The Matchmaker (1958)

58% of users liked it
(765 ratings)

Thornton Wilder's 1938 stage play The Merchant of Yonkers was based on an old British stage farce by John Oxenford (which in turn served as the basis of an Austrian farce by Johann Nestroy). Merchant of Yonkers was a bomb, but Wilder was quite fond of the piece, so he revised it as the considerably… More Thornton Wilder's 1938 stage play The Merchant of Yonkers was based on an old British stage farce by John Oxenford (which in turn served as the basis of an Austrian farce by Johann Nestroy). Merchant of Yonkers was a bomb, but Wilder was quite fond of the piece, so he revised it as the considerably more successful The Matchmaker in 1955. The 1958 film version stars Shirley Booth as 19th-century matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi (a character not found in the Oxenford or Nestroy versions; Wilder "borrowed" Dolly from Moliere's The Miser). Dolly is currently trying to arrange a marriage between Yonkers dry-goods merchant Horace Vandergelder (Paul Ford) and hatmaker Irene Molloy (Shirley MacLaine)-though she secretly harbors a desire to march Horace to the altar herself. Meanwhile, Vandergelder's chief clerk Cornelius (Anthony Perkins), celebrating a recent promotion, decides to head to New York for a "good time". Though he's supposed to be minding the store, Cornelius abandons the shop, with fellow-clerk Barnaby (Robert Morse, repeating his stage role) in tow. Inevitably, Cornelius and Barnaby wind up escorting Irene Molloy and her co-worker Minnie Fay (Perry Wilson) to a fancy restaurant, where Horace and Dolly are also dining. As the many plot twists wend their way through the proceedings, the camera occasionally pauses to allow the character to speak directly to the audience, expressing their innermost desires and philosophies; this purely theatrical device works quite well on screen, especially the monologue about honesty delivered by handyman Malachi Stack (played with alcoholic whimsy by Wallace Ford). While the name "Malachi Stack"may not be familiar to you, the other characters-and the basic plot-will be instantly recognizable to fans of Hello Dolly, the 1964 musical comedy version of The Matchmaker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: Joseph Anthony
Written By: John Michael Hayes
Genres: Drama, Romance, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 12, 1958 Wide
On DVD: Jan 18, 2005

No Critic Reviews Found…

Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

This play should probably stick to the theatre. Either that or they could have used a different director. This movie is very predictable on top of feeling like a play and how stupid everything the characters did seemed. Sometimes I found a bit of fun in a scene, and I thought… More
This play should probably stick to the theatre. Either that or they could have used a different director. This movie is very predictable on top of feeling like a play and how stupid everything the characters did seemed. Sometimes I found a bit of fun in a scene, and I thought Perkins and Morse were real cute, but other than that, this is pretty dull. If you really like romantic comedies, you may enjoy this more than I did, though.
jay n

interesting to see Hello Dolly without music and some of the performers are better then in the other film particularly Shirley MacLaine but don't go out of your way.
Jennifer X

Shirley Maclaine has solidified her role as my favorite 60s cutie. This is an adorable movie that knows how adorable it is, what with the audience narration and everything. Charm doesn't make the story any more dimensional, however, and I don't think Anthony Perkins will… More
Shirley Maclaine has solidified her role as my favorite 60s cutie. This is an adorable movie that knows how adorable it is, what with the audience narration and everything. Charm doesn't make the story any more dimensional, however, and I don't think Anthony Perkins will ever shake the typecast of creeper off him after Psycho.
Megan S

It was cute. We rented it because we had seen the play at a local theater (not the musical). It wasn't as good as the play. I think it makes more sense when the characters talk to the audience in a play than when they do it in a movie.
Marion R

Meh, It was interesting in one sense, but I was bored during most of the characters monologues.