The Marrying Kind

Starring:Judy Holliday, Aldo Ray, Madge Kennedy, Sheila Bond, John Alexander, Rex Williams, Phyllis Povah, Mickey Shaughnessy, Griff Barnett, Don Mahin, Charles Brewer, John Elliot, Joan Shawlee, Wallace Acton, Christopher Olsen, Malan Mills, Nancy Kulp, Elsie Holmes, Larry J. Blake, Thomas Browne Henry
Director: George Cukor
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
From the dour vantage point of divorce court, Florence (Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday) and Chet Keefer (Aldo Ray) recount the tale of their rocky marriage. Despite its jaunty title, The Marrying Kind is a surprisingly realistic portrait of marriage, with all its expectations, disappointments, compromises, fights, and intimacies. Florence and Chet are tested by trouble and loss, but it's finally good fortune that threatens to pull them apart. The judge in their case, however, thinks they should give it another try. Holliday perfected a ditzy/sexy persona that other actresses have emulated but never quite equalled; The Marrying Kind gave her the opportunity to show her dramatic chops. Though she rises to the challenge, the movie is an awkward blend of humor and pathos. Fans of hoarse-voiced palooka Ray will enjoy his equally strong performance in this, his movie debut. --Bret Fetzer

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LOVE CHRONICLES: The Marrying Kind

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000E373KI
Release Date: 2000-08-12

Description

You've heard of serial murderers--now meet serial marriers. People who have been married five, 10, and even 23 times talk about their multiple marriages, along with couples who divorce and remarry again and again. John Corbett ("Northern Exposure") hosts.

Average customer rating:

Unpretentious
Fine Acting
A Lot of Fun
The Superb Kind You'll Love
Judy Holliday in pleasant, light drama

The Marrying Kind
Starring: Judy Holliday , Aldo Ray , Madge Kennedy , Sheila Bond , and John Alexander
Director: George Cukor
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000C23T3
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Amazon.com

From the dour vantage point of divorce court, Florence (Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday) and Chet Keefer (Aldo Ray) recount the tale of their rocky marriage. Despite its jaunty title, The Marrying Kind is a surprisingly realistic portrait of marriage, with all its expectations, disappointments, compromises, fights, and intimacies. Florence and Chet are tested by trouble and loss, but it's finally good fortune that threatens to pull them apart. The judge in their case, however, thinks they should give it another try. Holliday perfected a ditzy/sexy persona that other actresses have emulated but never quite equalled; The Marrying Kind gave her the opportunity to show her dramatic chops. Though she rises to the challenge, the movie is an awkward blend of humor and pathos. Fans of hoarse-voiced palooka Ray will enjoy his equally strong performance in this, his movie debut. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Unpretentious.......2007-06-23

I had known that this movie was listed in "The New York Times Guide to the Best 1000 Movies Ever Made" which I have found to be a good general guide for great movies off the popularity radar screen. Thus I came to it with some expectations but those expectations did not turn into disappointment. This is a very good movie although I rated it "4 stars" because, frankly, I've seen a lot of movies of a higher quality. What "The Marrying Kind" has to offer is a look at ourselves in a way that leaves us with a better understanding of our own marital relationship. It does so in a way that challenges us to compare our weaknesses to those displayed in the movie and it challenges us to also compare our ability to communicate with one another to the couple in the movie.

Judy Holiday is the star of this film which happens to be the "introduction" movie for Aldo Ray. The way these two work together is a great asset to the film. The movie begins in Divorce Court which immediately tells a lot and it's helpful to know that as we watch the couple relate how their relationship evolved into marriage (and, later, into the Divorce Court). The various snippets we see along the way are amusing, embarassing, endearing, and, unfortuately, tragic. We get to know a couple who seem to like each other but never took enough time to get to know each other. It is the typical sit-com marraige with all the stereotypes.

There isn't a lot to add because the beauty of "The Marrying Kind" is in its' simplicity. I enjoyed the movie and am saving it to watch with my wife. I hope to hear a lot more "you don't do that" than "that's just like you!".

