Mad About Men (1954)

Fantastic!

The acting in this movie is really good.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

When we last saw the mermaid Miranda, in the 1948 British fantasy film that bears her name, she was sitting on a rock in the middle of the ocean, bearing on her lap an infant merbaby, the sight of which was apparently meant to stun and amuse the viewer. Although the charming Miranda had almost caused the breakup of no fewer than three relationships in that film, she had not been intimate with any of the men involved (and really, how COULD she be?), and so...just whose baby was this? In hindsight, the baby was apparently hers as the result of a previous underwater fling, casting a whole new light on just why the frisky mermaid wanted one abovewater adventure before becoming a mermom herself. Or perhaps she was merely merbabysitting in that final scene? I suppose that we will never know for sure, as the sequel to "Miranda," entitled "Mad About Men," which was belatedly released six years later, never even alludes to the subject of maternity. Happily, however, it is a wonderful sequel, reuniting two of the previous film's principals, Miranda herself (once again portrayed by the effortlessly charming Welsh actress Glynis Johns) and her eccentric caretaker, Nurse Carey (the great Margaret Rutherford, seven years before her first go at the Miss Marple character with which she would later be forever associated; 62 here, but still capable of performing some physical stunts, such as crawling on the floor and swimming).In the film, Johns gets to play two roles, a great blessing for all her many fans. The first of those roles is Caroline Trewella, a pretty blonde gym teacher who goes on holiday to her ancestral home in Cornwall. Caroline is engaged to a stuffy and prim fussbudget named Ronald (well played by Peter Martyn), who stays behind in London. Once in her quaint seaside home, Caroline is startled one night to hear very strange sounds emanating from the basement, and goes to investigate. I call this a basement, but actually, it is more of an underground cavern that connects to the sea (no fear of THIS basement ever being flooded, that's for sure!). In this cavern she discovers two very strange creatures: the simpleminded, redheaded mermaid called Berengaria (Dora Bryan), and her own exact lookalike, Miranda. The two, it seems, are distant relatives; one land based, one sea based. Miranda once again is desirous of having an adventure abovewater, while Caroline goes on a biking tour, and so the two hatch a very clever plot. Caroline pretends to have been injured in a gymnastic accident, and goes off on her tour, leaving in her place Miranda, once again ensconced in a wheelchair, her large telltale fin wrapped in a blanket. Once free to have fun, Miranda sets her sights on procuring a better fiancé for Caroline than the stuffy Ronald. She thus entices (effortlessly, as always) a local hunky-dude fisherman, Jeff Saunders (Donald Sinden), as well as the moustachioed Colonel Barclay Sutton (Nicholas Phipps), much to the chagrin of his fiancée, Barbara Davenport (Anne Crawford)...along the way also entrancing the local pawnbroker and dress vendor.This sequel, it occurs to me, is very much the opposite of the original film. Whereas "Miranda" had been filmed in B&W, had featured only one mermaid, and had involved that one mermaid's flirtatious actions almost causing three couples to break up, the sequel was filmed in beautiful color (the scenery of the Cornish coast looks very nice, indeed), features twice as many mermaids, and spotlights Miranda trying to play matchmaker and bring people together. Once again, the script was provided by Peter Blackmore, the author of the original "Miranda" play, and once again, it is a sparkling and witty one; hence, Miranda says of her previous adventure on land "I had a whale of a time," and later, of her own singing, "I've never had any trouble with my scales." The sequel features more in the way of silly humor, thanks in large part to the antics of that ditzy Berengaria, culminating in a finale that almost seems lifted from the Three Stooges short "Micro-Phonies." Fortunately, director Ralph Thomas, who would go on to helm one of my favorite Bond pastiches, "Deadlier Than the Male," elicits terrific performances from all his players. But once again, it is Glynis Johns who steals the show here with her effortless charm and underrated beauty, shown to great effect in lustrous color. She is remarkably appealing, sexy and seductive as the playful Miranda, despite being the literal fish out of water, and fresh and feisty as the more conservative Caroline. I'm sure I am echoing the thoughts of all her many fans when I say that when it comes to Glynis Johns, the more of her, the better, and "Mad About Men" provides a double showcase for her abundant charms. This is a delightful fantasy that comes more than highly recommended, indeed. Still, I can't stop wondering about that little merbaby....

