"Standing Room Only" must be one of the funniest and best comedy films of all time. It has a wonderful cast who give us rollicking laughter in what they say, do and show. Fred MacMurray and Paulette Goddard star in this comedy-romance set during World War II in Washington, D.C. He is Lee Stevens and she is Jane Rogers. They are on a quest to clinch a contract to turn a toy company into a munitions factory in support of the war. How they came to be together in D.C. in the first place is hilarious.
A first-rate supporting cast adds much to the humor. The script has some funny quips, but much of the humor comes from situations. One might even find some satire nestled here and there with role reversals.
Roland Young is Ira Cromwell, a wealthy Washingtonian who keeps house while his wife goes off to do her part for the war. Young deserved a supporting actor nomination for his wonderful expressions of dismay, amazement and befuddlement in this film. I chuckle as I picture him now, while writing this. Anne Revere is his wife, Major Harriet Cromwell. She heads up a woman's organization, PLOPS (or something like that), that has adopted the American paratroopers. Her group is busy putting together candy packets.
Clarence Kolb is Glen Ritchie, coordinator of the operations division of the War Department. Isabel Randolph plays his wife, Jane, who is dismayed by the lackadaisical demeanor and attitudes of the new servants. Porter Hall is very funny as Hugo Farenhall. He owns a plant and is competing for a war contract with the Todd Toy Co. Edward Arnold, a wonderful leading man and supporting actor, plays T.J. Todd perfectly. Hillary Brooke plays T.J.'s daughter, Alice. A number of other actors in small roles add lines of humor in the film.
The plot for "Standing Room Only" is based on two premises. The first is that during World War II, hotel rooms were hard to come by in Washington, D.C. The second is that with so many of the younger people in uniform, many people left domestic work for the factories and service industries that supported the war effort. So, domestic servants were hard to find. And the upper crust – if they wanted to have servants at all, had to tolerate behavior and attitudes that otherwise would lead to dismissal of a maid, butler, valet, cook or chauffeur.
The screenwriters built a novel idea into a very funny and entertaining story. As I watched this film a second time, it seemed to me that most in the cast were having a lot of fun in the making of the movie.
The film has two dinner scenes that are the funniest that I've ever seen in movies. In the first, Lee is posing as a butler, "Rogers," and is serving the fruit cocktail at the Cromwell dinner table. A strawberry falls from the cocktail he is serving to Mrs. (Major) Cromwell. Every one sits in silence watching as he tries to retrieve the strawberry that rolls around the table and plops onto the major's lap. Of course, we in the audience aren't silent – we're howling with laughter.
The second one is even funnier at a larger dinner at the Ritchie house. T.J. and Lee are both butlers and Jane is the cook. One of the guests is Farenhall, the Todd competitor. The result is some hilarious havoc in the course of the dinner. The closing scene and line in this film are the funniest I have ever seen.
This is a wonderful comedy-romance that should tickle every one's funny bone. Its setting even adds a touch of history to the film. Here are some of the funny lines.
Alice, "But darling, don't you want to protect your daughter?" T.J. Todd, "Ha, ha, ha. That's like protecting a killer shark from a sardine."
Lee, "Can you suggest any place for us to go?" Waiter, "Yes, sir. But we are not allowed to talk to customers that way."
Mrs.(Major) Cromwell, "The servants you get nowadays are frightful. Really, Ira, I should think you could have found someone better." Ira, "It's easy for you to criticize, Harriet. You spend all your day in the office. Never give a thought to what it takes to keep your house running smoothly."
Glen Ritchie, "In my opinion, if you have a one-legged butler and a pyromaniac for a cook, you're fortunate."
Cromwell, "What will I tell the major?" Lee, "You can tell here that I've fallen in love with her and the only honorable thing for me to do is leave."
Ritchie: "I don't mind being called a birdbrain, but I'm not a bureaucrat."
Lee, "I think it's only fair to tell you that the cook next door has her eye on me." Jane, "Well, as long as we're being frank, I'd better tell you about the milkman. I can get all the whipping cream I want."
Mrs. Ritchie, "Rogers, the guests are arriving. I imagine they might like some champagne too." Lee, "Yes, madam."
Hugo Farenhall, "Todd!" T.J., "Yes, sir." Hugo, "What are you up to?" T.J., "It's all very simple, Mr. Farenhall. I've figured it all out. That, with the high cost of living and the taxes, I can make more money as a butler than I could running a factory."
