The Mating Season (film)

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The Mating Season
French film poster
Directed by	Mitchell Leisen
Produced by	Charles Brackett
Written by	Charles Brackett Richard Breen Walter Reisch Caesar Dunn (play)
Starring	Gene Tierney John Lund Miriam Hopkins Thelma Ritter
Music by	Joseph J. Lilley
Cinematography	Charles Lang
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)
Running time	101 min
Country	USA
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Mating Season is a 1951 classic screwball comedy film made by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Mitchell Leisen and produced by Charles Brackett from a screenplay by Charles Brackett, Richard Breen and Walter Reisch, based on the play Maggie by Caesar Dunn. The cinematography was by Charles Lang and the music score by Joseph J. Lilley.

The film stars Gene Tierney, John Lund, Miriam Hopkins, and Thelma Ritter.

[edit] Synopsis

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Ellen McNulty is forced to sell her hamburger stand, so she decides to visit her son Val, who lives in another city. Val McNulty has recently married a socialite, Maggie. Val is struggling to climb the corporate ladder. His boss, company founder Mr. Kalinger, is a good and fair man, but his son, Kalinger Jr., is a snob. He looks down on Val and he is jealous that Maggie loves and has married Val, but he keeps his true intentions hidden under the guise of friendship with Maggie.

In order to impress the boss, Maggie has agreed to throw a party. To help her out, her husband hires a maid and promises to send her over right away. In the meantime, Ellen arrives. Maggie, her daughter-in-law, mistakes her for the maid. Ellen begins to tell her who she really is, but she is worried that saying anything might cause Maggie embarrassment so she doesn't reveal who she is. Ellen decides to pretend to be a maid. While preparing the party, Ellen and Maggie become friends. Ellen tries to get her son's attention before the party, but the guests arrive promptly and she doesn't get a chance to speak to him. During the party, Ellen overhears a conversation and Kalinger Jr. predicts that the marriage won't last. She begins to realize what sort of people her son is up against. At the party, food is spilled all over Mr. Kalinger's suit and Maggie doesn't know what to do. Ellen takes charge and drags him into the kitchen and cleans him up. Since the party is almost over, she asks her son, Val, to drive her home. But to everyone's surprise, Mr. Kalinger offers. Val is worried about her so he chases after her. Mr. Kalinger drops her off and Val arrives right after. He tells her that he will explain to Maggie who she really is and he insists that she move in with them. After some pressure, she agrees only if she won't be underfoot. That night, Val starts to explain to Maggie who Ellen really is, but being newlyweds they soon get a bit distracted.

The next morning Ellen arrives with her things. She wakes Maggie up and when she realizes that her son didn't explain everything yet, she keeps pretending to be a maid. She tells Maggie that she promised to be their maid but she wanted to get Maggie's permission first. Maggie assures her that she likes the idea. Val wakes up to a shock when he comes to breakfast and sees his mother working as their maid. She tells him that she will only be underfoot if she lives in the house as a mother-in-law. She eventually talks him into the idea but he doesn't like it very much.

Maggie's mother decides to come for a visit and she is nothing like Maggie. She is a snob and she doesn't like Val one bit. She thinks that her daughter has married beneath her. She orders Ellen around and Val doesn't like it one bit. She promptly establishes herself in the master bedroom and leaves Val the couch in the living room.

Maggie decides to cook dinner herself and loans Ellen to Mr. Kalinger who needs someone to cook for a small party he is throwing. Val is upset that Maggie has loaned his mother out. They have their first fight.

While helping Mr. Kalinger, Ellen realizes that Kalinger Jr. is taking credit for work actually done by Val. She tells Mr. Kalinger the truth. Mr. Kalinger then invites Val and Maggie to the party.

At the party, Maggie gets into an argument with an important female guest after the woman insulted her, and Maggie storms out. Val, realizing that this woman carries a lot of influence, forces Maggie to call the party to apologize to the woman. She does so unwillingly, leading to another fight.

Maggie wants to make up with Val that night but her mother advises her to go to sleep and promptly gives her some sleeping pills. Val has trouble sleeping and goes to his mother's room to talk. He tells Ellen that despite Maggie's argument, he had actually been offered a promotion with a large bonus. Ellen asks if she can borrow money so that she can finally move out and leave the newlywed couple alone. They agree to meet at the bank the next afternoon to make the transaction. Meanwhile, Maggie's mother has come to the kitchen for a midnight snack. She overhears part of the conversation as well as Ellen's request for a kiss goodnight. She assumes that Val is having an affair with the maid.

The next morning, Val and Maggie make up and steal away in a closet for a kiss. When Ellen tries to serve breakfast, Maggie's mother refuses to eat or drink anything. Val mentions that he won't be home for dinner and Ellen asks to have the rest of the day off. After they both have gone, Maggie's mother tries to convince her that Val and Ellen are having an affair and are meeting later that night. Maggie tells her mother that making up this story is the last straw and that she'll have to leave. As she picks up the phone to make new arrangements for her mother, the door bell rings.

Two of Ellen's friends are at the door and ask to speak to "Mrs. McNulty". At this point it is revealed that Ellen is Val's mother. Maggie is furious with Val for hiding his mother's identity from her. She and her mother leave for a hotel. Maggie later confronts Val at his office. Val tries to explain himself but Maggie won't listen. She tells him that he has become a snob and that she is moving to Mexico.

Mr. Kalinger hosts a party that night at the hotel in which Maggie and her mother are staying. He had run into Ellen outside Val's office and learned the true story. He decides to get Val and Maggie together. Mr. Kalinger convinces Maggie to come to the hotel bar with him for a good bye drink knowing that Val will be there for the party. When Maggie sees Val, she again scolds him for trying to hide his mother and leaves the bar. Val leaves the party and rushes to retrieve his mother. He brings her back to the party and begins introducing her to the 'snobs'. Maggie, who has come back to the bar, witnesses Val introducing his mother to the woman who had insulted her at the earlier party. Ellen tells the snobby woman about owning a hamburger stand. The woman looks at her apallingly. Val proudly puts his arm around her and tells the woman that he and his mother are a "package deal". Maggie then rushes to Val and asks him to take her home.

Ellen tells Maggie's mother that it is time for both of them to leave the apartment. The movie ends with Mr. Kalinger offering Ellen a ride home, implying that he wants to marry her.