Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

gavin6942 Polly Parrish (Ginger Rogers), a clerk at Merlin's Department Store, is mistakenly presumed to be the mother of a foundling. Outraged at Polly's unmotherly conduct, David Merlin (David Niven) becomes determined to keep the single woman and "her" baby together.Is this what they call a comedy of errors? It certainly is funny, as a woman is stuck trying to get rid of a baby who obviously isn't hers, even though her boss and everyone else seems to think it is. Strangely, the child's well-being is a background concern, and it is interesting that the foundling center claims it receives over 500 babies each year -- what was going on? Or was that just how adoption was done in those days? Ginger Rogers is great, and David Niven is excellent. I just love his debonair demeanor. He is always great, but the younger Niven is a special treat.

vincentlynch-moonoi While I never particularly liked David Niven, I never disliked him either. Here, however, he turns in a very entertaining portrayal of a socially dense department store heir. Through all his density, he eventually becomes rather likable.For years I avoided Ginger Rogers, thinking of her as "that dancer". In recent years I've discovered she was quite a good actress, and she shines here as the woman with the foundling...which doesn't really belong to her. Of course, she works for David Niven's department store.The big disappointment here is Charles Coburn's role. As one of the finest character actors of that era, he was terribly wasted here as the father/owner of the department store. He could have been so good had the role been fleshed out a bit more.I'm not sure Frank Albertson was up to the role of the sorta-protagonist here.The plot line is entertaining. Polly (Ginger Rogers) is walking along the street one day and sees an older lady leave a baby on the steps of an orphanage. Fearing for the baby's safety, Polly picks up the baby and is assumed to be the baby's mother. Although she has just lost her job as a clerk at a department store, the store's owner's son (David Niven) is brought into the situation, and also assumes Polly is the mother. He gives her her job back, but Polly has to start raising the child (BTW, this part of the story -- what ultimately happens to the baby -- is never resolved in the film). Of course, Ginger and Niven fall in love, although it is a bit of a rocky road for a while. Niven's father (Charles Coburn) wants a grandson, even if it was born out of wedlock, and in a screwball finale all live happily ever after...presumably the baby, too.It's light, but charming and funny. Recommended.

MARIO GAUCI Apart from its originality (the somewhat risqué story, involving the various misunderstandings which arise over an abandoned baby, was even nominated for an Oscar) and reputation as a comedy classic (from an era crammed with them), this film is notable as a touchstone in the careers of all three protagonists – Ginger Rogers (her musical partnership with Fred Astaire now firmly behind her), David Niven (tackling his first starring role) and Charles Coburn (who practically spent the rest of his life playing wealthy and big-hearted eccentrics) – as well as marking perhaps director Kanin's most satisfying effort in this capacity (he is still best-known as a scriptwriter); incidentally, Rogers and Kanin would soon be re-united for the almost-as-good TOM, DICK AND HARRY (1941; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034299/usercomments-11). Given the Christmas back-drop, BACHELOR MOTHER makes for ideal festive fare – adding to the already warm glow (but thankfully eschewing sentimentality) of its subject matter. The two leads exude a wonderful chemistry (they would be reteamed two more times over the course of almost 20 years) which lends conviction to their budding romance and, likewise, a greater sense of involvement to their wacky antics (particularly Niven's attempt to exchange a defective toy in his own establishment incognito, during a marathon dance contest and a New Year's Eve dinner in which department-store clerk Rogers is passed off before Niven's high-society peers as a Swedish heiress). When Coburn, playing Niven's tycoon dad, gets wind of his son's supposed parenthood (via an anonymous note, actually from vindictive employee and romantic rival Frank Albertson), he is overjoyed at the prospect of finally having a grandson – even after both Rogers and Niven produce alternative fathers (including Albertson himself)!; the ending, then, with the leads getting hitched with a ready-made child in tow (a common occurrence today but not back then I suppose), is pure Hollywood. For the record, the film was remade – in color and widescreen – as BUNDLE OF JOY in 1956...which, given the casting of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher (then a real-life couple), not to mention the addition of musical numbers, provided a distinctly unappetizing 'alternative' scenario for this viewer.

writers_reign This is yet another Depression Era take on Cinderella - not for nothing is is the David Niven character named Merlin - designed to take people's minds off both the recent austerity and the global war waiting in the wings. What comes across strongly is the sheer professionalism from all Departments, Script, Directing, Acting, that almost succeeds in preventing awkward questions - the film begins on what Americans insist on referring to as 'the day before Christmas', known to the rest of the world as Christmas Eve, with Ginger Rogers being made redundant from her temporary salesperson position at Merlin's Department Store; due to plot machinations the son of the owner of the store (David Niven) is moved to reinstate her and the continuity implies that she goes back to work the next day (Christmas) - etc. The character played by the reliable and prolific Frank Albertson (so memorable in It's A Wonderful Life) fluctuates between up and down like a dysfunctional yo-yo but it's a safe bet that no one in 1939 noticed any of this and were content to bask in the high Enjoyment factor. Even today it holds up pretty well if only perhaps for one first-time viewing.