Good Quotes: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

Muriel Blandings: You remember Bunny Funkhouser, dear, that clever young interior decorator that we met at the Collins' cocktail party.

Jim Blandings: You mean that young man with the open-toed sandals? What about him?

Muriel Blandings: Well, you know how long we've said we've got to do something about fixing up this apartment. Well, a couple of weeks ago, he called, and I asked him to come over, and he had some simply wonderful ideas, and I didn't want to bother you with sketches and estimates until I knew whether we could afford it. So I sent them over to Bill.

Jim Blandings: How much?

Muriel Blandings: What's the point in asking how much until you know what you're going to get?

Jim Blandings: I've seen Bunny Funkhouser. I *know* what I'm going to get.

- Cary Grant and Myrna Loy in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

-Gregory (The Avant Garde Retard)

(To All Good Quotes)

Comments (9)

There is a conversation in this movie about wall color, butter yellow walls and the like. IT IS HYSTERICAL! If you have never seen this movie, its a must!

Kudos to you Alec for highlighting this film! I watched it just after we purchased our house and it made me laugh because we can all get a little crazy when it comes to this home stuff! It is totally relevant!

I need a dog I can name Bunny Funkhouser! But do I want to be yelling "BUNNY" in a dog park??? Not so sure I do!

posted by MCaplan on 2006-06-07 11:59:23

I must rent this movie! The book is a hoot, but doesn't contain this scene.

posted by wende in san francisco on 2006-06-07 12:41:52

Oops, didn't realize the post would default to Alec's signature. He's still busy trekking across the country :)

posted by gregory on 2006-06-07 13:22:53

Well, then Kudos to you Gregory!! This movie is awesome, and yes Wende, you MUST rent it!!
It is on par with all the greats like "Bringing up Baby" and "Please Dont Eat The Daisies"! It's just not as popular!

posted by MCaplan on 2006-06-07 13:43:02

MCaplan: It's definitely a cinematic gem, whether you're a home owner or not (I rent and I love it). Sometimes if you're lucky, you'll catch it on TCM. But its worth owning for all the snappy zingers...they don't write comedic dialogue like this anymore. I hope our shared enthusiasm of the film nudges others to check it out :)

posted by gregory on 2006-06-07 13:56:13

The book? Does it have the same title? And who's the author? I love this movie. How about the rabbeted lallycolumns, or whatever they were?

posted by Joan on 2006-06-07 14:03:13

The book's title is the same, and the author is Eric Hodgins. I have it only because we lived in upstate NY for a while, where the book barns ran heavily to 1940s literature way cheap.

posted by wende in san francisco on 2006-06-07 15:43:02

i just bought this movie on dvd! when i watched it the other night, i realized i had never actually seen the whole movie. it is very, very funny.

but was there ever a time when somebody making $15,000 a year could afford a 4 room apartment in manhatten AND a cook/housekeeper?

posted by david on 2006-06-09 16:00:43

Yes! I have a 1940s semi-humorous book on the Blandings' lifestyle, and the author takes it for granted that at $15k-$20k a year, a family of four is very prosperous, with a big house in the country, a chic car, and Dad in a white-collar professional career in the city.

In the book related to the movie, the Blandings' entire exurban mansion costs something around $36k, and that's treated as a ridiculously huge sum.

In the post-War period, having a full-time maid might be pushing it, just because fewer people were willing to be maids -- but pop media tends to portray people as more affluent than they possibly could be. How did the Sarah Jessica Parker character afford her apartment on Sex in the City?

posted by wende in san francisco on 2006-06-10 07:35:40