"The Mating Season" Review

 

by Daniel White

"Attention must be paid." Linda Loman said that line when talking about her husband Willy in Arthur Miller's classic play Death of a Salesman. I think it can be applied as well to the stars we love from the Golden Age of Hollywood. They gave us so much joy and pleasure that it would be a shame if we forgot them, or took them for granted.

I don't think any star paid a greater price for her fame than Gene Tierney. It was a fan after all, who, desperate to get the pregnant Miss Tierney's autograph, transmitted German measles to the actress. This resulted in her daughter Daria being born severely disabled.

If that wasn't enough, Tierney struggled with mental illness, that led her to almost committing suicide and undergoing over 20 ECT treatments. A marriage to Oleg Cassini that ended in divorce, troubled love affairs with JFK and Prince Aly Khan, Gene Tierney rose to dizzying heights, only to experience dismal lows.

However, she did make some wonderful movies while a star in Hollywood, one of 20th Century Fox's most popular leading ladies. Renowned for her beauty, Gene Tierney was also a very gifted actress, a fact that is sometimes overshadowed by her stunning looks.

She didn't do too many comedies but I wanted to watch a happy Gene today. That's why I chose The Mating Season. In it, she plays Maggie Carleton, an ambassador's daughter who rushes into marriage with a blue collar Joe played by John Lund. As is so often the case in the movies from this era, a grade A actress doesn't get the leading man she deserves. Lund is only passable as Tierney's romantic leading man.

What Gene does get is the fabulous Thelma Ritter, who practically walks away with the movie. This is not a disservice to Tierney. She's a pleasing comedienne and looks smashing. The two performers complement each other perfectly. Beauty and the Brashness, that's what Tierney and Ritter are!

The Mating Season also benefits from a top-notch script, co-authored by the talented Charles Brackett (Billy Wilder's frequent collaborator). Brackett also produced this comedy gem, which is helmed by the gifted Mitchell Leisen. Leisen has been largely forgotten, overlooked by more revered directors that were his contemporaries. Yet, he made some great films and is in need of recognition and celebration.

Did I neglect to mention that Miriam Hopkins shows up playing Tierney's disapproving mother? A snob and a chatterbox who doesn't bother to hide her disdain for the lowbrow Lund, Hopkins is great. But everyone in this flick gets a bit steamrolled by the priceless Thelma Ritter (who deservedly received a supporting Oscar nomination).

With Jan Sterling, Cora Witherspoon, Ellen Corby, and Larry Keating (What! So many Greats in one movie!), The Mating Season is one of the best comedies about what happens when a Champagne Dolly marries a Rheingold Cowboy. It's available on YouTube. And remember ATTENTION MUST BE PAID. Thank you Gene Tierney. I, for one, will never forget you.