Product Details

• Actors: Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas, Reginald Denny, Sharyn Moffett
• Directors: H.C. Potter
• Writers: Melvin Frank, Norman Panama, Eric Hodgins
• Producers: Dore Schary, Melvin Frank, Norman Panama
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Turner Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: August 13, 1996
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0780614097
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,364 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Cary Grant stars as an advertising executive who dreams of getting out of the city and building a perfect home in the country, only to find the transition fraught with problems. (See the 1980s Tom Hanks comedy The Money Pit for an updated version of the same idea.) The big appeal here are the two leads, Grant and Myrna Loy, who were each in their early 40s and at the peak of their careers. Together with solid support from Melvyn Douglas and a screenplay that might have been tailor-made for their polished brand of comedy, the stars dominate this simple project. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

Item Name: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House; Studio: Turner Home Ent

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Means we gotta blast......, December 17, 2004

By 

Archmaker (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (DVD)

Yeeup! As Mr. Tersander would say. This is one of my favorite films. While not exactly bust-a-gut funny, it is warmly amusing throughout with a couple of classic lines & scenes (the perplexing storeroom, the "letch", the well, the all-night Wam session etc.), played to perfection with ease and charm (my God those are lost arts, aren't they?) by a cast of pros who are immediately likeable and comfortable to be around.

The story of a New York adman building his dream house in Connecticut being snookered by the "hicks" and then the series of disasters and cost overruns that befall him, the film is played with just the right tone, light and with great good humor, from the falling lintels to the Zuzz-Zuzz water softener.

Some may question the 5 stars, and although it may not be a great movie, I give it all 5 because Grant, Loy and Douglas are a lost breed of irreplaceable class players, and this kind of effortless amusement is pretty much an extinct genre.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny..., July 19, 2002

By 

ehakus (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Often imitated but never quite surpassed, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House is a classic comedy about a topic still as current now as it was in the 1940s. Silly but very funny, this movie is really great - featuring the ever hilarious Cary Grant, and Myrna Loy.

Essentially, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House is about a family that decides to move to the country and get away from the overcrowding in the apartment. Instead of making life easier, however, their decision to move causes disaster after disaster. This movie is a hilarious example of how whatever can go wrong will!

Although the topic could have easily degenerated into stupidity, the script, the directing and, most of all, the cast, turn the movie into a classic. The script is witty and very funny, and it is directed with style - but mainly, Cary Grant is terrific! His double takes and reactions will never be equalled...any scene that he is in in pretty much guaranteed to be hysterical. Myrna Loy does a good job of cooling balancing Grant's screwball character, and the supporting cast is good as well.

Anyhow, this is a funny movie for the whole family - it is highly recommended!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Been There, Done That, July 21, 2001

By 

James L. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Cary Grant and Myrna Loy have a very comfortable chemistry together in this comedy about a couple that decides to get out of their cramped city apartment and move out into the country. Through stubborness and sheer ignorance, they end up making a number of expensive errors as they attempt to build their dream house. The story is narrated by their friend and lawyer Bill, well played by Melvyn Douglas, a cynical man who learns it's easier to just let them make their mistakes. Grant is the perfect actor to express the exasperation of the whole process. The man had amazing comedic timing, deceptively making it look easy. The script hits all of the potential problems with building, and the film is smoothly produced. This is the kind of comedy that will appeal to most people, because almost everyone has had the opportunity to experience the joy that is remodelling, landscaping, decorating, or building. There's something in here for everyone to appreciate.