Dream Wife

Neither the charm of Cary Grant, nor the talent of Deborah Kerr, nor the dancing of Betta St. John can rescue Dream Wife from the ranks of second rate films. Of the three, Betta St. John comes closest to effecting the rescue, if only because she does little talking and lots of moving.

Miss St. John, of course, is the ideal wife. Miss Kerr is the American facsimile thereof. It is for traveling salesman Cary to choose between the ideal in the form of a Bhoukistani princess and the usual in the shape of Miss Kerr. The swashbuckling Grant, in the guise of a Madison Avenue executive, chooses the Princess, only to find that there are more complications to the Princess than meet the eye.

While glibly moving about in the triangular affair, Cary and Kerr deliver innumerable jokes, which, like the situation, eventually become strained and tedious. It is only with the aid of some harem scenes, in both American and Bhoukistani versions, that the movie survives. The survival, however, is rather precarious for viewers who want more than a situation comedy, with just too many variations and glib jokes.

Before parting, it might do well to note that once again the dauntless Mr. Magoo was the bright spot of the evening. Indeed, were it not for our nearsighted saviour, Brattle patrons might think that the motion picture distributors were giving the Brattle little but second rate material. Those of us whose interests extend beyond UPA cartoons, travelogues, and re-releases of originally poor films are becoming discouraged.