''Mary, Mary'' is a 1963

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

romantic comedy film directed by Mevyn LeRoy and starring

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer and entrepreneur. Her acting career spanned almost 70 years. Reynolds performed on stage and television and in films into her 80s. She was nom ...

and Barry Nelson as a divorced couple. It is based on the 1961 play of the same name by

Jean Kerr Jean Kerr (born Bridget Jean Collins; July 10, 1922 – January 5, 2003) was an American author and playwright who authored the 1957 bestseller '' Please Don't Eat the Daisies'' and the plays ''King of Hearts'' in 1954 and '' Mary, Mary'' in 196 ...

Plot

When the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

questions some of Bob McKellaway's deductions, Bob cannot remember what $5,000 worth of checks were for. Without his knowledge, his friend and tax lawyer, Oscar Nelson, asks Bob's soon-to-be ex-wife Mary to come to help identify legitimate business expenses. Bob neither wants to see her nor have his young fiancée Tiffany Richards meet her. Bob is also concerned that his publishing business may not be earning enough money to keep socialite Tiffany in her wealthy lifestyle. Mary has had a makeover and looks stunning, but old issues quickly resurface, with Bob again resenting Mary’s sarcastic sense of humor. Meanwhile, Bob is dealing with rejecting a gossipy memoir by middle-aged movie star Dirk Winston, who jokingly suggests that if Bob publishes his book he can relieve Bob of his alimony burden by marrying Mary. When Dirk asks Mary on a date, Bob accuses Dirk of mercenary motives, and Dirk pointedly questions why Bob is acting jealous. On their date, Dirk quickly picks up on Mary’s insecurity and comments that she never learned to appreciate her own worth. Reassuring Mary that he finds her attractive, Dirk invites her to accompany him the next day on his latest film’s publicity tour. Mary is initially uncertain, but he convinces her. When Bob learns that Mary has agreed to go off with Dirk, he again questions Dirk’s motives. He tells Mary that she is naïve to believe she is on a movie star’s level and that Dirk is using her. Mary is angered that Bob is implying that no other man can find her attractive. Dirk accuses Bob of being largely responsible for Mary’s insecurity. A snowstorm aborts Bob and Tiffany’s planned weekend trip, and Bob returns to his apartment to spend the night. Mary is also spending the night, since Bob was supposed to be away with Tiffany. Reasoning that he wishes to avoid making the same mistakes with Tiffany, Bob asks Mary why their marriage failed. Marry replies with her usual sarcasm, pointing out that Bob always wants to be logical in situations where it isn’t logical to be logical. She then points out that Bob left her without explanation one night when he initiated sex and she was not in the mood. Their exchange reveals to both that each was insecure, harboring doubts that the other truly loved them. They end up quarreling again and Bob storms off, not sleeping in his made-up bed on the sofa (Mary occupies the apartment’s only bedroom). The next morning Tiffany and Mary finally meet. Noting that the sheets on the sofa have not been slept on, Tiffany comments that she believes Mary and Bob slept together out of “force of habit”. When Bob returns, Tiffany tells Bob that she suspects he and Mary still have feelings for each other, but she is still willing to marry Bob. During this discussion, a distracted Bob takes six or so sleeping pills, mistaking them for vitamins. While the amount is not lethal, Tiffany goes off to the pharmacy for an antidote. Wary of Tiffany’s lack of jealousy and that Tiffany thinks him capable of such betrayal, Bob has second thoughts about marrying her. A groggy Bob proposes to Mary that they stay married (their divorce will not be final for two weeks), since they know each other’s foibles and have learned to appreciate each other. Mary is outraged at his entirely practical reasons, suggesting that he wants to avoid a second failed marriage and alimony to two wives. When Dirk arrives to pick up Mary for their trip, Bob locks Mary in a closet to prevent her from leaving, throwing the key out the window. Mary urges Dirk to leave to keep on schedule. Tiffany breaks their engagement and leaves, knowing Bob is not in love with her. Mary then opens the closet with her key, admitting that she could have left with Dirk, but Bob’s foolish actions have proven to her how much he really loves her. Bob and Mary reconcile as Bob falls asleep from the sleeping pills.

Cast

as Mary McKellaway * Barry Nelson as Bob McKellaway *

Diane McBain Diane Jean McBain (May 18, 1941 – December 21, 2022) was an American actress who, as a Warner Brothers contract player, reached a brief peak of popularity during the early 1960s. She was best known for playing an adventurous socialite in the 19 ...

as Tiffany Richards *

Hiram Sherman Hiram Sherman (February 11, 1908 – April 11, 1989) was an American actor. Biography Hiram Sherman was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His father, Clifford Leon Sherman, worked in the art department of ''The Boston Globe''. He made his Bro ...

as Oscar Nelson *

Michael Rennie Michael Rennie (born Eric Alexander Rennie; 25 August 1909 – 10 June 1971) was a British film, television and stage actor, who had leading roles in a number of Hollywood films, including his portrayal of the space visitor Klaatu in the ...

as Dirk Winston

References

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

found it was an "unremarkable, stagy adaptation of Jean Kerr's sex comedy".

References

External links

* * * 1963 films 1963 romantic comedy films 1960s English-language films American films based on plays American romantic comedy films Comedy of remarriage films Films directed by Mervyn LeRoy Films set in New York City Warner Bros. films 1960s American films English-language romantic comedy films {{romantic-comedy-film-stub