Monkey Business (1952)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Written by Ben Hecht, Charles Lederer, and I.A.L. Diamond
Directed by Howard Hawks
Starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Charles Coburn, and Marilyn Monroe

Features:

• stills gallery
  
• theatrical trailer
  
• restoration comparison
  
• English and French language tracks
  
• English and Spanish subtitles
  

Rating: NR

Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Rent it.

Dr. Barnaby Fulton (Grant) is on the verge of a titanic scientific breakthrough - a concoction that revitalizes, rejuvenates, and makes the imbiber feel and behave younger. Unfortunately, there are still some problems with the formula. But the test chimps are responding favorably. So favorably, as a matter of fact, that one of the more ambitious chimps breaks out of his cage late one night, and proceeds to mix some random beakers of chemicals together. Much to Dr. Fulton's surprise the following day, his previously flawed formula seems to work like a charm. After running out for a day on the town with his boss's secretary (Monroe) and buying a sports car, he sleeps it off and declares the formula almost perfect.

But first he needs a more clinical test, one in which he can observe the effects firsthand. However, he finds himself a bit off-guard when his wife (Rogers) pulls a quick one and takes a massive dose herself, to leave the scientist free to observe objectively. More hilarity ensues, of the largely slapstick variety. This, in a nutshell, is Monkey Business. Largely regarded as a comedy classic, and with good reason, it's the kind of comedy that Hollywood doesn't really make any more - silly and amusing without being complete brainless drivel.

While obviously a classic 50's comedy, and many people would agree, most would disagree that it's truly a "Marilyn Monroe movie"^TM. Its inclusion in the Diamond Collection (even the second-string installment) is a touch questionable. Some might even say reaching. The Blonde One's total screentime amounts to less than twenty minutes, and her lines are very few and very far between. Make no mistake, Monkey Business is a Cary Grant-Ginger Rogers movie, and Marilyn's playing second fiddle to a supporting actor, at best. This hardly discounts the film's worth, however, just raises a few questions about the decision to release and promote the disc as a great Monroe Moment.

Grant and Rogers both turn in outstanding performances, and the supporting cast members (Coburn and Monroe, most notably, though also the rest of Grant's fellow scientists) all hold up admirably well while the two stars chew up scenery. Monroe's performance, though brief as mentioned above, is decent, and she serves perfectly as the clichéd incompetent beauty playing secretary to a lecherous old man. Her one shining scene is with Grant while he's "under the influence" of the chimp's improved serum.

The restored film looks good, though there are a few moments of crackling in the picture, but nothing too serious. The sound is likewise clean, which keeps audio troubles from interfering with the gags, which come pretty thick and very fast. While not quite as breakneck as the verbal sparring Grant so memorably engages in during His Girl Friday, Monkey Business does demand a certain degree of attention if you hope to catch some of the zingers. A few have become a little dated, so unless you're hip to your 50's cultural literacy, you're bound to miss a few.

Of features, there were few, and nothing particularly exceptional. Trailers for the remainder of the Diamond Collection and a restoration comparison, along with a few stills, are all that gets added to the package. It seems a shame not to have some discussion about the movie's importance, as it does stand pretty high in the Cary Grant canon. Can't somebody just keep Leonard Maltin's number handy for when there's not enough extras to go on a disc? He doesn't seem that busy, really. Just dial him up, train a camera on him and let him hold forth for a few minutes. It ought to be as standard as the theatrical trailers, just to set a baseline.

Fortunately, this one holds up pretty well without any extras, so if you appreciate old cheesy Hollywood comedies, make sure to pick this one up. Grant's often under-appreciated comic timing and quick wit are on ready display, and Rogers keeps up easily, which is little surprise. They don't make comedies like they used to, and some of us think that's a shame, so grab this one for a little piece of history and humor. Just don't be fooled by the cover copy or the billing given to Marilyn Monroe.