coincide with the start of the baby boom and the year after world war ii saw an unprecedented exodus of american move out of their city apartment into the suburb where they can fulfill their dream of own their own home . direct by h. c. potter and co write by norman panama and melvin frank ( white christmas ) and this lightweight but surprisingly observant 1948 screwball comedy capture the feeling of that period very well . of course and it help to have a trio of expert farceurs cary grant and myrna loy and an especially acerbic melvyn douglas head the proceeding with their natural likability at odds with the escalate frustration of home ownership . even though the film be sixty year old now and there be a timeless quality to the blandings dream and the barrier they face in achieve it . obviously and hollywood think so since it be remake at least twice first a a very physical tom hank comedy and 1986 the money pit and and again last year with ice cube be we do yet . one look at hgtv program schedule will show you how the situation explore here still resonate today . the plot begin with ad man jim blandings and his wife muriel and their two daughter cramp into a two bedroom one bath manhattan apartment . rather than pursue muriel idea to renovate the apartment for $ 7 and 000 and jim see a photo of a connecticut house in a magazine and realize this be where they need to move . with the help of an opportunistic real estate agent and against the advice of their attorney and family friend bill cole and the blandings decide to buy a ramshackle house badly in need of repair . however and the foundation sag so badly that the house need to be tear down in favor of a new one . this spark the blandings to push the architect to design a house so excessive that the second floor be twice as big a the first . cost rise with each new complication and temper flare and and even a romantic triangle be imagine among and jim and muriel and bill . priority finally sort themselves out but not before some funny slapstick scene and clever dialogue that tweak the not so blissful ignorance of the new homeowner . with his double take and flawless line delivery and grant be infallible in this type of farce and and jim blandings epitomize his more domesticated mid career character . in a role originally mean for irene dunne and myrna loy show why she be hollywood perfect wife . she doesn not get many of the funnier line and but she combine her special blend of flightiness and sauciness to make muriel an appeal character on her own . watch her deftly maneuver the overly agreeable house painter with her absurdly idiosyncratic color palette . a avuncular and pipe smoking bill ( cole bill cole ) and melvyn douglas show his natural and easy go élan a grant foil . small role be fill expertly with particularly memorable turn by harry shannon a the laconic well digger mr. tesander and lurene tuttle a jim officious assistant mary and and louise beaver a the blandings lovable maid gussie . the 2004 dvd provide some intriguing vintage material include two radio version of the movie the first a 1949 version that do end up pair grant and dunne and then a second 1950 version couple grant with his then wife and actress betsy drake . a most appropriate 1949 cartoon and the house of tomorrow and be also include give u a comical tour of a futuristic dream house . the original theatrical trailer for ten of grant film classic complete the extra .