Everybody Does It (1949)

The wife (Celeste Holm) of a salvage contractor (Paul Douglas) has ambitions to become an opera singer but her talent is mediocre. Meanwhile, the contractor discovers he has a legitimate classical voice and an opera diva (Linda Darnell) encourages him to pursue a professional career. Based on the short story TWO CAN SING by James M. Cain (MILDRED PIERCE) which was previously filmed in 1939 and directed by Edmund Goulding (GRAND HOTEL). This was Paul Douglas's first time at bat in a leading role after supporting roles in two films. While he certainly can hold the screen in a leading role, it's a pity he didn't get a better vehicle than this rather lame comedy. While it starts off promisingly, it soon descends into an uncomfortably anti-opera mechanism. The kind of stuff that would get laughs from someone who attends the opera but doesn't really like it and falls asleep. The film's humor gets its laughs at the idea of a "Neanderthal" wrecking contractor singing in grand opera. Naturally, after trashing the opera stage of its pretensions, the brute returns to his happily chastised wife ..... fade out. With Charles Coburn, George Tobias, John Hoyt, Lucile Watson and Millard Mitchell.