Review of Harriet Craig (1950) by Dennis M — 13 Apr 2013

Amusing Crawford vehicle featuring her at her bitchy, OCD, controlling nightmarish self. Mommie Dearest would have us believe she was just this bad in real life.... perhaps, but probably not quite as malicious as Horrible Harriet.

Soapy, silly, overwrought and dated- but an entertaining enough 92 minute morality play. The message seems to be that love should be the overriding feature of marriage, and that it should be a compromise, however their old-fashioned mores would have us believe that the way to get that is through having the man dominate everything.

Or something. We've all known Harriet Craigs, and their 'Yes dear' husbands, so it's good to see an unrealistic film where we have one of them waking up to what a bitch he's married.

And in that, Wendell Corey does a good job. Lucile Watson is too wet by far, but the old dames are a good match for Crawford. Fun, but not too deep or interesting.