Review of Bachelor Mother (1939) by David U — 14 Dec 2005

[font=Tahoma][size=2]At first glance, [i]Bachelor Mother[/i] is simply another black-and-white Hollywood comedy, with some charming stars and a predictable story. So, why, you may ask, did I enjoy it so much more than most of these forgotten comedies? There is no definitive answer, but I found almost every frame of this film absolutely delightful, and I don't think I've been so purely entertained by a movie in quite a while. The absolutely charming Ginger Rogers proves she can make it without Fred (Astaire) and, indeed, without dancing, and her role here is that of a young department story worker named Polly Parrish, who has just been let go by the store, who inform her she was only there for the holidays anyway. Out walking, Polly sees a woman abandoning her baby outside an orphanage, and, concerned, she decides to take the baby inside. Of course, the workers believe it to be her baby and take her vehement contradictions as denial; they contact the store, who, believing Polly abandoned her baby because she lost her job, immediatly call her in and give her her job back.

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Returning home, Polly finds the baby inside; outraged, she delivers the child to the home of the owner, John B. Merlin and his son David (Charles Coburn and David Niven) and heads out on her planned date. David follows her, returns the baby, and, with nothing else to do, Polly begins to warm to the child and accepts that there is nothing else to do but care for it. This alienates her love interest and colleague Freddie (Frank Albertson), who believes David to be the father and anonymously informs his father.

Clearly quite daring for it's day, the plot is rather slight and extremely predictable- of course Polly and David fall in love and care for the child together- but it's delights are numerous. The script is full of quick-witted and sardonic humour, giving Rogers in particular a chance to shine, while the plot is delivered smoothly and manages to provide hilarious scenes without slowing the film down. One particular scene, where David introduces the nervously inept Polly as a Swedish visitor, is an unexpected treat, as Polly and David invent the Swedish language, which, thanks mainly to Rogers' and Niven's light delivery, is immensely entertaining. [i]Bachelor Mother[/i] is certainly part of the "they don't make them like they used to" school, and perhaps that's what makes it so appealing to me: it's a glimpse of a time and an attitude that doesn't exist anymore, and it's innocent yet sardonic tone is an unusual delight.[/size].

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