Move Over, Darling (1963)

 

Move Over, Darling - 1963

Coming up next is 1963's "Move Over, Darling", a remake of 1940's "My Favorite Wife", in which a woman previously thought dead makes a reappearance to the consternation of her husband, who has just remarried.

The film's cast includes Doris Day, James Garner, Polly Bergen, Thelma Ritter, Don Knotts, Edgar Buchanan, John Astin, Alvy Moore, Chuck Connors, Fred Clark, Max Showalter, and Bess Flowers.

In California, Nicholas Arden is petitioning the court to have his first wife, Ellen Wagstaff Arden, declared legally dead after being lost at sea five years previously.

A noisy lady in the courtroom interrupts the proceedings, which annoys the judge.  "Your interruptions have been prolonging this case and causing me extreme mental and physical discomfort!" he rebukes.

However, after Ellen is declared legally dead, Nicholas surprises the judge by wanting to marry the noisy lady, Bianca.  Grudgingly, he agrees.

What Nicholas doesn't know is that that very morning, Ellen has been discovered by the US Navy on a desert island in the Pacific.  She has returned to reclaim her life on the day her husband has had her declared dead and has married another woman!

Not knowing any of this, Ellen returns to the family home and becomes reacquainted with her children, who do not remember her, as they were very young when she disappeared.

She also meets up with her very shocked mother-in-law, Grace, who tells Ellen the whole story and advises her to get up to the honeymoon location and break up that celebration.

Ellen is just in time.  Nicholas and Bianca have just registered at the hotel and are on their way up to the honeymoon suite!

Eventually, Ellen catches Nicholas's attention, and he is absolutely shocked to see his presumed dead first wife.

Nicholas breaks away discreetly from Bianca in order to be reunited with Ellen.  Their reunion is sweet, but that still does not solve the problem of Nicholas's second marriage.

Bianca is left in the honeymoon suite alone wondering what on her earth could've happened to her husband.

Nicholas returns to the room to try and explain to Bianca that Ellen has returned.  She is completely oblivious to his wanting to tell her something.  She wants to get on with the honeymoon.  Ellen watches horrified from the room next door.

She does everything she can think of to interrupt the Nicholas and Bianca, even knocking on their door and completely annoying the bride.

Nicholas decides to come up with a way to not have to say anything just yet.  He invents a back injury which keeps him out of commission.  Bianca takes him home.

Giving Nicholas time to tell Bianca the truth, Ellen poses as a Swedish nurse/masseuse named Gretta Svenson.  She is not kind to Bianca, who unknowingly disparages Ellen during their conversation.

With Bianca still knowing nothing about Ellen's reappearance, Nicholas finds out that Ellen was not alone on the island.  She had been marooned on the island for five years with a very athletic looking guy named Adam, which does not make Nicholas happy at all.

Matters come to a head when Nicholas (still not having told Bianca about Ellen) is arrested for bigamy, having been reported to the police by his own mother.  Grace is completely frustrated with her son, saying that if he can't set things right, maybe the courts can.

They are all hauled before the same judge who married Nicholas and Bianca, and who declared Ellen legally dead.  Everything is straightened out, though Ellen is no longer certain that she wants to stay married to Nicholas.

The judge wants to hurry and get things finished up legally.  "I'd like to tell my wife about this.  She thinks all my cases are dull.  This one's a doozy," he says, dismissing everyone from the courtroom.

All's well that ends well.  Bianca and Nicholas's marriage is annulled, and she leaves the courtroom with her analyst.  Nicholas and Ellen come together and give their married life another go.

Cast rundown:

   Doris Day......................................Ellen Wagstaff Arden

   James Garner................................Nicholas Arden

   Polly Bergen..................................Bianca Steele Arden

   Thelma Ritter.................................Grace Arden

   Don Knotts....................................Shoe Clerk

   Edgar Buchanan.............................Judge Bryson

   John Astin.....................................Clyde Prokey

   Alvy Moore....................................Room Service Waiter

   Chuck Connors...............................Stephen Burkett

   Fred Clark......................................Mr. Codd

   Max Showalter................................Hotel Desk Clerk

   Bess Flowers..................................Seymour's Wife

And that's it for Move Over, Darling.  After "My Favorite Wife", this was partially remade as "Something's Got to Give" in 1962.  It starred Dean Martin, Marilyn Monroe, and Cyd Charisse.  The film was abandoned after Monroe's death in August of that year.

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