Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Underrated Comic Gem, May 13, 2002
This review is from: George Washington Slept Here [VHS] (VHS Tape)
George S. Kauffman & Moss Hart's GEORGE WASHINGTON SLEPT HERE was one of Broadway's most successfull comedies of the early 1940s, a bright and witty tale with a slightly Americana tone that World War II audiences found particularly appealing. The film version, sparked up by the completely unexpected chemistry of dry-humored Jack Benny and "Oomph Girl" Ann Sheridan, is every bit as charming. When New Yorkers Bill and Connie Fuller (Benny and Sheridan) are evicted from their apartment (their third change of address in less than a year), wife Connie decides what they need is a place in the country... and buys an incredibly dilapidated house where George Washington is said to have once slept. Needless to say, husband Bill is horrified--and keeps on being horrified as the price of renovation skyrockets. Benny was most popular when he played himself in roles tailored to his talents, but although this role is atypical his talents are well suited to the constantly harried Bill Fuller--and he has remarkable rapport with co-star Ann Sheridan, an underestimated actress who shows tremendous flair for comedy as his determinedly optimistic wife. Both are well supported by a cast that includes Charles Coburn, Joyce Reynolds, and Percy Kilbride, and Hattie McDaniel (best remembered as Mammy in GONE WITH THE WIND) really shines as Hester, their long-suffering domestic who finds herself with a hole in the kitchen wall big enough for a horse to walk through--and one does! The pace is snappy, the script is witty, and every one is sure to have a good time. Recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jewel of Jack Benny, November 4, 2005
This review is from: George Washington Slept Here [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I loved Jack Benny's performances. I won't go into all the antic of the film, the other review capped a few for you. This movie is charming and funny. It is a seldom seen film and wish this was on DVD. Please someone get this on DVD!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Predessor to the more popular Mr. Blandings Builds His, December 28, 2009
This review is from: George Washington Slept Here [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Dream House, starring Cary Grant & Myrna Loy in 48. George Washington Slept Here is pretty good, with a sheen of patriotism over the whole thing since it was made in 1942. Jack Benny is Bill married to Connie played by Ann Sheridan. Without Bill's knowledge or consent, Connie buys a ramshackled 200 year old mansion in rural Conneticut. Legend has it General Washington stayed there during our revolution. Bill is strictly a urban dweller from NYC but they've been kicked out of there second apartment in a year. You cannot think of something that doesn't go wrong when they move to the country. Bill, in despair, watches as the place bleeds them dry & strains their marriage. He blames Connie, rightfully so, for being suckered. Benny is hilarious of course. He has to act but just a little bit. He is still playing the ever exasperated Jack Benny, then at his height of popularity. The house doesn't even have a right of way or a road. The commuter train back to the city has the most inconvienent schedule ever. As a final indignity, research finds that George Washington never slept there. But Benedict Arnold did. Hilarious. Charles Coburn plays a penniless, demanding uncle & the rest of the supporting cast is pretty good. The dry well, rotting floors, leaking roof all evaporate in a pariotic flourish that saves all. A good one from Jack Benny playing to his strength. If they ever revived this play in my area, I'd go.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
