BEHAVE YOURSELF

US, 1951, 81 minutes, Black and white.
Farley Granger, Shelley Winters, William Demarest, Francis L. Sullivan, Margalo Gilmore, Lon Chaney, Hans Conried, Elisha Cook Jnr.
Directed by George Beck.

Behave Yourself is a brief, unassuming comedy - although in the American frantic and raucous style.

The film is one of those minor, but pleasant murder mysteries based on all kinds of mix-ups. Farley Granger and Shelley Winters portray the average American couple (whatever that is!). He forgets her wedding anniversary and through a series of mix-ups brings home a dog which has been trained as a connection for criminals. With the criminals (varied groups) and the police pursuing him, he becomes something of a nervous wreck. Shelley Winters does a fair bit of shouting - even though in his support. There is a good performance by Margalo Gilmore as an interfering, told-you-so mother-in-law.

There is a good gallery of criminals, especially Francis L. Sullivan and Hans Conried (aping Sydney Greenstreet and Elisha Cook from such films as The Maltese Falcon) and William Demarest, also shouting, as an exasperated policeman.

There are several murders - and some humour along the way to solving them and absolving Farley Granger.

A popular piece of early '50s entertainment.