Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

fowler-16 Joseph Anthony's direction of Thornton Wilder's comedy provides a nearly perfect example of French farce. Why "French"? Because The Matchmaker plays in the tradition established by Parisian "Boulevard theater," and especially by the master playwright of the form, Georges Feydeau. Watch carefully as Anthony Perkins and Robert Morse unite the timing of their quips with their physical activity. While farce is normally distinguished by the superiority of plot over character, the French style gives extra attention to precise timing, as when one actor glides smoothly behind a door or under a table just in time to avoid the entrance of another actor. Pratfalls, double-takes, and asides are exactly combined with punctuated line-readings in a way that demands extraordinary artistry. This script gives the boys plenty of opportunity to emphasize their skillful timing, and they make the most of it. Paul Ford provides a fine "old geezer" foil, and a young Shirley MacLaine matches the men gag for gag.Director Anthony's early career as a dancer/choreographer and his extensive credits as a Broadway director have prepared him well to handle the farcical demands of this stylish screenplay. Regardless of the pluses or minuses that one may find elsewhere in the production, it is a real standout as a model for students of acting and directing.

mark.waltz Just something to think about.... (Considering that "The Matchmaker" was an updated variation of "A Trip to Chinatown").Like another Jerry Herman musical ("Mame"), "Hello, Dolly!" was based upon a hit Broadway play that was later musicalized. And like the original "Auntie Mame", the movie version of "The Matchmaker" (the Thornton Wilder play upon which "Dolly" was based) was released in 1958. Like "Auntie Mame", there are many lines that seem like song cues. For example, the character of Irene Malloy (Shirley MacLaine) indicates that in the summertime, she'll be wearing ribbons down her back. And Cornelius Hackl (Anthony Perkins) says at the very beginning as he is planning a trip to Manhattan with Barnaby (Robert Morse) that even if they come back broke, at least they can remember that once they had a very good day, which in the musical Cornelius says later in the story. Dolly (Shirley Booth) talks about after being widowed making herself a rum toddy, putting out the cat, and thanking God that she didn't depend on anybody. Each of these incidents in the musical leads to a song, and if you know "Dolly" well, you might find yourself humming them at the non-musical version, a delightful comedy that shows Manhattan at a much different time when life may not have been totally smooth, but certainly not as complex as New York City is today."Auntie Mame", the movie, saluted its stage origins by having a blackout in between the important scenes to represent the end of an act. In "The Matchmaker", the stage origins are saluted by having the characters break the third wall and talk to the audience directly. That rarely works in films, but here, it is totally charming, and doesn't make the film seem any more theatrical or lessen its impact. While the basic structure is the same as the musical, there are some slight differences, changed for dramatic content when Michael Stewart wrote the book in the early 60's for the long-running Broadway version.Shirley Booth had been playing only dramatic parts in movies ("Come Back Little Sheba", "About Mrs. Leslie") when she made this, a pre-cursor to her television role as the housekeeper "Hazel". She had showed her comic talents on stage in the original non-musical version of "My Sister Eileen" and threw up her legs as the vivacious Aunt Cissy in the musical version of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". While Ruth Gordon originated the role of Dolly in "The Matchmaker" on Broadway, Booth was a perfect choice for the movie, and I can't imagine it without her as wonderful and cheery as she is here.Shirley MacLaine, who would play Booth's daughter in the same year's "Hot Spell", brings in all her growing comic tricks as Irene Malloy, and steals the scene where Cornelius and Barnaby hide under the table and in the closet of her hat shop, as well as the later scene in the Harmonia Gardens restaurant. Paul Ford, so utterly irascible as the mayor in "The Music Man", was a perfect Horace Vandergelder. In an ironic twist of trivia, character actor David Burns, then on the Broadway as the mayor in "The Music Man", would later play Vandergelder in "Hello, Dolly!".Tall and lanky Anthony Perkins is handsome and graceful as the shy Cornelius who longs to come to life, while future Broadway leading man Robert Morse is perfect as his puppy like sidekick Barnaby. Perry Wilson seemed a bit too old as Minnie Faye, reminding me of character actresses Una Merkel or Nydia Westman from a decade earlier. Her reaction to finding a man in the closet in the hat shop is priceless. Instead of the pig-carrying Ernestina Semple from "Dolly", we get Wallace Ford as one of Vandergelder's employees. He gets his own chance to take over for a minute in a very funny scene where he debates his own honesty when finding a wallet full of money in the restaurant.Many hit Broadway musicals were straight plays before having songs added, and once those songs are added, the plays tend to disappear from view. Fortunately, "The Matchmaker" and "Auntie Mame" have turned up from time to time minus those fabulous Jerry Herman songs; Some producer somewhere should consider doing the play and the musical in repertoire together so audiences can appreciate the play for its qualities, and the musical for theirs.

krdement This is old-time movie-making at its finest, featuring an ensemble of well-known, well-loved actors. Filmed before either Shirley MacLaine or Anthony Perkins had become established, this film doesn't feature a really big star. The headliner, Shirley Booth, delivers a typically nuanced, poignant performance, but she is hardly a big star. This film is all about ensemble acting. The story, the sets and the actors are all wonderful. This is a far better adaptation of Thornton Wilder than Our Town.There is one element of the film that prevents my rating it higher than an 8. Although they are consistent with Wilder's play, the constant asides, directed to the audience, are a distraction. As I watched the story, I found their constant reminder that I was watching a play instead of a depiction of life a real intrusion. I kept wanting to watch the story unfold in an uninterrupted fashion, and I wondered how that might have altered my perception of the story and the characters. Perhaps the device of the stage manager, as employed in Our Town, would have been more suitable and less distracting here. Or perhaps just breaking the fourth wall at the beginning and end of the film would have been better - employing some other method of imparting to the audience the information delivered in the asides. I just wished that this film had not employed the device of having the characters, themselves, step outside the story, directly addressing the audience. This doesn't ruin the film, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if the characters had all remained within the framework of the story. Simply put, I would have been more involved with the character of Dolly (and the other characters) had she been presented as "real" and not just a character within a play.Nonetheless, this is a highly entertaining film, superior to the succeeding musical versions of the story, and a better adaptation of Thornton Wilder than Our Town. I recommend it highly.

bjon Well now, who are the only two people could pull it off playing Dolly Levi? There are only two: Carol Channing and Shirley Booth! "Shirley Booth??? Who's She?" Or maybe "Ah, come on!!!" Well it's true! Ms. Booth ranks up there right in the same spot with Carol Channing. What a gal! People who don't know who she was should take the time to see this film. It proves her innate talent for playing sappy frumps all the way up to lovable, hilarious, wisecracking characters. Oh, and did I forget conniving? There's a wonderful cast here supporting her as well. The costumes are superb, the timing is excellent.One thing I must mention here though is, that although I also consider Barbra Streisand a great talent, she seemed to be more or less mis-cast in the role in "Hello Dolly." She merely played herself. Shirley Booth fit the bill as a strong, rather overbearing character. I will repeat though that she had proved previously that she could play just the opposite.Another SB "must see." Even in black and white and with no music.