But you'll never hear the BQ begrudge this movie's anachronistic attempt to replicate the lovable, fanciful whimsy of 1930's screwball comedies......especially the ones that centered around a clever rogue slyly outwitting the powers-that-be......
50 years after its Christmas holiday release, we found it's still a delight........and its funny, frenetic last half hour of a shoppers' riot at Gimbels more than qualifies it to join the pantheon of beloved must-see movies for the holidays......
Dick Van Dyke, at the height of his light comedy leading man film career, played Fitzwilly, the strictly professional butler to his wealthy benifactress and employer Victoria Woodworth (Edith Evans, deftly warm-hearted and imperious at the same time...). Miss Woodworth, however, in reality is penniless......but unknowingly remains in her lavish lifestyle, funded by Fitzwilly and his gang of loyal household servants.
Fitzwilly and his gentle collection of domestics amass wads of cash by running elaborate charge account shoplifting scams on all of New York's major department stores. Complications arise with the arrival of Juliet, a young secretary hired by Miss Woodworth to help her with her proposed book about commonly misspelled words. (Juliet's played to perfection by "Get Smart"s Barbara Feldon, criminally adorable with her soft purr of a voice, horn-rimmed glasses and pixie haircut)
As the only innocent cast into this den of thieves, it doesn't take the sharp Juliet too long to figure out what's going on.......but as fate and movie magic decree, she and Fitzwilly fall in love and she ends up joining in the final big caper with Fitzwilly's promise to go straight thereafter....
This finale caper, worthy of the 'Ocean's 11' crew, involves swiping Gimbel's Christmas shopping profits out their safe by creating mass chaos among the shoppers on the first floor. (As ambitiously funny as this plays out, it may remind you of news footage of today's Black Friday mobs at Wal-Mart, assaulting each other over flatscreens)
Keep in mind, though, that this movie comes from a much gentler age, so the physical slapstick here is on a par with any competing Disney movie......
We probably don't have to tell you that all ends well for everyone concerned, just in time for Christmas. The many, many pleasures here include a catchy can't-get-it-out-of-your-head theme from that up-and-coming film composer, young 'Johnny' Williams........and one of the most incredible arrays of comedic character actors assembled for one movie....
John McGiver, Cecil Kelloway, Harry Townes, John Fiedler, Norman Fell, Anne Seymour, Paul Reed, Helen Kleeb, Laurence Naismith, Billy Halop..........what faces. what talent. Tragically, as the old studio system began to collapse in 1970's, so too did the whole machinery of keeping these unique performers steadily employed at their craft. So take a good look and enjoy them........you're not likely to see such a wonderfully varied bunch ever again.
We'll happily add this little bauble of a movie to our pre-holiday plate of cinematic cookies......4 shining stars (****) to hang on our movie tree........
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