Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

[Andykev]

I just got this gem at the local Best Buy....it was $14.99, and then discounted.

Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and melvyn Douglas.

This is the 1948 classic in glorious B&W...
"New York adman Jim Blandings is ready to say goodbye to his cramped city apartment and build from the ground up a Conneticut home with enough room for his growing family and dreams. And it will cost him his time money...and perhaps his job, marriage, happiness, and what's left of his sanity".


Funny stuff, great comedy, good acting...and nice period clothing, and hats.

 

[carebear]

It's on TCM right now.

I just realized, watching the construction scenes, that things were "hand crafted" back then not because of "greater worker pride" but because all they had were hand tools. I can't imagine paying some guy to use a handsaw when framing or handdriving every nail.

Nice to see general contractor and crew attitudes haven't changed. lol

And the concrete work.... pouring forms with a wheelbarrow? I've done a little of that myself (a little is too much), I'll take a pump truck any time.

On the upside, the framers were all wearing fedoras while working. There's a shot, as they're knocking off for Saturday of a beautiful diamond crown. It's a good hat scene, the camera is shooting down at an angle and the crew is all facing Grant (who is of course facing the camera). A veritable cornucopia of crown styles.

A mental note, being trapped in a storeroom goes better when you have your pipe.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Yep, it just went off. I've had the DVD for years but just had to watch. Does anyone have a screen cap of Gussie's magazine ad - "If it ain't Wham, it ain't ham!" by any chance? It's been a running joke with a friend of ours for years. Anytime one of us serves ham, the other has to ask, "But is it Wham?" I'd love to have the picture to use on a card or hang in the kitchen.

 

[ranwill]

I'm new to the forum, and I joined just for this reason. I'm a contractor, and I'd like to find hats like the workers wore in this film. Because I want to wear then on the job, I don't want to pay a bunch for the hats.
Are there any sources for a "working man's" fedora?

Randy