Search - Monkey Business [Diamond Collection] on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1952 DVD Release: 05/14/2002 Format: DVD - Black and White - Closed Captioned Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 37 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Members Wishing: 15 Genres: Comedy, Screwball Comedy, Sci-Fi Comedy

Howard Hawks hoped to capture the screwball comic fervor of his 1938 film Bringing Up Baby with his 1952 comedy Monkey Business. As in the earlier film, Cary Grant stars as an absent-minded professor involved in a research project. This time he's a chemist seeking a "fountain of youth" formula that will revitalize middle-agers both mentally and physically. Though Grant's own laboratory experiments yield little fruit, a lab monkey, let loose from its cage, mixes a few random chemicals and comes up with just the formula Grant is looking for. This mixture is inadvertently dumped in the lab's water supply; the fun begins when staid, uptight Grant drinks some of the "bitter" water, then begins cutting up like a teenager. A harmless afternoon on the town with luscious secretary Marilyn Monroe rouses the ire of Grant's wife Ginger Rogers, but her behavior is even more infantile when she falls under the spell of the youth formula. Everyone remembers the best line in Monkey Business: foxy-grandpa research supervisor Charles Coburn hands the curvacious Monroe a letter and says "Get someone to type this". Even better is his next line: after Monroe sashays out of the room, Coburn turns to Grant and, with eyes atwinkle, murmurs "Anyone can type." Likewise amusing is Monkey Business's pre-credits gag, wherein Cary Grant opens a door and is about to step forward when director Hawks, off-camera, admonishes "Not yet, Cary." Among the co-conspirators on Monkey Business's carefree script are Ben Hecht, Charles Lederer and I.A.L. Diamond, with an original story by Harry Segall (Here Comes Mr. Jordan) as their source. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cary Grant - Prof. Barnaby Fulton
Ginger Rogers - Edwina Fulton
Charles Coburn - Oliver Oxly
Marilyn Monroe - Lois Laurel
Hugh Marlowe - Hank Entwhistle

This 20th Century Fox DVD release of Monkey Business is being sold as a Marilyn Monroe movie, but this 1950s screwball romp gets most of its comedic juice from Cary Grant's madcap performance. While Monkey Business just isn't up to the brilliant standards of such earlier Cary Grant and Howard Hawks screwball comedies as Bringing Up Baby and His Girl Friday, it's still a fun ride. Don't be concerned that the DVD doesn't offer a widescreen version of the movie, Monkey Business was made in 1952, before the widescreen aspect ratio became standard for Hollywood movies. The original black-and-white print is in pristine condition and one of the disc extras gives you a before and after walk-through of the movie's restoration. The audio track has been cleaned up as well and is well-balanced and clean. The budget-priced disc also comes with the picture's original trailer, but that's about it for DVD extras. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide