In a beleaguered Spanish village, an unwed prostitute in the family way believes her prayers to an aged statue of St. Joseph were answered after she hears his voice and awakens from a faint in possession of gold coins. The crooked mayor also hears the voice, promising to redeem himself to the townspeople he has cheated, but the miracle is a hoax, set off by a thief who was digging under the statue for buried treasure. Troubled independent production went through two directors before it was completed, and then was shelved until 1971, when it resurfaced in the US with a new title. Allan Scott's dim script is the real casualty, wherein the thief actually feels guilty he duped the prostitute into believing her prayers were heard, risking her spiritual belief and the entire town's animosity by revealing the truth. A solid cast almost rescues it: Ginger Rogers is fine (if overly colorful) as the local Madame (real-life husband William Marshall produced), while old friend Ray Milland is wily and almost charming as the thief she's in-cahoots with. Barbara Eden and her husband, Michael Ansara are also good, and Cecil Kellaway (still doing his kindly old priest bit) is always nice to have around. Slow-starting comedy improves as it goes along, though the big finale isn't quite grand enough, while the concluding tag shucks the whole thing off with a smile and a wave. *1/2 from ****
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moonspinner5525 July 2017
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jameselliot-127 November 2020Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland in a sleazy comedy/drama story about prostitutes in a brothel owned and managed by Ginger. A scam by con man Ray convinces the villagers that a Saint's statue has miraculous powers.The two plot lines merge. Barbara Eden playing a hooker knocked up by a local is at her physical peak of facial and bodily perfection. Her then husband Michael Ansara (Cochise in TV.s Broken Arrow) is the sleazy mayor. The worse part is the droning, endless score with musical cues that have no relevance to the scenes, It's like an editor just played a few records for 95 minutes. A total embarrassment for the great Ginger and Ray. The village prostitutes who look more like showgirls and strippers are of the Irma La Douce, Never On Sunday Hollywood kind.
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mark.waltz21 March 2016Known in Ginger Rogers career as the movie that was barely even released, it had slight big screen showings in both 1964 and 1971, and basically remains forgotten. There is a reason for that; the movie is simply just terrible. Ginger, who always played wisecracking tough girls who had a hidden heart of gold, must have thought she could modernize her image with this script that has her playing a modern madam but it seems like the girls in her house are simply there more for conversation than for what residents in a den of ill-repute usually do. That is with one exception; the presence of a young, red-headed Barbara Eden, announcing she is pregnant without the benefit of a husband, and is immediately kicked out of Rogers home. If you ever wanted to see Ginger truly be nasty, look no further. Yes, she had cat fights and several of her movies and also could toss off wisecracks with the best of them, but here, her character is truly vile towards Eden in in of the opening scenes, showing no heart whatsoever.
If Ginger snaps here, the angelic Eden literally becomes like Saint Bernadette of Lourdes. What plot is a present concerns Eden who prays to a statue in a local Catholic Church which is overheard by Ginger's partner in crime, Ray Milland, who answers her as if he were God responding to her prayer. This makes everybody believe that a miracle has taken place, leading to a fraud of the greatest measure. What was Milland doing inside the church behind the statue when this occurred? Digging for a hidden treasure, that's what! Ginger, his partner in crime, is present when another alleged Miracle occurs, and she gets one of the few moderately decent moments in the film. Elliott Gould has a minor role as a mute, and veteran character actor Cecil Kellaway has a small part as a cardinal, but in spite of such potential with this outstanding cast, this is totally defeated by an unbelievable script that is not at all funny and simply mostly just tacky.
Produced by a production company created by Rogers and her then husband William Marshall, it floundered for release for years and eventually it obviously became a sort of embarrassment to Ginger who isn't well photographed at all. She would recapture some of her glamour by appearing on Broadway and touring in "Hello, Dolly!", but appears a bit jowly in close-ups. Those who saw Ray Milland the year before this creeped out in "Love Story" must have thought that he had plastic surgery after that. I caught this years ago on late night T.V. in L.A. and couldn't stomach it then. Do yourself a favor. Stick with Ginger dancing with Fred, or at least her with Milland in "The Major and the Minor" which has stood the rest of time. The only test this took (and failed) was my patience. -
vert00118 November 2016QUICK, LET'S GET MARRIED looks like the cheapest film Ginger Rogers had appeared in since, oh, THE THIRTEENTH GUEST or something like that. It was barely shown in theaters, and then only years after it was made (my guess is that Elliot Gould's later success got it whatever play it did have). A partial reason is that the film was confiscated in Jamaica (where it was shot) before it could be properly edited. Perhaps it might have been more coherent if completed under better circumstances, who knows? As things stand, it was an unmitigated disaster. Rogers said that she would never have made it if it hadn't been produced by her husband (William Marshall, the last of her marriages) and that it cost her the friendships of director William Dieterle, writer Allan Scott, and co- star Ray Milland (perhaps they were never paid?). At least, perhaps not knowing any better, Elliott Gould seems to have relatively fond memories of his first film role. So far as I know, no one else has ever talked about the experience.
