MovieChat Forums > The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) Discussion > a BEAUTIFUL EPISODE FROM THE tv SERIES! ...

a BEAUTIFUL EPISODE FROM THE tv SERIES! - Medicine Ball!

posted 9 years ago by mcannady1
8 replies | jump to latest

Movie girl: As a teen I really enjoyed the TV series with its humor and how scared the realtor was of Captain Gregg! There were a lot of funny incidents, and like Gene Tierney, Hope Lange had a lovely smile too. Reta Shaw was great as MArtha.

Though I will always love the romance of the film, there is an episode that stands out beautifully from the TV series of the late 60's and early 70's.

One episodes I never forgot over the years was the one where Mrs. Muir was laid up with the flu "or the ague". She passes out and dreams there is a party at Gull Cottage and it is many years ago. Hope is dressed beautifully like from the 1890's or so.

At the party she is looking around for her dancing partner when Captain Gregg suddenly appears. They have the most beautiful facial expressions as they gaze at each other!

AS Captain Gregg looks deeply into "Carolyn" Muir's eyes, and she meets his gaze, he seems to have a hypnotic affect on her, and she on him! They dance and whirl
around the room. Just as the music comes to an end and simultaneously he gets closer and closer to kiss her lips, there is the sound of breaking crockery.

We hear Martha's voice: (of the 70's) "Oh, Mrs. Muir! You're ill!" And she clears away the dinner tray and settles Mrs. Muir in the bed. She cleans up the spilled drink on the tray. Hope looks around with a beautiful smile and says, "I must have been dreaming!" She does not mention the content of her lovely dream, but the viewer can tell from her smile and heightened color that she is touched by the dream and recalls her encounter with the Captain!

A friend just located the episode I had seen maybe about 40 years ago. IT is called "MEDICINE BALL". I saw it again and did it ever bring back memories of the show when I was real young. Also, the film itself I saw on TV when I was real young with my big sister will always leave an indelible mark of romance on me. Later I found the book The Ghost and Mrs. Muir in the public library, where I secured a part-time job temporarily. I forget how she made up with Martha (the lovely Edna Best) but was glad she had!!!

A very lovely and timeless romantic story which will always live in my heart!

[–] ghostfan 9 years ago

I'm quite fond of that episode... seen it a hundred times since locating an uncut set of the series.

But I think you are mistaken about Edna Best. Edna played her daughter, Anna, in the movie.

Sadly the part where Lucy snaps at Martha at the end of the movie, and then makes up, was half-cut for the movie... she snaps at her, but dies before she says she's sorry... in the book, Captain Gregg, who had returned ten years after they fought about the Uncle Neddy character, thunders ar her and demands she call her back and apologize, citing the Bible? about 'not letting the sun go down on your anger, for, what if there is no dawning?'

How sad, that you were not born in my time, nor I, in yours.

[–] mcannady1 9 years ago

Movie girl: How very nice to hear from someone who also likes the series. I love the profound saying; the Captain Gregg quote at the end about:
"How sad that you were not born in my time, nor I in yours".

THanks for telling me about Edna. The funny thing is, she was a young woman in the mid-30's in a couple of 30's movies. (I love Movies of the 30's and 40's). I just saw it yesterday. It is a little confusing at times.

I was inspired when I thought of a film the other day with Rex Harrison. That made me remember The Ghost and Mrs. Muir which I have seen many many times since I was very young.

Too bad Lucy Muir never gets the chance to make it up with Edna who means well. I knew she did in the book.

Thanks and hope to hear from you again. Are you on TCM Message Boards?

[–] ghostfan 9 years ago

Martha.

It was in the script, but sadly it got cut. Of course in the movie, he hadn't come back, as he had in the book, but in the script, they just left it as thunder, which the captain could do... I guess the editors decided that was too mystic or something!

I didn't know there were TCM message boards!

How sad, that you were not born in my time, nor I, in yours.

[–] mcannady1 9 years ago

Movie girl: Yes, if you like older films like me *since I was a kid - a few years ago - lol, then you would love the TCM Message Boards. i CAN FIND THE INFO. FOR YOU HOW i JOINED A YEAR AGO. iF WAS A PAIN, BUT WORTH IT ONCE i GOT IN.
You have to type in your name and a password and there's a set way they do it with an administrator.

tOO BAD THAT THE APOLOGY GOT CUT FROM THE SCRIPT - WHY NOT JUST SAY, i'M SORRY, Martha, I don't feel well or something, which was very true. I saw the film on TV when I was 9 or 10 and loved it. LAter when I worked in a public library and I was in my late teens I happened to see the book on the shelves during my break! Well, needless to say I checked it out. It is very good, but a number of things different. So I really read it about 40 years ago in the early 70's.

I love how he (the captain) made that profound statement about them not being born in each other's time. The ending was quite beautiful when she stepped from the chair with his help, she was young again. Poor Martha saw her body.

In the book we get the message that we have to live our own lives. Her daughter was nice but married and had children, so Lucy became lonely. After the encounter with the suave Miles Fairlese when her daughter was little (George Sanders character) she did not "date" or meet anyone else all those years. She and MArtha went on together.

Anyway, I sure love that film. Good luck too!

[–] ghostfan 9 years ago

Knowing Martha would find her body was sad... even with the romantic ending. I know there was no way around it, in book or movie, but I found my mother, already gone, after work one evening. Its not the kind of thing you ever forget!

How sad, that you were not born in my time, nor I, in yours.

[–] mcannady1 9 years ago

Movie girl: I am so sorry about you finding your Mom! No, you never forget!

Hard enough losing your parents. Seeing the end of the film would be sad reminder even if you had seen it before.

Take care!
Janet

[–] MurphyGobeau 8 years ago

Like you, "The Ghost And Mrs. Muir" is one of my all time favorite movies. It shines in all catagories; the story, the actors, the scenery, the beautiful Gene Tierney's costumes, the music... That being said, the wonderful Edna Best did play the role of the devoted maid, Martha, and a very young, adorable Natalie Wood played the role of Lucy Muir's daughter, Anna. So very enjoyable. ????

[–] MurphyGobeau 8 years ago

I apologize for those pesky question marks in my previous post. I was attempting to add four stars! Mea culpa.