Sitting Pretty (1948)

"Harry" (Robert Young) and "Tacey" (Maureen O'Hara) are in need of a new maid after their other, a bit of a beer-swiller, departs. They take out an advertisement and get a response from a promising "Lynn Belvedere", but he - well that says it all! Initially sceptical of this somewhat supercilious man, they soon find his services indispensable, even if his presence in their lives brings a certain attention from the local gossips - led, admirably, by Richard Haydn's, scene-stealing and frankly quite throttle-able "Appleton". It turns out, though, that the rather secretive "Mr. Belvedere", has an ulterior motive that brings all the local hens home to roost! It's good fun, this. There's good chemistry between Young and O'Hara, their elder child "Larry" (Larry Olsen) is quite engaging too, but it's Webb who delivers the goods. Walter Lang keeps the story moving along nicely, the script is frequently quite pithy with plenty of scornful bon-mots from the babysitter who can turn his hand to everything from fixing the fridge to obstetrics. The humour is gently engaging, as are the performances making for an enjoyable 80 minutes of observation and reap as ye sow mischief.