Watch Let's Make It Legal For Free

So much average

best movie i've ever seen.

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Claudette Colbert, Macdonald Carey, Zachary Scott, Robert Wagner, Barbara Bates, and Marilyn Monroe star in "Let's Make it Legal," a 1951 20th Century Fox comedy. It's a fast little black and white film about a divorcing couple, the Hugh Halsworths (Colbert and Carey), their daughter Barbara (Bates) and her new husband Jerry (Wagner).The premise is that the Halsworths are divorcing because Hugh is a compulsive gambler and Miriam, his wife, has had about all she can stand. So they've separated and the divorce is final at midnight. But Hugh is always hanging around, spraying his roses or entering the house on some other excuse.Their daughter is having marital adjustment problems: She loves her mother waiting on her hand and foot and taking care of the new baby, but her husband wants them to have their own place. Barbara hopes her parents will get back together, which Jerry attributes to her selfish motives. In the midst of all this, an old boyfriend of Barbara's (Scott) enters the picture and proposes.This film is of interest due to an early appearance of Marilyn Monroe as a sexy young woman most anxious to meet the very wealthy Victor (Scott). It's also of interest to me because Colbert and Carey play young grandparents - not young people playing characters supposed to be older, but actual young grandparents. You don't see much of that in classic era films. Hugh tells Scott he married Miriam right out of school. (In actuality, Carey was about 38 at this time and Colbert was 48)."Let's Make it Legal" is also of interest as a look at how the studios worked. This isn't a big movie, so it's used as a training ground for two contract players, Wagner and Bates, neither of whom are very good. The studio probably appeased agent Johnny Hyde, who was ambitious for his client Monroe by giving her a small role. They used the film as a vehicle for Colbert, who in Hollywood, though still beautiful, is past her sell by date and relegated to less expensive films, as well as the washed up Scott. They pair her with a B leading man, Carey, whose big success was in television.This isn't a great movie. It's light, it's amusing, it's somewhat dated. Seeing Colbert is always a pleasure and Carey was an amiable actor, Scott an attractive one. Sadly both Bates, who later committed suicide, and Scott suffered from depression. Scott at this point in his career concentrated on stage and television work.Pleasant comedy.

Miriam and Hugh Halsworth's divorce is going to be final after midnight. Hugh, an inveterate gambler, cannot kick the habit, which was one of Miriam's main objections for divorcing the man she married. The two are not bitter about their separation, in fact, they seem to be pretty decent about their split than most couples. Hugh loves to come by his former home to tend the roses he so lovingly cares for, something Miriam would like to see him stop doing.When former beau Victor McFarland, a local man, decides to pay a visit to his hometown, he goes to see Miriam. He has not gotten over the fact she married Hugh instead of him. Now, recently liberated, Miriam reacquaints herself with the man she liked twenty years before. Victor proposes and she finally accepts, but leave it to Hugh, he will not concede defeat. He is up to his former tricks to win Miriam back.A 1951 Twentieth Century Fox comedy which was shown on a classic cable channel recently. Directed by Richard Sale, the comedy with its 77 minutes running time, is fast and frothy enough because of the good pacing the director had the good sense of giving the picture. The screenplay was written by I.A.L. Diamond, a genius for the genre, and Hugh Herbert.The three stars were perfectly cast. Claudette Colbert in her late forties made an excellent Miriam, the woman who could not take anymore of her husband's gambling, but who still loved him. MacDonald Carey was in top form as Hugh, the man fighting to save his marriage. Zachary Scott, suave and debonair, shows up to get between the Halsworths. Robert Wagner and Barbara Bates are seen as the young couple living with her parents. Marilyn Monroe has a small part in the film.

Let's Make It Legal is an amiable lightweight comedy that gave Marilyn Monroe a featured role in her days on the rise as a legend. The stars are Claudette Colbert and MacDonald Carey who are calling the marriage quits after over 20 years. Waiting in the wings is an old beau of Claudette, Zachary Scott who lost Claudette to Carey back in the day and has gone on to become a captain of industry and awaiting a presidential appointment besides.The reason for the divorce is Carey's drinking and gambling. His only other indulgence is his garden where he's grown some prize rose bushes.Two other interested parties are their son-in-law Robert Wagner and daughter Barbara Bates who live with Claudette with their baby girl. Bates won't leave the mother alone and wants her parents back together. Wagner wants to have their own home and if she won't get back together with Carey, Wagner will push a marriage with Scott.Carey should have done more comedy in his career, he had a nice light touch and does a marvelous drunk act. Colbert is a veteran comedy performer and the part was definitely no strain on her. Still Let's Make It Legal will never be among her top fifty. And Scott is shown up to be something of a cad in the end.The nucleus of this story is how Carey won her and what he does to win her back. Fans of the main players should enjoy Let's Make It Legal and others will to.

It's not beyond the realms of possibility that some future Cultural archaeologist will note the large percentage of timber amongst actors of the late forties and fifties. God knows we had our share in England; Keiron Moore, John Gregson, Richard Pasco, Laurence Harvey, Michael York, but the virus was just as active in Hollywood, John Derek, Wendell Corey, John Ireland, Gary Merrill to name only a handful. Hugh Marlowe even managed to luck into two 'classic' films in the same year (1950), having featured roles in both All About Eve and Twelve O'Clock High. Here we have another in the shape of Macdonald Carey. Sending him in as leading man against Claudette Colbert is like sending in Banksy against Toulouse Lautrec. The poor sap hasn't a chance. You're never wasting your time watching Colbert (well, hardly ever, Texas Lady anyone) but apart from a roster of mostly uncredited 'character' actors she's the only decent thing in this piece of cheese albeit it was co-written by Izzy Diamond and directed by Richard Sale. Robert Wagner is an embarrassment, Barbara Bates a disaster, Zachary Scott walks through it and ... oh the hell with it, cross it off your list.