Mr. and Mrs. North

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Audience Member When someone as well known and as popular as Gracie Allen, who by this time had spent ten years on national radio (and was to spend ten years on national television in 1950-1959) steps into a role, preconceptions abound. If they can be left aside, Gracie Allen does an admirable job, in her own inimitable way, of playing the part of Mrs. North. William Post also does a good job. If you're looking for George Burns, you won't find him. But it's unfair to judge Post by comic Burns' standards. Post was playing a part and did so very well. In fact, he handled Allen with the grace of a bewildered husband, but did it in a different way than Burns. So what? Post's dignity and style were all his own and he handled his part well. You might ask why did he marry someone as crazy as Gracie Allen? You could ask the same thing of George Burns. But, you're forgetting this is a movie -- a film. It is played for laughs, and Allen and Post fit into this mold well. The movie has charm and carries your interest throughout. It has several funny gags, too, that work well in this film. This is a really good comedic mystery, just as it's supposed to be. Both Gracie Allen and William Post deliver fine performances in their roles of Mr. and Mrs. North. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member An acceptable little confection I watched mostly to see Gracie Allen work solo. I'm not sure why George Burns didn't play her husband in this; the new guy was no better than Burns would have been, probably a bit worse. I've often suspected that a little Gracie Allen went a long way, and I don't feel any differently now. Still, though, there are certain characters that I have often thought must be fun for writers to write for. My personal favorite nowadays is Gene in "Bob's Burgers" (which everyone ought to be watching). The kind of characters who are so far out there, it's terrific fun exploring where their bent minds will go next. Gracie Allen's persona must have been such a character. She was well-defined and always had an interior logic, but as a writer, you could really take her anywhere your mind fancied. As I often find in watching these old movies, there was a little ancillary character trait that I find revealing and pretty awful. In Mr. and Mrs. North, there is a "confirmed bachelor" character named Stuart Blanton about whom the loutish Detective Mullins feels perfectly free to make the most repulsive homophobic gestures behind his back. I found this so odd. Here is a movie from the heart of the Production Code-era making overt, unambiguous references to homosexuality. The fact that the detective's gestures were grotesque and sexist doesn't surprise me. I've just never seen such behavior so bluntly expressed in a film from this era. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/14/15 Full Review Audience Member Gracie steps away from George momentarily but is as daffy as ever. She bulldozes her way through this breezy mystery befuddling all in her wake. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Allen shines in this who-done-it yarn Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member witty enough to makes u stay :D Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member good comedy about a park avenue couple too bad wasn't played by real life couple burns & allen only allen. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Mr. and Mrs. North

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