I just wanted to share my feelings about this film I had seen in the 60's growing up with my big sister. Were we ever enchanted by the mermaid story! I had and have hoped to go to Cornwall some day to see the locales. Since that time it has been fun seeing other people from this film in others. I discovered the talented Anne Crawford who was great in serious roles as well. Sadly, she passed away all too soon from Leukemia (before we had ever seen the film). The story is delightful with the beautiful Miss Johns as the wistful mermaid wanting to meet men and switching places with her lookalike who has inherited a lodging house in Cornwall with a cave underneath. The prim schoolteacher eventually meets a handsome man Miranda has chosen for her. Of course there is competition along the way, in the form of Anne Crawford's suitor who would turn aside from his engagement to be with Miranda. And of course the dowdy fiancée of Caroline is soon dispensed with. A lovely and delightful story! Margaret Rutherford is outstanding as the eccentric Nurse Carey tending to her eccentric charge, Miranda. And a delightful whimsical moment - We even have Margaret's husband in a comedic scene as the Vicar who wants Nurse Carey to hang out with the sailors and smoke a pipe. This she endeavors to do with little success.I can't even mention this wonderful film in the same breath as Splash which I might have liked better had it not been overdone sexual overtones. But I did like the story line of that film too. It's just that the actions and some dialogue were too blatant. Some of Tom Hanks's lines (and I do like Tom Hanks) are overdone.Not to create a spoiler here - The original film to Mad About Men entitled Miranda is more racy, as we are to conclude that Miranda has had a child by a mortal man. But this is done with class and aplomb when we see the little "Merman" at the end with his mother looking wistfully toward the cave where she first met a married man.In conclusion, to me Glynis gets the award as the most fetching and beautiful mermaid of all time - some 40 years after first seeing the film. My big sister and I wanted to grow up to look and be just like Glynis.New info. as of May of 2016 - I recently obtained a copy of the film that is not garish. I know what the reviewer was saying and had a copy where Miranda's hair looked grayish blonde and the darker colors garish. I recall seeing the film in the 60's as a child on TV and it looked great. My new copy is just about as perfect as you can get.

I never saw MIRANDA but this is a lively sequel to that film with GLYNIS JOHNS again playing the saucy mermaid with her usual charm.Glynis is a flirtatious mermaid who takes the place of a schoolteacher for a couple of weeks, determined to find a better husband for her than the stuffy fiancé she's engaged to. They resemble each other greatly because, as "Miranda" describes it, they're both descended from the mermaid side of the family.It's utter nonsense, played to the hilt by a cast intent on making it reasonably funny but only partly succeeding.MARGARET RUTHERFORD overplays the role of a dotty nurse who looks after the mermaid and is in her element in over-the-top fantasy farce. DONALD SINDEN is a wealthy man Miranda has her eyes on as a possible husband for the schoolteacher.It's filmed in garish looking color (unusual for a British film which usually featured muted color), but the charm begins to wear off fairly early as the plot gets sillier and sillier.Summing up: Mermaid comedies are not my cup of tea and this one is sillier than most, especially when the mermaid's inability to walk is compensated by some weak plot contrivances which has her being carried around by the men with her mermaid tail barely concealed under a thin blanket.Trivia note: Interesting to see JOAN HICKSON as the owner of a lodge, long before she became Jane Marple for British TV.

'Mad About Men' is every bit as good as 'Miranda', although it doesn't pick up the pace until at least a third in. Caroline Trewella has gone to stay at her Cornish cottage for a few days when she meets her distant cousin, Miranda. Miranda wants to go back on land, so Caroline agrees to let her take her place whilst she goes out cycling with a friend. And the first thing Miranda does is to decide that Caroline needs a better fiancee!The colour looks a bit garish on Glynis Johns but Anne Crawford and Donald Sinden look lovely. Dora Bryan is also hilarious as Miranda's annoying little companion, who upsets the applecart on every possible occasion. The basics are the same as in 'Miranda' although the ending is definitely a little neater. 9/10