Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

jarrodmcdonald-1 I'd forgotten how good this one is...Van Johnson has some very funny scenes-- like the stuff where he is giving a lecture about the common cold and suddenly comes down with one right on the spot. And I loved the dream scene where they spoof Bizet's Carmen.However, I'm not sure if I buy the casting of Barry Sullivan as his brother, since they do not resemble each other physically in any way. Paula Raymond is excellent as the society gal who is supposed to marry Van, and Kathryn Grayson plays her diva role to the hilt. I kept thinking how well-lit the scenes were-- and then I noticed John Alton was the cinematographer, and that explains it. MGM's polish and the music are an added plus. So are veteran character actors Lewis Stone and Reginald Owen in small supporting roles.

bkoganbing In Grounds For Marriage the burning question of whether opera and operations form the basis of a successful marriage. When they were married Van Johnson didn't think so, but Kathryn Grayson is willing to give it another try.The plot of The Barkleys Of Broadway is shifted over to the grand opera as opera star Grayson tries to win back Dr. Johnson. Not so easy because Johnson is now engaged to Paula Raymond who happens to be the daughter of his boss Lewis Stone. Another complication is that Johnson's older brother Barry Sullivan, a toy manufacturer and a lady's man always has had a thing for Grayson and now that she's free....?The opera sequences are performed nicely and Reginald Owen is in the cast giving a great performance as the Metropolitan Opera Empresario, a caricature of the real life Rudolf Bing.A real fixture of the Metropolitan Opera was also in the cast. Milton Cross whom I well remember as a lad who hosted the Met broadcasts on radio narrates a dream sequence of Carmen as the film plot is played against the background of Carmen. Grayson of course sings for herself, but the rest of the cast is dubbed in these exaggerated operatic voices. The whole thing is quite hilarious.Grounds For Marriage is not one of Kathryn Grayson's more well known films, but she acquits herself in the comedy demanded of the part. Van Johnson is as good as he always is in these parts and he has his best moments giving a lecture to Paula Raymond's women's club about the common cold as a real cold overtakes him gradually.After 59 years Grounds For Marriage holds up well, but with no sopranos on the screen today, I doubt if the film will ever be remade, so catch this version.

weezeralfalfa A thoroughly enjoyable battle of the sexes type of film, with Van Johnson, a musically inclined doctor, being fought over, tooth and nail, by two ambitious women, one(Kathryn), his ex-wife. Just saw this on TCM. Being in B&W, obviously, it was considered by MGM to be a budget film. After her last 2 films costarring Sinatra bombed, MGM was looking for a a new male costar for Kathryn. Mario Lanza's singing style more matched hers, and they made 2 commercially successful films together. However, Kathryn couldn't stomach Mario's abusive megalomaniacal personality. Soon, Howard Keel would be found an ideal singing partner for her high budget musicals.In this film, they also tried likable Van Johnson. True, Van was no heavy weight singer and didn't have matinée idol looks. But, he was right for his part in this film. I thought he had good chemistry with Kathryn in this vastly underrated musical comedy about a pushy shrew with knockout looks and angelic singing voice trying to win back, by whatever means it took,her ex-husband. It's amusing to see Kathryn acting as if she were in a silent film, after she looses her voice for psychosomatic reasons, for about half the film. If you have never seen the Fire House Five plus Two do some of their very hot Dixieland Jazz, they are an added attraction. Toward the end, the story becomes a madcap comedy comparable to the best of them. Funny witty dialogue between the 4 principles in a fast moving back and forth romantic tangle,with Van loosing his voice for a spell, in imitation of Kathryn.Prior to this, we see and hear parts of a rendition of "Carmen" in Van's dream. Van's singing voice is obviously dubbed, probably by Mario. I think if MGM had shot this film in color and promoted it, it would have fared much better at the box office.

Neil Doyle While KATHRYN GRAYSON doesn't get a chance to shine here (she's left voiceless for too much of the film), at least VAN JOHNSON and BARRY SULLIVAN prove so adept at comedy that it's a shame they never had more frequent chances to prove how good they were at mugging.Sullivan, with his trim mustache and eyebrow-raised reactions, is clearly having a good time as an eccentric toymaker with designs on Grayson and PAULA RAYMOND--and anyone else who tickles his fancy.Van Johnson has a fine time as a doctor who is part of an all-doctor orchestra and trying not to renew his relationship with ex-wife Grayson. Unfortunately, the script makes Grayson's character rather unbearable, relieved only by some operatic warbling that scarcely gives the audience time to appreciate her musical talent. Ironically, the studio could have chosen much more effective operatic arias for her to sing, given that she's supposed to be an operatic diva who has just finished a world tour. Instead, we get very brief segments from "La Boheme" and "Carmen" that are over much too soon.Funniest bit has Van Johnson stifling a cold while making a speech about his theories on cold symptoms and later getting sympathetic treatment from Grayson while he wheezes and coughs his way into a spasm of epic proportions. He's hilariously effective.Summing up: Too bad the script isn't bright enough to accommodate all of these expert performers. A very uneven comedy that gets a lift from Johnson and Sullivan.