The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer...

The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) is a sweetly endearing movie starring Shirley Temple (as Susan Turner), Cary Grant (as Richard Nugent), and Myrna Loy (as Shirley's sister Margaret Turner). My sister and I adored Shirley Temple as children (actually I still do) and would watch all of her movies over and over again, but this was the first of her movies that we had ever seen that showcased her as an "older" girl...though in all reality, she was only nineteen. We easily fell for the lovable and kooky comedy of the storyline and I savored the delicious dialogue that was generously sprinkled with the slang of the day and with lovely made up words like...sklonklish.

For a quick synopsis from IMDb...Myrna Loy plays serious-minded Judge Margaret Turner, who always pays strict attention to the facts in every situation (personal or professional). She has guardianship of her younger sister Susan (Shirley Temple), a young girl who develops an instant crush on a roguish art lecturer Richard Nugent (Cary Grant) when he gives a lecture at her school. In order to help her get over this crush, Margaret--urged by her uncle Matt (Ray Collins)--gently blackmails Richard into being Susan's beau until the crush wears off. What ensues is a delightful comedy of errors as Richard squires Susan around town, while struggling to deal with an assistant district attorney (the suitably uptight Rudy Vallee) and Susan's own ex-boyfriend Jerry (Johnny Sands) as he falls in love with Margaret (and vice versa).

After first watching the movie as children, my sister and I went around for days quoting the dialogue below. It's just a fun bit of nonsense that goes 'round and 'round again, and even now, every once in awhile, one of us will start it up again...

Richard Nugent: Hey, you remind me of a man.
Susan Turner: What man?
Richard Nugent: Man with the power.
Susan Turner: What power?
Richard Nugent: Power of hoodoo.
Susan Turner: Hoodoo?
Richard Nugent: You do.
Susan Turner: Do what?
Richard Nugent: Remind me of a man...