Three Guys Named Mike (1951)

Lack of good storyline.

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

"Three Guys Named Mike" is a story about a fledgling airline hostess from a small town who gets to fly the friendly skies and expand her horizons. Marcy Lewis (Jane Wyman) embraces her new way of life, experiences the joys of interacting with the public (people from different lands with their varied views) and meets three bachelors who happen to have the same first name. Marcy knows that married women cannot be hostesses, but she's not really trying to find a husband--she's too busy revolutionizing the ad world and the flight industry. But that doesn't stop men from throwing themselves at her. Particularly Howard Keel (a pilot), Van Johnson (a graduate student in scientific studies), and Barry Sullivan (a successful adman).All four major players play their roles well, but the script is a trifling that is more interesting as a documentation of the flight procedures and customs of the time. While watching Wyman in this role, I kept thinking of June Allyson and, according to notes in the trivia section, the role was written for her. Ms. Wyman's voice also reminded me of Doris Day's at times.Even with its paternalistic and sometimes sexist approach to the training and employment of stewardesses, the airlines industry (especially American Airlines) get a commercial from Hollywood in this film.

Three Guys Named Mike is an unapologetic romantic comedy with a strong twist of chick-flick, but turns out to be way more than that in the final act.After fulfilling her childhood dream and becoming a stewardess the sprightly Marcy encounters three men, the Mikes, as she takes to the skies. Each comes to represent different possible futures not so much for what they are but for what Marcy herself is at her core. When all three come together at once her decision-making will doubtless determine her future. A false step here and she will be trapped in the "wrong life." But how to decide? Well, fortunately with a good bit of humor! While Marcy's adventures start out pretty slow they pick up pace in the second reel, and when the girls get an apartment in Hollywood the dialog starts to explode with humor and wonderful comedic situations. We start to see not only the original sprightly nature but the wits and building character of this young woman, coming to the rare case of a film that leverages our love for the characters, our concern for what they do, and our sheer entertainment with great lines all sweeping into an ending that we may have--or may not have--guessed.

Just watched this M-G-M romantic comedy that's now in the public domain on YouTube. It stars Jane Wyman as Marcy Lewis, a flight attendant-called stewardess then-just beginning her career as she encounters the title characters almost all at the same time: Mike Jamison-pilot (Howard Keel), Michael Lawrence-research scientist/bartender (Van Johnson), and Mike Tracy-advertising exec (Barry Sullivan). All three fall for her and they all ask for her hand as she makes her pick unlike today when she would have probably picked none of them at least during that ending moment. Anyway, this was quite funny as the film went on though also a bit contrived the way things get set up. Still, it's enjoyable enough and so on that note, Three Guys Named Mike is worth a look for fans of old-fashioned fluff like me. P.S. I noticed Barbara Billingsley as Wyman's instructor. This was years before she became Beaver and Wally's mom and even more than that before stealing a scene in Airplane! as that jive-talking elderly woman! Also, I chuckled a bit when Jane's character mentioned to those three Mikes of a sudden phone call to board a plane to Dallas as any viewer of a show with that name would instantly know about Mr. Keel's involvement in that program some 30-plus years later!

Three Guys Named Mike is a pleasant and amusing comedy about an airline stewardess who gets romanced by Three Guys Named Mike. Jane Wyman is the stewardess and she sparkles as usual. The three guys she has to choose from are Van Johnson: research scientist, Howard Keel pilot: and Barry Sullivan advertising executive.The story is based on the real life experiences of American Airlines stewardess Ethel Welles who told them to none other than C.R. Smith the charismatic president of American Airlines. He commissioned a story and then a screenplay.The resemblances and that's a kind word to RKO's Tom, Dick, and Harry are unmistakable. But in terms of quality of production look at these two films back to back and check the production values from and RKO film to an MGM film. But Jane and her guys do their usual performances and are fine in the parts.Howard Keel in his memoir says that in his first screen fight he got a little over enthused and gave Barry Sullivan a mouse over his eye. Keel was not left unbruised either. Neither of these guys were schooled in how to pull punches.One thing that surprised me about Three Guys Named Mike was the lack of a nomination for musical score since the instrumental version of it is entitled Confetti. Many orchestras recorded it in the early fifties and the theme was repeated in many MGM productions.Three Guys Named Mike holds up well today because the problems of the stewardesses flying today's 747s versus the DC-3s you see here are the same. This film could use a remake, I could see Reese Witherspoon as the one trying to choose between Three Guys Named Mike.