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Title: Screwball Director's Choice
Review: The original M&M; Smith (1941). In its own way, just as whacky as the recent Pitt/Jolie vehicle. But the similarities end there. Hitchcock's version is basically silly and not especially funny (he may have been a master of suspense, but not comedy), and headlines a slightly chubby Carol Lombard (Hitchcock's landlord who urged him to make the film--apparently against his better judgment). Robert Montgomery (not the Director's first choice) is the less-than-better half who seems over his acting head most of the time (especially compared to screwball-comedy veteran Lombard's performance).Outdoor soundstage sets look just plain phony while indoor sets look just plain cheap (and phony). Very distracting. Without Lombard, the film would have gone straight to DV...err, the drive-ins.WILLIAM FLANIGAN, Ph.D.
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