Teacher's Pet

I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this movie. I wasn't sure I would like Gable & Day together - that their age difference would be too awkward (she looked even younger than her 34 years and he was 58). But their chemistry worked. I like Doris much better when she isn't singing all the time - you get to really appreciate her acting skills! I especially liked the smart dialogue in places. The ongoing debate of experience vs. education. I thought the analogy of the conductor was beautiful (see quotes page). Also, the comparison that "Experience is the jockey - Education is the horse." The screenwriters certainly deserved their Oscar nod for this gem! I also was pleasantly surprised to see a young Marion Ross (Mrs. Cunningham on "Happy Days") in the role as Ms. Day's assistant.

Clark Gable was the man! He easily pulls off this romantic comedy that is about more than romance, and actually has very important things to say about life. While co-star Doris Day was the future and Gable was running out the string as an actor, he still dominates this film and demonstrates his awesome chops as an actor, not just as a pretty face. Gable plays a hard-bitten newspaper editor, James Gannon, who learned the business by doing it, without any formal education. He is old school, and while defensive, still proud and confident of his abilities. Day is a professor who thinks that Gannon especially and the rest of his kind are badly in need of an education, and she lets the newspaper know her feelings. So, Gable goes down to Day's journalism class at his editor's command, takes a sudden shine to her, and enrolls without revealing his identity. The rest of the film revolves around Gannon's pursuit of Day, who is involved with an accomplished psychology teacher played by Gig Young, and their attempts to teach each other some lessons. There are many humorous incidents along the way, most flowing from Gannon's manly competition with Young - who doesn't fight back at all, and in fact winds up helping him - for Day's favors. If Gable has the Rock Hudson role, Young plays the Tony Randall sidekick. Mamie van Doren has a stunning supporting role, little more than a cameo, as Gannon's singer girlfriend whom Day memorably mimics outrageously later at her apartment. But the competition between the Gable and Young characters is just a sideshow. That wouldn't be a fair fight in any event, Gable's virility even at his advanced age is undeniable. The real fight is between Day's and Gable's ideas about journalism. Gable constantly surprises Day with the quality of his work, and Gable starts questioning everything he does because many of her ideas make a lot of sense. Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Apparently so. And have some fun along the way, too. An enjoyable romp that is made infinitely better because of the very serious message underlying the film. Question everything, and learn from that process! Nothing wrong with that. And Gable and Day make an amazingly cute couple, Day actually managing to look sexy now and then and not just perky as usual.

Now that musicals were unfortunately fading away, Doris Day was slowly finding a new niche in screen comedy. She was busy being leading lady to some of Hollywood's biggest male stars and they didn't come bigger than the king, Clark Gable. Also her new hit songs were the title tunes of her films and very few sold as big as Teacher's Pet. It's one of her million selling singles and it definitely contributed mightily to the box office for this film. In the story line it's whole lot like some of the films she'd be doing in the future with Rock Hudson. Doris is a professor of journalism who arouses the ire of Walter Burns like city editor Clark Gable. He writes her a nasty letter and then when he's ordered to apologize to her he goes to one of her night school classes where she reads the letter out loud and trashes him in front of the class. Not taking this lying down, Clark enrolls in her class under an alias and if you don't know where this one is going you haven't seen any of her films with Rock Hudson. Gable does very well in the city editor's role. In fact in mentioning Walter Burns, I'm surprised Gable was never cast in The Front Page. He would have been perfect casting either as Burns or Hildy Johnson the reporter. Doris is an idealistic professor who's the daughter of a William Allen White type figure as a previous reviewer mentioned. She's got a lot to learn from Gable as well with his practical approach to journalism and romance. Gig Young is in a Gig Young part. Gig plays a psychologist boy friend of Doris's and his rivalry with Gable is pretty funny. He got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for having one of the great screen hangovers of all time. He lost to Burl Ives however for It's A Big Country. My favorite scene in the film is with Gable and Vivian Nathan who plays Nick Adams's mother. Adams is a young high school dropout who idolizes Gable as a guy who made it the hard way. When Gable fires Adams after being exposed to Doris's ideas, Nathan's scene with Gable thanking him is for me the best in the film. Teacher's Pet is sadly dated because of the way the media has evolved. Just as Broadcast News updated The Front Page, Teacher's Pet would be a great film involving the internet now for someone like Julia Roberts to do. Till then though, this one is entertaining enough.

Teacher's Pet is not absolutely perfect, but I enjoyed it very much. It is overlong, the gender politics I feel have dated and while it is excellent on the whole the script unravels a bit at the end. Still, it looks nice, is very well directed, has good music, a witty script and scenarios and great performances not only from Clark Gable and the lovely Doris Day as they play their parts with obvious boisterous enthusiasm but Gig Young as well as Day's other beau. I also loved the story, it was well written and rarely lagged or felt lame. In conclusion, while flawed, Teacher's Pet is a on the whole delightful comedy that is worth seeing for the leads. 7/10 Bethany Cox

"Teacher's Pet" is Clark Gable's best comedy. HANDS DOWN!!! The Academy Awards ignored this movie. Only Gig Young and the screenwriters were nominated. Gable and Doris Day should have been nominated for best actor and best actress. Movie, too! They were robbed! Gable and Day made a great team. They could have done another comedy or tried drama. Too bad they never got the chance. After Rock Hudson, Gable complimented Doris Day. As for Gig Young, he was the best supporting actor of his day. Too bad he was never given the chance to be Doris Day's leading man. Young supported Day in another movie with Cary Grant in "Touch of Mink". He provided another great comedy performance.

source: Teacher's Pet

Trailer—Teacher's Pet

Teacher's Pet

I have to admit that certain films with Doris Day as comedienne were just too-too much for me, so I couldn't watch them. I liked her, however, in Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much", so it is probably just me, I really do not like most romantic comedies. That being said, this is more of a satire. Gable as the gruff news reporter, she as a writing teacher. The argument of what is talent, what is a true news writer. Gable at first has contempt for her small town paper, her father wrote for the same paper for thirty years. Gig Young has a nice part as the jilted sometime boyfriend. There are some amusing scenes where he is inebriated; he plays the drunken part very well. All in all while dated, a nice film with a story worth watching. Gable does seem a little out of his element here, but still watchable.

I really like this cute romantic comedy. Despite their obvious age difference, this one really worked for me. Doris Day is a night school teacher who runs a journalism class. Gable is an experienced reporter and a fathead. He finds out about the class and decides to attend just so he can show up this lady who THINKS she knows what it takes to be a journalist. When the sexist pig goes to class, he is very surprised that she is not at all impressed by the quality of his work or his expertise, though he has kept his true job a secret. When he reveals he is a great reporter, she still isn't particularly impressed and the sparks fly! Of course being a formula movie, you know they will eventually fall for each other, but it's just so fun to watch them along the way!