It's probably my lousy taste, but I kinda like it.
QUICK, LET'S GET MARRIED is an odd combination of miracle play and Italian sex farce. A remarkably talented group of people were involved in making it, though for the most part they were near the ends of their careers or towards the beginnings. William Dieterle was a fine director (HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME among many other fine films), but he was called out of retirement to do this, and I can't say that I recall any other comedies in his oeuvre. Allan Scott, veteran writer of many a better Ginger Rogers film, authored the script. The cast includes superb veterans like Rogers, Milland and Cecil Kellaway mixed in with talented newcomers like Gould, Barbara Eden and Michael Ansara. Jamaica is a fresh setting for a movie in 1964, though little is made of it. This really should have been a decent flick.
The plot: A professional thief (Milland) buys a map for a hidden treasure in a town in Italy called Toleno. On something of a lark, he goes there to find the treasure. Besides gold and jewels, which he finds buried beneath a stature of St. Joseph, he is attracted to the madame of the town brothel (Ginger Rogers). One of her prostitutes (Barbara Eden) is pregnant and despairingly prays at the statue, threatening suicide. Hearing her from beneath St. Joseph, Milland speaks to her and his voice is taken as the miraculous voice of St. Joseph himself.
Writer Scott's point seems to be that the faith of the people change their lives for the better even if this is really no miracle at all. Bumbling mayor Ansara repents of his corruption (a very nice performance in an unusual role for Michael), the father of the child forgoes his wandering ways to be with Pia (Eden), even the thief and the madame seem to fall genuinely in love. At the end there is the suggestion of a true miracle by way of a convenient earthquake and a deaf-mute (Gould) speaking. Even our guilty couple, Milland and Rogers, are miraculously deprived of their ill-gotten gains, and they take their just desserts with admirably high spirits.
This is almost entirely played for comedy, and Scott gives some clever lines to Milland and Rogers, Ansara and his buddy the pawnbroker, and to tone-deaf bishop Kellaway. Barbara Eden is stuck playing it straight, but she does well in doing so. Some characterizations turn on a dime. Rogers' Madame Rinaldi is very mean towards Eden's Pia originally, but positively maternal towards her afterwards. Much the same can be said of the father of Pia's baby, rejecting her through the first half of the movie and then accepting her for no apparent reason. The film's post- production problems are likely responsible.
All in all, if you can forgive the inherent shoddiness of B-movies, you might enjoy QUICK, LET'S GET MARRIED. At least I did. -
Other reviewers give the strange background and history of this film that was made in 1964 but not generally released until 1971. With all its problems, production deficiencies, and needed clean up of the screenplay, it was a flop that led to ill feelings between Ginger Rogers and others involved.
It's too bad, because "Quick, Let's Get Married" had a plot that could have made a very good comedy and satire. Some may be put off by aspects of the film - a madame and her bordello in a small Italian town; or the portrayal of faith by some, or the treatment of sensitive subjects. The film can clearly be seen as a light satire of some of these things, as well as a more obvious satire of local politics.
It may seem obvious to some that the screenplay itself wasn't quite finished. It needed some editing, refinement and polish. That could have smoothed over the rough parts and the sensitive aspects. But, as a portrayal of life in the time, place and setting of the film, it may not be so far off. Brothels existed in many places, and local politicians in some towns of Europe were on the take, if not highly corrupt. That is some, but surely not all or most. As with any satire, the situations portrayed are exaggerated for the comedy.
The plot with a hidden treasure from the past is a good fictional base around which to build this story. Mixed with the humor is a portrayal of faith and, at times, a lightly irreverent and humorous treatment of religion. But this never descends to mockery or denigration of Christianity. The ending even has a straight, poignant scene about faith, with Pia Pacelli and the Bishop. And that gets to a fine cast with some wonderful actors who do very well in their performances.
