Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) starring Cary Grant , Myrna Loy , Melvyn Douglas
Synopsis of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
Cary Grant and Myna Loy star in this classic screwball comedy about a big city executive who wants to find a simpler life in the country when Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House. Advertising executive Jim Blandings (Grant–Charade, North by Northwest) learns about rural life, real estate and construction the hardest way possible when he buys a farm in Connecticut. And moves with his tolerant if not understanding wife, Muriel (Loy–Thin Man films), to a decaying shack that’s closer to a nightmare than the house of his dreams.
Cast
- Cary Grant (Charade) … Jim Blandings
- Myrna Loy (Double Wedding, I Love You Again) … Muriel Blandings
- Melvyn Douglas (Being There, The Vampire Bat) … Bill Cole
- Reginald Denny (Cat Ballou, Batman the movie) … Simms
- Sharyn Moffett … Joan Blandings
- Connie Marshall (Dragonwyck) … Betsy Blandings
- Louise Beavers (Holiday Inn) … Gussie
- Ian Wolfe (Witness for the Prosecution) … Smith
- Harry Shannon (Citizen Kane) … Tesander
- Tito Vuolo (20 Million Miles to Earth) … Mr. Zucca
- Nestor Paiva (Creature from the Black Lagoon) … Joe Apollonio
- Jason Robards Sr. … John Retch
- Lurene Tuttle (Psycho) … Mary
- Lex Barker … Carpenter Foreman
- Emory Parnell (The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek) … Mr. PeDelford
Editorial review of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House courtesy of Amazon.com
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
Updated December 21, 2021