Teacher's Pet
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Movie Reviews of Teacher's Pet
Movie Review: Entertaining comic 'Battle of the Sexes'!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Teacher's Pet" is a deliciously funny look at journalism, and the clash between 'formal' education vs. practical experience, with higher learning championed by Doris Day, and the 'School of Hard Knocks' represented by the 'King', himself, Clark Gable. Despite an obvious age difference (Gable, at 57, was showing all of his years), the chemistry between the stars is electric, and with Oscar-nominated Gig Young providing terrific comic support as Gable's brilliant yet down-to-earth competition for Day, the film manages to be both witty and wise.
With over a quarter century of playing newspapermen, the role of hard-boiled City Editor Jim Gannon fit Clark Gable like an old shoe. No-nonsense, pragmatic, and a workaholic, Gannon was the classic 'school drop-out' who learned the newspaper business from the ground up, and held college in contempt. While Gannon was obviously a dinosaur, even by 1950s' standards, Gable appears to be having a ball as the cigarette-smoking, plain-spoken, 'blue-collar' hero.
Despite the constant "Will she or Won't she?" sexual undercurrent of so many of her best comedies of the fifties and early sixties, Doris Day was also a feminist during the era, with her characters self-sufficient, and often holding down important positions based on merit. As Erica Stone, an ex-reporter who returns to college to teach journalism, her demeanor is professional and her knowledge unimpeachable, making her the perfect foil for Gannon.
While the descriptions of Gannon and Stone sound like formula characters for Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (not surprisingly, as the script was penned by longtime friends Fay and Michael Kanin), the Gable/Day teaming provides a sexual tension that, by the late 1950s, would have been far less apparent had Tracy and Hepburn taken the roles. Even at the twilight of his career, Gable was so totally 'male' that he raised the bar of any actress opposite him, with Day's signature 'perkiness' transformed, here, into sexual potential in a tight skirt (watch her tease Gable, swaying her hips to "The Girl Who Invented Rock and Roll"; Day has never been sexier!)
While the resolution is not surprising, some remarkably candid observations of what makes good print journalism are given by both Day and Gable, with Day's comment of television replacing newspapers as the public's source for breaking news remarkably farsighted in 1958!
If you want a terrific comedy with two stars at the top of their game, look no further; "Teacher's Pet" delivers!
Movie Review: They Didn't Call Him the KING for Nothing!
Summary: 5 Stars
Gable is a gruff, battle scarred, school of hard knocks Lion of journalism, running his pride of employees with as much feeling as the time he has to get out a deadline, which is to say, hardly any. But you can tell he's well liked so there's a soft spot there, proven by the two young journalist cubs he's keeping his very critical eye on. By orders from the top, he is forced to attend Doris Day's night class of journalism, where he had sent a very sarcastic response to her request to have him give a lecture. He gets one look at Doris Day and decides to sit in and listen. His reactions to her starting off the class by reading his letter are just priceless and had me laughing out loud. And then the fun begins. Bring in an over-educated yet extremely modest and self-deprecating, hilarious Gig Young as a rival for Doris Day and you've got yourself one big cat with his fur up! The cocktail lounge scene of Gig Young being able to outdance, outdrink and outbongo Gable, and Gables reactions to them, are absolutely priceless! Gable was truly a world weary lion at this stage of his life, but his comedic timing, acting and bearing still spelled KING. While watching this movie, I found myself always looking at him, even when someone else was in the scene. Doris Day and Gig Young were in their prime and were gorgeous and sexy, yet, I could barely tear my eyes from Gable. Joan Crawford said of him in a book she wrote, that one time she was at a cocktail party and suddenly everything stopped and everyone felt compelled to look at the doorway. There stood Clark Gable. He was just standing there looking around, yet his presence stopped the room. Presence! You've either got it or you don't. Gable had it! Long Live the King's movies. Watch it if you get the chance.Movie Review: GABLE & DAY SCORE IN GOOD COMEDY.....
Summary: 5 Stars
Hard-as-nails, uneducated city news editor Jim Gannon (Clark Gable) sits in on a journalism class by teacher Erica Stone (Doris Day) and falls for her. Trouble is, he's posing as Jim Gallagher---a new student, because he had crassly rejected her offer to speak to her class on, what else, journalism. He has a hard nose against education since he never finished high school and believes that experience is the best teacher. She is amazed at his skill and offers to tutor him, unaware of his ruse. Complications arise from a colleague of Stone's, Hugo Pine (Gig Young) who's a world class scholar on everything. Mamie van Doren is in an all too brief role as Peggy DeVore, Gannon's girlfriend who sings at the Bongo Club and performs "The Girl Who Invented Rock & Roll". She's very funny and holds her own with Gable in the equally funny night club scene. This b&w 1958 film (scripted by Fay & Michael Kanin) has much to say on honesty and truth in journalism but also scores points on experience as well. The chemistry between Gable and Day is near perfect. Young is quietly brilliant as Hugo as well as a deft comedian and gives a very impressive interpretation of a hangover. Good supporting cast features Nick Adams as Gannon's young gofer and protege and Marion ("Happy Days") Ross as Day's savvy secretary. The DVD print is widescreen and fairly good. But what sells this film is Gable. He's supposed to be gruff and tough but his sensitivity as an actor layers his character with all the right humor, charisma and charm. He may have been aging, but he was still one of the best actors ever to cross the screen. Enjoy.Movie Review: Paper-thin compatibility (recommended)
Summary: 5 Stars
Similarities between the rough uneducated newspaper editor James Gannon (Clark Gable) and sophisticated night-school journalism teacher Erica Stone (Doris Day) are paper thin. Gable disdains scholastic journalism since he learned his craft the hard way. After severely rebuking Stone's request to speak in her class, Gannon is chastised by superiors and must make an in-person apology. Through a comedy of errors, his scathing denounciation is read to Stone's class while Gannon is present. After the class critique, he lies about his true identity -- assuming the role of a gifted student named Gallanger. His eager hopes of late-night tutoring are repeatedly derailed by Stone's rendezvous with a psychology professor Dr. Hugo Pine (Gig Young). A pouting Gallanger aims to make Stone jealous and Dr. Pine look ridiculous but his plan backfires. Can this unlikely couple find a common ground or will Gannon forever remain Gallanger, the teacher's pet?
Movie quote: "So he's got more degrees than a thermometer, so he speaks seven languages, so he's read every book, so what? The important thing is he's had no experience."
Movie Review: Before spell-check and plagiarism school.
Summary: 5 Stars
Only the acting pros Clark Gable and Doris Day, and their foil, Gig Young could make the news biz an entertaining treat. Of course, it's a sex chase wrapped in cellophane, but we don't care.For those who would argue that Gable was too long in the tooth for perky Doris Day, look into the number of college professors in the 60's who grew their hair long and snatched a coed.This is an old-school battle of the sexes, with sub-plots to underscore the decency and humanity beneath the facade of gruffness.Today, it would be a car chase diversion. The hang-over antidote that Gig Young serves up is one of several hilarious episodes taken as a bon mot. I would rather spend a couple hours with Mr. Gannon(Clark Gable), the newspaper editor, than Geraldo Rivera any day.It is just another old book that I go back to again and again. And no jerky cameras for "reality" either and hipness, like ya know,bogus creativity.Light entertainment with sprinklings of truth and humanity. Rated G as in genuine.