Mary Mary

Director: Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy

Overview

This film version of the Broadway play of the same name was produced and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Bob (Barry Nelson) is a divorced book publisher with a pile tax receipts and facing an audit from the IRS. At the insistence of his accountant, he must get together with his ex-wife Mary (Debbie Reynolds) to find out just what the pieces of paper mean. Bob is engaged to marry Tiffany (Diane McBain), the daughter of a wealthy New England family. When a snowstorm traps Bob and Mary in his apartment, their all night discussions lead to an eventual reconciliation in this amusing comedy. Tifanny graciously bows out of the picture when she realizes the two are still in love.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/18/2009
UPC:	0883316197691
Original Release:	1963
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	2:06:00
Sales rank:	45,733

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Debbie Reynolds	Mary McKellaway
Barry Nelson	Bob McKellaway
Michael Rennie	Dirk Winston
Diane McBain	Tiffany Richards
Hiram Sherman	Oscar Nelson

Technical Credits

Richard L. Breen

Mervyn LeRoy	Director,Producer
Richard L. Breen	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Mary, Mary is a diverting little piece of fluff, and scriptwise at least, about as faithful a transference from stage to screen as one could ask for. But therein lies a little bit of a problem, for Mary, Mary was a one-set job. Furthermore, it was a one-set job taking place during a snowstorm, which stranded characters in that one set and gave them no option to leave. You can see the problem -- how to open it up for the screen? It's a challenge, and one which, frankly, director Mervyn LeRoy didn't even try to solve. There are a handful of quick little scenes not set in the apartment, but Mary is about as static a film, setwise, as one can imagine; even in the apartment, we rarely even leave the living room. Some will find this a major liability, but others will be happy to shrug and accept it and revel in the rapid-fire Jean Kerr dialogue, laugh at the witty banter, and enjoy the silly predicament. It helps that Debbie Reynolds is in top form, and that Barry Nelson and Michael Rennie, from the original stage cast, are spot on. Even so, one wishes LeRoy had paid a bit more attention to the pace and had perhaps made a few more cuts -- at over 2 hours, Mary, Mary, as pleasant as it is, does get a little long winded.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler