The Matchmaker (1958) and
All in a Night's Work

Although he wasn't a particularly prolific filmmaker (he only made six films), legendary Broadway director Joseph Anthony teamed up with screen icon Shirley MacLaine three times between 1958 and 1961 on Career, The Matchmaker, and All in a Night's Work. In January and February, Paramount released the latter two on DVD and, while the discs are quite good, the movies themselves are a mixed bag.

Adapted from Thornton Wilder's hit Broadway play -- later re-made as Hello, Dolly! -- The Matchmaker has all the trademarks of bad theatre: smug comedy, conventional characterizations, and no subtlety whatsoever. It's the story of a Scrooge-like store owner named Mr. Vandergelder (Paul Ford) who plans to marry Irene Molloy (Shirley MacLaine) but has severely unenlightened views about marriage ("marriage is a bribe to make a housekeeper think she's a householder," he claims).

For reasons completely unknown to me, a bizarre matchmaker woman (Shirley Booth) develops a crush on Vandergelder and sets out to make him her spouse. In order to accomplish this goal, she hooks Irene up with Cornelius Hackl (played by Anthony Perkins, arguably the least heterosexual actor in the history of the world).

Many films are erroneously labeled "dated" but The Matchmaker is the real deal. This is one of the most genuinely dated films I've ever seen. Taken out of its original context, the film has no discernible merit and it's about as irritating as "classic" comedies get. To some degree, the film is deliberately dated -- it's a period piece, attempting to represent the social mores of Yonkers, circa 1884 -- but the characters' arcane ideas about male-female relationships aren't presented with any irony or wit and there's no real life or perspective in the film's comedy.

The film tries to charm us with its incessant characters-talking-to-the-camera schtick but rarely have I ever seen a comic conceit fall so flat. At its worst, this approach is insulting. Right before the closing credits, the characters actually go to the trouble of interpreting the film and decoding its meaning for the audience (to save us the trouble, I guess). The film does have its charms -- Shirley MacLaine could play a charming ingenue in her sleep -- but it never really takes off or transcends the limitations of its source material.

But don't give up on Anthony and MacLaine just yet. All in a Night's Work is a much better bet. Before elaborating, I should acknowledge an extreme, socially unacceptable guilty pleasure of mine: I think Dean Martin is a pretty good actor. I always thought Kiss Me, Stupid was one of Billy Wilder's most underrated comedies and I've been known to watch and re-watch late night infomercials for the "Celebrity Roast" video collection just to see Dino deliver his belittling, but oddly good-natured, old school one-liners. Yes, there's a certain arrogance to his comic persona but it's good arrogance (if that's possible).

Made three years after The Matchmaker, All in a Night's Work is a far more witty, engaging, and colorful film (literally, it's shot in color). A New York publishing baron is found dead and his nephew (Dean Martin) is brought in to assume control of his Hearst-like publishing empire. However, shortly before the baron's body was found, a woman (MacLaine) was seen running from his room, suggesting a sex scandal that might jeopardize the company's family-friendly reputation.

Concerned that MacLaine might reveal unflattering details about his uncle, Martin sets out to charm and bribe her. Of course, it's far more complicated than that synopsis suggests - for one, there was no affair...but Martin doesn't know that -- and much romantic confusion ensues.

As you might deduce, All in a Night's Work is a comedy of complications and misunderstandings. It's sort of like Preston Sturges or Billy Wilder without the comic inventiveness or imagination. Still, it's a charming little comedy with Dean Martin delivering unexpected humor in a potentially bland, conventional role. He's a cool cat but he's hilarious under pressure. Also, Edith Head fans take note: All in a Night's Work has some terrific, early 60s costumes.

There's two things you can always count on with Paramount's classic DVD releases: 1) they never have any features, and 2) they always have terrific transfers. So it comes as no surprise that these discs are featureless and contain impressive 1.85:1 transfers, enhanced for widescreen TVs. Of historical note, The Matchmaker is presented in VistaVision, a Paramount photographic process generally associated with color films such as Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo and To Catch a Thief. The Matchmaker is noteworthy as one of the few black-and-white VistaVision films.

Although it certainly has its fans -- and the DVD is as cheap as they come -- The Matchmaker should be a guarded rental at best. Instead, take a chance on the lesser-known but vastly superior All in a Night's Work, particularly if you're interested in uncovering the hidden charm of Dean Martin. -- Jonathan Doyle