JLRMovieReviews
Jane Wyman has dreams of being a stewardess, but, when her father tells her she talks too much and that could be a detriment, she almost didn't pass the interview. They want people who talk and are interested in people and in helping them. Well, that's Jane, plus more, a lot more. She's not your usual stewardess, as she has a mind of her own and gets into trouble for doing highly unconventional things. Then, she meets Howard Keel, who's named Mike, and who's a pilot. She doesn't know this yet and makes remarks about pilots. They have a antagonistic relationship from thereon, like a rooster and a chicken. Then, she meets Van Johnson, another guy named Mike, an up and coming and promising scientist. Then she meets Barry Sullivan, another guy named Mike, who's in advertising. From there, it takes off. For such a forgotten and inconsequential little film, this is actually very funny and enjoyable, courtesy of writer Sidney Sheldon's script, with quick and snappy one-liners. Of course, one wonders who does Jane pick? She has a good time with each and their scenes together are very sweet, particularly with Van and Howard. So sit back, enjoy the ride and let Jane and company do the rest, in this outing that's great fun!
wes-connors
Perky but accident-prone Jane Wyman (as Marcy Lewis) gets a job as an American Airlines flight attendant - herein known as a "stewardess". Car trouble on her first flight nets Ms. Wyman a ride with handsome Howard Keel (as Mike Jamison), who turns out to be her pilot. Like most men, Mr. Keel finds Wyman attractive. Next, she meets science student Van Johnson (as Mike Lawrence) and businessman Barry Sullivan (as Mike Tracy). This makes it "Three Guys Named Mike" for Wyman. So... who will she pick to make her a happily ever after housewife? This dated situation would seem livelier today if done by Lucille Ball in less than 30 minutes.**** Three Guys Named Mike (3/1/51) Charles Walters ~ Jane Wyman, Van Johnson, Howard Keel, Barry Sullivan
moonspinner55
Perky, freshly-scrubbed, impertinent Jane Wyman trains to be a airline stewardess with American Airlines; once in the air, she clashes lightly with pilot Howard Keel and passenger Van Johnson, while on the ground she has a slight run-in with Barry Sullivan. All three men--all named Mike--quickly come around with romantic notions (this is the kind of '50's comedy where men can't wait to get hitched), but Wyman is so busy hatching ideas and shooting from the hip that she barely notices all the male attention. What begins as a smartly-written and executed glimpse at a stewardess's life in the sky is soon hustled right into romantic comedy territory. The question is obvious (whom will she choose?), yet I didn't find any of these potential suitors capable of handling Wyman, who is continually mouthing off in a wide-eyed, nonchalantly feminine way. This puff-piece, directed with snap but no flair by Charles Walters, is nearly impossible to critique seriously; if pressed, I would have to say the fist-fight in the photographer's apartment wouldn't really be worthy of the front page of the newspaper (did the fight last long enough for reporters and shutterbugs to show up?). Walters captures first-day-on-the-job jitters exceptionally well, but Sidney Sheldon's screenplay goes soft too fast. The final line between the men is amusing, but what we don't get see at the fade-out is a career girl who feels alive up in the air quickly tied down in suburbia with kids tugging at her apron. **1/2 from ****
Gary Wang
Jane Wyman was one of the cutest actresses ever to grace the silver screen and she proves here that she still had IT in abundance in this anachronistic 1951 romp in which she portrays a stewardess adapting to the heady life and unique romantic opportunities that the flight attendant profession once represented for smart career-minded women a long, long time ago. American Airlines would have paid a hefty product placement fee in 2005 for all the great promotion they receive in this film, parts of which were shot aboard a real DC-3 (The Spirit of Washington) as it cruises the skies. The sunny natural cabin lighting does not do Van Johnson any favors inasmuch as the nasty scar across his forehead which MGM's make-up people always managed to conceal so adroitly is prominent to the point of distraction. I found his sardonic graduate-level researcher character to be a bit of an imperious drip. Sullivan is rarely anything more than a plot device: he never seems to be seriously in the running for her hand while Pilot Howard Keel is at his handsomest and he and Miss Wyman seem to share a real chemistry, so I was kept pleasantly off-balance throughout. There are some exciting scenes of downtown Chicago from the air (look for the River winding along Wacker Drive past the Merchandise Mart) and they have a camera fixed beneath the DC-3's fuselage which provides some stunning footage of actual landings. The uniforms are fun, and it effectively shows us the world of air travel that existed just prior to the dawn of the jet age. It's a memorable little trip for commercial aviation buffs, made only five months before Wyman's ex went back to the altar with Nancy Davis and turned her into the second Mrs. Ronald Reagan.
AD
