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The Bachelor
and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)
In director Irving Weis' romantic comedy and farce,
noted for its Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay (Sidney Sheldon),
about three main characters: a bachelor-playboy artist, an impressionable
teenaged girl, and a female judge with all its entangling implications:
- the opening court scene in this romantic comedy
in which Richard "Dickie" Nugent (Cary Grant) - a bachelor-playboy
- was arrested after a brawl in a LA nightclub (instigated by two
women fighting over his attentions), but then released by presiding,
serious-minded, single Judge Margaret Turner (Myrna Loy)
- afterwards, Nugent delivered a lecture to high-school
students on art, and then was interviewed for the HS newspaper
by infatuated teenager Susan Turner (a grown-up Shirley Temple),
who happened to be the ward and younger sister of Judge Turner
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Susan with Boyfriend Jerry White at School Lecture
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The "Bachelor" and the Infatuated "Bobby-Soxer"
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Susan Imagining 'Dickie' Nugent as Her "Knight
in Shining Armor"
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- after interviewing Nugent, Susan imagined him as
her 'knight in shining armor' - literally - as he walked away from
her; and soon after, she confessed to her sister: "I'm in
love with him - don't you realize that?"
- another similar court case occurred (Nugent slugged
Judge Turner's hopeful boyfriend ADA Tommy Chamberlain (Rudy Vallee)
in the nose) and he was again called before Judge Turner, who to
his utter surprise and against her "better judgment," sentenced
him to date Susan; her objective was to 'cure' or end Susan's romantic
interest (as the Judge stated:
"Just until she gets over you" and her feelings wear out);
to complicate matters, both sisters had boyfriends who were jealous
of Nugent
- the first of many instances of the repeated exchange
- a hip sing-song dialogue; it was first recited between Nugent
and Susan when he arrived to pick her up for the high school picnic:
- "Ready poot, let's scoot." - "Greet."
- "Greet." - "You remind me of a man." - "What
man?" - "A man with the power." - "What power?" - "The
power of hoo-do." - "Hoo-do?" - "You do." - "Do
what?" - "You remind me of a man." - "What man?" - "A
man with the power." - "What power?"
- the scene at a high school picnic, where Richard
was competing with other juveniles in an obstacle course race,
and Susan helped to enable Dickie to win (with the assistance of
her boyfriend Jerry White (Johnny Sands))
- in the Tick Tock Club scene after Judge Turner had
invited Nugent to dinner and dancing, the elegantly-dressed couple
were constantly interrupted on the dance floor and at their table
by various group renditions of "Happy Birthday" and "Happy
Anniversary", and by a succession of individuals, including
Susan and her boyfriend Jerry (who had just been drafted), the
Judge's aspiring boyfriend ADA Tommy Chamberlain, and by one of
Richard's former girlfriends Agnes Prescott (Veda Ann Borg)
- the evening soon spun out of control; exasperated,
Judge Turner reprimanded 'Dickie': "I've had enough of this
and I've had enough of you. Everywhere you go, you attract trouble!" and
then stormed off before everybody exited; left alone at the table,
the waiter came by and asked Nugent (who had been doused by an
overturned glass): "Would
there be anything else?" - and Nugent replied: "For instance?";
Susan was soon convinced to return to her appropriately-aged boyfriend
Jerry
- in the final scene at the airport, the reluctant
Margaret and Richard were set up by court psychiatrist Matt Beemish
(Ray Collins) to board the same TWA airplane - and spend vacation
time together in Chicago; when they realized they would be fellow
passengers at the gate, Margaret turned to him and initiated the
familiar conversation beginning with: "You remind me of a
man"; she ended the recitation with the question: "Give
up?" - he quickly replied "Give up. Let's go" and
took her arm
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Judge Turner (Myrna Loy)
Richard Nugent (Cary Grant) Before Judge Turner
Judge Turner with Hopeful Boyfriend, ADA Tommy Chamberlain
(Rudy Vallee)
Nugent Awkwardly Dating Susan - At a Basketball Game
Nugent and Susan Reciting: "You remind me of a man" Exchange
Dickie Winning at Rigged Obstacle Course Race
Final Scene at Airport Boarding Gate
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