Barbara Eden is Pia, the youngest member of Madame Rinaldi's bordello who is pregnant by Beppo (played by Carl Schell), whom she loves and wants to marry. Cecil Kellaway plays the Bishop. But the main characters are Madame Rinaldi and Mario Forni, played by Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland, who were both in their later careers. This comeback attempt for Rogers (age 53) didn't pan out, and except for an occasional appearance on a TV series over the next two decades, her acting career was over. Some think it might have been the best thing for Milland as well. He was 57 at the time, but continued to act in many movies and on some TV series up until his 1986 death at age 79. But most of his roles from this point on were in B movies, many of them quite bad, including some terrible horror films.
Two other characters contribute to much of the humor in this film. Michael Ansara plays the town mayor, Pablo; and Vinton Hayworth is Aguesta, the Town Banker or pawn broker.
A little drama interspersed in the film includes a dam break that almost takes the life of the mayor's son; and the turn around and conversions, treated lightly but as authentic, with Pia, the mayor, the banker, and the women of the town, generally. Here are some sample lines of the humor that show the potential there was here for a very good comedy and satire. .
Beppo, "You know when I get to New York, perhaps I will send for you." Pia Pacelli, "Why is it always New York with you - the big town. I come from a big town - Venice. I know how it is in the city. And in Venice, when the tide is low, it stinks and there's garbage in the canals. Ach! I'll never go back to live in a slum."
Mario Forni, "Now, who should we talk about - you or me?" Madame Rinaldi, "You." Mario, "No, I don't think so. Let's talk about you. I know all about me." Madame, "And I know all about me, so the conversation is already over."
Madame Rinaldi, "And like all other men, you think you're absolutely irresistible." Mario Forni, "Oh, not any more. I used to be, you know, but nowadays I find that I have to fight a little harder. What were we talking about?" Madame, "Mohammedan."
Mayor Pablo, "Many people - women, in particular, get pregnant."
Madame Rinaldi, "Pregnant women are inclined to look more beautiful anyway."
Aguesta, Town Banker, "What do you think?" Mayor Pablo, "Well..." Madame Rinaldi, "Does he ever?"
Aguesta, "You've been a great mayor. I voted for you myself." Mayor Pablo, "I voted myself for myself."
Madame Rinaldi, "Oh, if I knew how, I'd pray. Can you?" Mario Forni, "No, I've forgotten."
Aguesta, "We pay to commit sins, then we have to pay to uncommit them. It goes against the grain."
Mario Forni, "I'm unprincipled enough not to have any principles worth anything. But I've never killed anybody. But somehow, some way, I feel I've killed her."
The Bishop, "Why does everything miraculous seem to be a miracle."
Mario Forni, "I thought you didn't believe in marriage." Madame Rinaldi, "I don't. But you make me believe in my own disbelief." Mario, "I think I know what you mean."
The Bishop, "There was a miracle, Pia. You see, child, the things of God that are marvelous are to be believed in. But sometimes reason destroys, because it proves to the reasoning mind only that which is reasonable, and leaves out all that is marvelous. But all is well, child. All will be well. The miracle was in your own faith. Keep that faith, my dear. Keep it always. With God's everlasting blessing."
Mario Forni, after their car loaded with treasure rolls over the cliff into the ocean below, "Hey, do you know how to skin dive?" Madame Rinaldi, "No. But I'll learn." -
I never knew of this film with Ray Milland but came across it on youtube. It is a cute film with a nostalgic pairing of Ray Milland and Ginger Rogers. It centers around a hidden treasure that is hidden deep below a statue of St. Joseph in a small village. Milland is a thief and he is after that and then of course after Rogers who plays a madam in a house of ill repute. They get together and when he finds a prostitute begging the St. Joseph to speak to her and help her with her pregnancy, he speaks and tells her everything will be okay. She goes to the priest to tell him there has been a miracle. Many funny scenes come when every person in the town with a secret ask St. Joseph to forgive them. In the end the statue crumbles revealing a solid gold stake, truly showing a miracle. There are many stars in the movie, which certainly helps it move along. It is just fun to watch Milland and Rogers together again.
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pat-1765 August 2000In this , the basic plot, finding a treasure , is overshadowed by the Miracle, seemingly seen by Pia (Barbara Eden). The result of the miracle is the conversion of many town characters who have been stealing from the town. One of these is the mayor, played by Michael Ansara, Barbara Eden's real life husband. The superb acting by Barbara Eden is a high point in this movie. Also fine acting by Michael Ansara, Ginger Rogers, and Ray Milland.