone screams and overacts; even skilled muggers like William Demarest go off the deep end. It's almost painful to watch.
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Rainey-Dawn12 March 2016Super cute film good for a few giggles and lots of smiles. Really good casting all the way around. Fun little story surrounding that doggone dog Archie - a Welsh terrier that causes more trouble than one could guess. A bit zany when you have a set of crooks, crazy police, an innocent couple and a dog.
Bill decides to buy his wife Kate a gift but the dog ends up in the shop knocking things over and Bill ends up bringing the dog home. When his wife sees the dog she thinks it's her gift. Sound fine but the dog is owned by crooks and is trained to be a messenger between the criminals. Naturally, the crooks go looking for their messenger - and that's when things become a bit crazy.
A fun film - great for a Sunday afternoon manatee.
7/10 -
planktonrules2 February 2016When you think of comedy, you don't normally think of Farley Granger nor Shelly Winters. Neither (especially Granger) were terribly funny people and here the film just seems forced...and annoying.
When the film begins, some gangsters have a dumb idea to use a dog to pass on information. But things go awry and the dog instead follows Bill (Granger) home. Eventually, this all leads to murders, some counterfeit money as well as the police.
None of this film is funny and again and again they chose to be loud instead of funny. Winters and Granger yell a lot as well as horribly overact...so much so that the film was very difficult to enjoy. Overall, a very forced and unfunny film. -
jcholguin29 May 2001A little dog turns out to be the most interesting feature of this film. This dog is the only lead for the "gangland buyers of the counterfeit money" to find the counterfeiters on Wilshire Blvd. Archie "the dog" has other plans and adopts Farley Granger and Shelley Winters as his family. Now the scramble by the gangsters to find the dog intensifies. Murder seems to follow this "pooch" and brings Granger to the center of all the mayhem. An amusing dog tale which ends answering the question "what if man bites dog."
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kevinolzak1 December 20231951's "Behave Yourself!" is that rare comedy lacking in anything remotely humorous, spoofing the gangster genre with its huge array of guest stars essentially reduced to cameo roles, most of whom join the heavenly choir by picture's end. The cause of all the mayhem is an overly friendly Welsh terrier named Archie, liaison for a contraband smuggling ring, who latches on to small time accountant William Calhoun Denny (Farley Granger), using the pooch as a last minute substitution for a wedding anniversary gift that delights wife Kate (Shelley Winters), if not her typically suspicious mother (Margalo Gillmore). The crooks wait for their loot to change hands as every address listing a lost dog winds up with another batch of corpses to baffle the cops, until the last few that remain all gather at the Denny residence for a final shootout. The blame for this misfire lies squarely with author George Beck, supposedly written as a Damon Runyon knockoff in four days as his only feature film as director, less so for mismatched stars Granger (substituting for Cary Grant) and Winters, whose off screen friendship doesn't translate into on screen sparks. Easily lost among the numerous supporting villains is Lon Chaney as Pinky, the somewhat dimwitted racketeer responsible for most of the bodies lying about, and an easy target for Denny's false escape route (he would also be wasted in another alleged comedy, "Pardners," starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis).
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Imagine Marvin Kaplan playing a gangster in film?
This was absolutely an inane farce with Farley Granger and Shelley Winters. In the same year that she made the memorable "A Place in the Sun," Shelley got herself into this one mess of a film.
The mother-in-law steals the film as she conveys what the traditional mother-in-law is supposed to convey- constant criticism of the in-law and non-stop trouble.
In a ridiculous fashion, Granger gets caught up with counterfeiters when he accidentally comes upon the dog they need to make their counterfeit transaction. Winters is his wife and William Demarest is the wily head of the police bureau.
No matter where the gullible Granger goes, murder seems to follow. In fact, this is just what this mess of a movie is-just murder to view.