Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

"Looks like the Blandings will have no heating problem!"

1948 1h 34m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 208

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An advertising executive dreams of getting out of the city and building a perfect home in the country, only to find the transition fraught with problems.

“Looks like the Blandings will have no heating problem!”

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Cast

Cary Grant
Jim Blandings
Myrna Loy
Muriel Blandings
Melvyn Douglas
Bill Cole
Reginald Denny
Simms
Sharyn Moffett
Joan Blandings
Connie Marshall
Betsy Blandings
Louise Beavers
Gussie
Ian Wolfe
Smith

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: H. C. Potter
Writers: Norman Panama, Melvin Frank
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

78 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

AWARDS

Did you know

Directed by H. C. Potter, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Leigh Harline. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Harry Marker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Cary Grant and Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Looks like the Blandings will have no heating problem!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0040613 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

H. C. Potter directs. James Wong Howe behind the camera. Leigh Harline scores. Harry Marker cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

178 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by H. C. Potter, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Leigh Harline. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Harry Marker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Cary Grant and Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Looks like the Blandings will have no heating problem!".
7IMDB entry: tt0040613 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: James Wong Howe
Original score: Leigh Harline
Editing: Harry Marker
Costume design: Robert Kalloch
Makeup / hair: Hazel Rogers
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)

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H. C. Potter

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What people are saying

Peter McGinn2020-09-08
★ 8/10
If you really like black and white comedies from the 30s and 40s — well, you have probably seen this one! I know I did many (many) years ago, but I recently had a chance to watch it again. It was worth the time. It features Cary Grant and Myrna Loy doing what they do best. He is a wisecracking husband and father who seems smart at times, but slightly daft at other times. He loves his wife and kids, but gives them a hard time when things go the wrong way. But not in a modern hurtful way. Myrna I remember easily from the Thin Man films and she is a natural at this. She deadpans a lot of her lines, but check out her facial expressions. She accomplishes a lot without seeming to try. Some of the situations are predictable, but often I found myself laughing even when I had a good idea what was coming. It is very well-written. This is no blockbuster, but it is sweet, harmless fun, and sometimes that is just what I need.
CinemaSerf2022-07-09
★ 7/10
This is a simple comedy about a family living in downtown Manhattan who decide to relocate to a delightful old house in loads of acres in rural Maine. Problem is, they buy a house that the wind could blow down and soon enough are on a roller-coaster ride building a new home whilst being simultaneously fleeced by just about everyone. Cary Grant is great; his dialogue is frequently pithy and the on-screen rapport between him and Myrna Loy is effective and understated - even when he starts to believe that she might be up to some shenanigans with their lawyer - Melvyn Douglas - who delivers his role in a magnificently aloof "what are you all doing?" sort of fashion. Add to the mix, the pressure Grant is under to come up with a new slogan for his 1940's equivalent of "Spam" and we have a gentle mixture of screwball fun and games that cannot fail to raise a smile...