Fine Acting.......2006-12-23

It's a shame Judy Holliday died so young and that the McCarthy Hearings hurt her career and, it's a crime that she did not do at least 3 movies a year for all of us to enjoy forever. She gave such natural performances you hardly felt it was acting. In this movie she was every bit as brilliant as she was in Born Yesterday. Aldo Ray in his first starring role gives a fine performance. The only thing I found wrong with the movie is that it mixes comedy and tragedy. The tragedy is not the pending divorce but the death of their son. Comedy can also contain high drama and personal tragedy, but the death of a child is taking the mix too far.

A Lot of Fun.......2006-10-10

Judy Holliday and Aldo Ray make for a great screen team. They both have very unique acting styles that make for great screen chemistry. This is great film from director George Cukor. There was only one Judy Holliday and only one Aldo Ray when he was at the height of his popularity.

The Superb Kind You'll Love.......2006-04-12

Movie: ***** DVD Quality: ****1/2 Extras: ****1/2

Judy Holliday and Aldo Ray are incandescent in this exquisite film, beautifully directed by George Cukor from a Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon script. The story concerns an average married couple who find themselves in divorce court, telling the history of their courtship and marriage to a wise and experienced judge (Madge Kennedy). As might be expected, their life together has been layered by incidents both happy and heartbreaking, the extraordinary moments outnumbered by the mundane. What makes the film so incredibly moving are the masterful, intelligent direction of Cukor, who unfolds each scene with great subtlety; and the sensitive underplaying of Holliday and Ray, who invest their characters with just the right mixture of shading, both sympathetic and non. This was Holliday's first film after she won the Oscar for Cukor's "Born Yesterday", and she is undeniably at the peak of her powers. As for Aldo Ray, he was receiving a major boost toward stardom after appearing in small roles in two previous films; sadly, despite a long career, he would never fulfill the astonishing promise he showed in this freshman effort.

Columbia's DVD transfer of this minor masterpiece is generally commendable. The frame jumps around a bit during the opening credits, but this annoyance stops once the story begins. Video contrast and sharpness are acceptable; and the sound is good throughout. The DVD extras include the trailer for this film, and two other Columbia offerings: "Born Yesterday", and the 1956 Tyrone Power-Kim Novak drama "The Eddy Duchin Story". Overall, "The Marrying Kind" is highly recommended entertainment, a delicate balance of drama, comedy and tragedy that is a working definition of the term "neglected cinematic gem."

Judy Holliday in pleasant, light drama.......2003-12-28

I am a big fan of Judy Holliday's romantic comedies from the 1950's and own Born Yesterday, It Should Happen to You (with Jack Lemmon in his first movie appearance), The Solid Gold Cadillac, and Bells Are Ringing (with Dean Martin). I was expecting The Marrying Kind to also be a comedy, and I was disappointed to find out that it consists far more of pathos than comedy. It shows in flashbacks the decline of the 7-year marriage of a couple on the verge of divorce, and nowadays we might call this film a "dramedy." However, once I'd adjusted to the fact that I wasn't watching Judy in all-out comedy, I enjoyed the movie for what it is. Particularly that it centers almost completely around the relationship (and interactions) of the two main characters, Florence (Judy) and Chet Keefer (Aldo Ray). Because they are on stage alone together most of the movie, it really showcases their individual talents as actors, and they work extremely well together as a dramatic pairing.

Aside from the acting and the story, there are several other things that I found especially fascinating about the film: first, the use of real New York City locations from the early 50s--it is amazing how much the city has changed in 50 years! Second, the movie's portrayal of working-class, urban marriage feels extremely real and accurate for that era (other than their very roomy apartment), and because of that, it offers an intriguing window into that time period. Finally, I was very taken by the style of the dialogue. Not being either an expert on linguistics or the writing history of playwrights Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, I couldn't be sure if they were merely being stylistic, or if they intended to offer a very accurate portrayal of a specific New York dialect. Whichever it is, the protagonists speak in a very unique way, with certain words left out in their sentences and others repeated--which gives an entertaining regional flavor to the script.

This movie is not rated, but by today's standards it would be a G--no sex or bad language. However, I believe children would be bored by this movie as would, very likely, most men. This is pretty much a classic "chick flick," since its entire focus is on the courtship and marriage relationship between a man and a woman.

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