Mrs. Ritchie, "I'm afraid we'll have to go in. The cook wants to serve dinner now and we'd better let her have her way. That is, if we want any dinner."
Ritchie, "I'm sorry, but with the servant situation as it is, we must allow them some privileges."
A first-rate supporting cast adds much to the humor. The script has some funny quips, but much of the humor comes from situations. One might even find some satire nestled here and there with role reversals.
Roland Young is Ira Cromwell, a wealthy Washingtonian who keeps house while his wife goes off to do her part for the war. Young deserved a supporting actor nomination for his wonderful expressions of dismay, amazement and befuddlement in this film. I chuckle as I picture him now, while writing this. Anne Revere is his wife, Major Harriet Cromwell. She heads up a woman's organization, PLOPS (or something like that), that has adopted the American paratroopers. Her group is busy putting together candy packets.
Clarence Kolb is Glen Ritchie, coordinator of the operations division of the War Department. Isabel Randolph plays his wife, Jane, who is dismayed by the lackadaisical demeanor and attitudes of the new servants. Porter Hall is very funny as Hugo Farenhall. He owns a plant and is competing for a war contract with the Todd Toy Co. Edward Arnold, a wonderful leading man and supporting actor, plays T.J. Todd perfectly. Hillary Brooke plays T.J.'s daughter, Alice. A number of other actors in small roles add lines of humor in the film.
The plot for "Standing Room Only" is based on two premises. The first is that during World War II, hotel rooms were hard to come by in Washington, D.C. The second is that with so many of the younger people in uniform, many people left domestic work for the factories and service industries that supported the war effort. So, domestic servants were hard to find. And the upper crust – if they wanted to have servants at all, had to tolerate behavior and attitudes that otherwise would lead to dismissal of a maid, butler, valet, cook or chauffeur.
The screenwriters built a novel idea into a very funny and entertaining story. As I watched this film a second time, it seemed to me that most in the cast were having a lot of fun in the making of the movie.
The film has two dinner scenes that are the funniest that I've ever seen in movies. In the first, Lee is posing as a butler, "Rogers," and is serving the fruit cocktail at the Cromwell dinner table. A strawberry falls from the cocktail he is serving to Mrs. (Major) Cromwell. Every one sits in silence watching as he tries to retrieve the strawberry that rolls around the table and plops onto the major's lap. Of course, we in the audience aren't silent – we're howling with laughter.
The second one is even funnier at a larger dinner at the Ritchie house. T.J. and Lee are both butlers and Jane is the cook. One of the guests is Farenhall, the Todd competitor. The result is some hilarious havoc in the course of the dinner. The closing scene and line in this film are the funniest I have ever seen.
This is a wonderful comedy-romance that should tickle every one's funny bone. Its setting even adds a touch of history to the film. Here are some of the funny lines.
Alice, "But darling, don't you want to protect your daughter?" T.J. Todd, "Ha, ha, ha. That's like protecting a killer shark from a sardine."
Lee, "Can you suggest any place for us to go?" Waiter, "Yes, sir. But we are not allowed to talk to customers that way."
Mrs.(Major) Cromwell, "The servants you get nowadays are frightful. Really, Ira, I should think you could have found someone better." Ira, "It's easy for you to criticize, Harriet. You spend all your day in the office. Never give a thought to what it takes to keep your house running smoothly."
Glen Ritchie, "In my opinion, if you have a one-legged butler and a pyromaniac for a cook, you're fortunate."
Cromwell, "What will I tell the major?" Lee, "You can tell here that I've fallen in love with her and the only honorable thing for me to do is leave."
Ritchie: "I don't mind being called a birdbrain, but I'm not a bureaucrat."
Lee, "I think it's only fair to tell you that the cook next door has her eye on me." Jane, "Well, as long as we're being frank, I'd better tell you about the milkman. I can get all the whipping cream I want."
Mrs. Ritchie, "Rogers, the guests are arriving. I imagine they might like some champagne too." Lee, "Yes, madam."
Hugo Farenhall, "Todd!" T.J., "Yes, sir." Hugo, "What are you up to?" T.J., "It's all very simple, Mr. Farenhall. I've figured it all out. That, with the high cost of living and the taxes, I can make more money as a butler than I could running a factory."
Mrs. Ritchie, "I'm afraid we'll have to go in. The cook wants to serve dinner now and we'd better let her have her way. That is, if we want any dinner."
Ritchie, "I'm sorry, but with the servant situation as it is, we must allow them some privileges."