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Make Your Own Bed

Released Jun 10, 1944 1h 22m Comedy List
Reviews 78% Audience Score 500+ Ratings
Arrogant munitions manufacturer Walter Whirtle (Alan Hale) and his wife, Vivian (Irene Manning), are short on household staff because of the war. Walter tricks fledgling private investigator Jerry Curtis (Jack Carson) and his trusting fiancée, Susan (Jane Wyman), into acting as his butler and maid by making up a story that undercover Nazi spies are targeting his home. When a real group of spies disguised as a troupe of radio actors appears on the scene, events quickly spiral out of control. Read More Read Less

Critics Reviews

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Bill Gibron DVDTalk.com [T]he Make Your Own Damn Movie DVD box set stands as a monument to the dedication and desires of [Troma's] Lloyd Kaufman. Rated: 5/5 Aug 15, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (7) audience reviews
Audience Member Queen to play is a success story and drama directed by Caroline Bottaro. In addition to directing this film and a few short films, Bottaro is also a writer. Queen to Play was her first and only feature thus far. Bottaro received an Honorable Mention at Palm Springs International Festival for Queen to Play. I enjoyed this film mainly because I found the intricate relationships between wife and husband, mother and daughter, and mentor and mentee intriguing. For example, one scene I enjoyed where this is depicted is when Helene and Dr. Kroger are playing chess by just stating the board numbers and pieces which reflects the chemistry and intimacy between them. I found myself wanting their relationship to grow and continue while also feeling for the husband who tries to understand his wife's new passion. One aspect of the film I found successful is some of the different camera shots. One particularly successful camera angle is when they show an above shot of Helene cleaning and playing chess on the outside floor tiles instead a normal view from on the ground. In addition the scenery adds to the idea of the movie. This is shown through the differences in the set up of Kroger's house versus Helene's place. The props in Helene's house relay back to the viewer her money situation which greatly contrasts Kroger's elegant mansion and all the props at his house. One idea found within this film is the idea of empowering women. The movie depicts this idea with the triumph of Helene becoming a great chess player despite the fact that others in the film consider chess to be a sport of higher class men. In addition, the chess piece, the queen, serves as a metaphor as it is the most powerful piece in the game. A specific example where Helene is depicted as a woman of power is when she defeats all of the men in the chess tournament. I could see the seriousness and dedication in her facial features during the championship match. She even carriers the queen board piece with her which reiterates her power. Another idea found within the film is that of overcoming one's fears to pursue their talents. For example within the film Helene was afraid to enter the chess tournament at first, just as Kroger's late wife was afraid to share her art work with world. Helene, however, overcame her fears and succeeded, unlike Kroger's wife who died before doing so. One scene where this is depicted is when Kroger takes Helene to see his wife's old paintings and preaches to her about how important it is to share your talents with the world despite your fears. Despite her fears, Helene, listen to Dr. Kroger and her own strong will; thus, she is able to do something out of her comfort zone. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member It taught me so much and was so funny. I would seriously recommend this to people. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member I like to think that there's some young filmmaking superstar that will one day win an Oscar and credit this box-set as the reason he rose to such dizzying heights. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Go behind the scenes at Troma. Some of this material is funny and informative. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member I learned a lot from this DVD. The first rule, according to the DVD, curse a lot. At anyone. Even if it's not in the movie. Good advice. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member it should go without saying that this is only for those serious about making movies, but for those that are, Lloyd is not only one of the great (I would argue THE great) auteurs currently working in film, but also perhaps the greatest teacher of film. almost as invaluable as his first two books (his third book is a novilization of The Toxic Avenger), which are slighly less valuable than a firstborn child. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Make Your Own Bed

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Arrogant munitions manufacturer Walter Whirtle (Alan Hale) and his wife, Vivian (Irene Manning), are short on household staff because of the war. Walter tricks fledgling private investigator Jerry Curtis (Jack Carson) and his trusting fiancée, Susan (Jane Wyman), into acting as his butler and maid by making up a story that undercover Nazi spies are targeting his home. When a real group of spies disguised as a troupe of radio actors appears on the scene, events quickly spiral out of control.
Director
Peter Godfrey
Producer
Alex Gottlieb
Screenwriter
Francis Swann, Edmund Joseph, Richard Weil
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Bros.
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 10, 1944, Original
Runtime
1h 22m