THE MATING OF MILLIE, a romantic comedy from 1948, naturally shows its age as regards to the will-they-and-when? tease of the basic sexual undercurrent of rom-coms, but it’s an entertaining entree thanks to the teaming of Glenn Ford and Evelyn Keyes, the best of their six times working together.

L.A. bus driver ‘Doug Andrews’ (Ford), fed up with idiot passengers, quits mid-route. Walking away, he’s approached by ‘Millie McGonigle’ (Keyes), personnel director of a big department store. Presuming he might need a job, she gives him her card. Millie, meanwhile has assumed temporary care of little ‘Tommy Bassett’ (Jimmy Hunt, 8), whose (neglectful) mother was killed in a car wreck, his dad having perished in WW2 (yes, this is a comedy), until the regional orphanage finds him foster parents. Millie, almost a deliberate wallflower, is unmarried. So as it turns out is aspiring writer Doug, who takes a job at her store. So is snazzy apartment neighbor ‘Phil Gowan’ (Willard Parker) and orphanage head ‘Ralph Galloway’ (Ron Randell). Suddenly the field is crowded. Millie dotes on Tommy, the guys are interested in her…is one of them suitable husband/immediate dad material? If you can’t guess who she’ll pick then you probably shouldn’t be allowed to operate heavy machinery. A cabinet position, possibly.

It’s…considerably better than it sounds, thanks to the two personable stars and able youngster Hunt. He was “that cute kid” in seven other movies that year, but would later claim fame experiencing more mom & dad issues in 1953’s classic creep out Invaders From Mars. In contract harness to Columbia Pictures, Ford was dutifully cranking out four and five movies a year, bouncing effortlessly between genres. But the show really belongs to the always welcome and surprising Keyes, charming here in a sort of pre-Doris Day situation of one step forward/two back until the blissful surrender moment arrives to cancel the pause reflex and slip off the high heels. Unemployed aspiring writers/disgruntled bus drivers take note.

Henry Levin directed, the script was done by Louella MacFarlane and St. Clair McKelway, it’s nicely scored by Werner R. Heyman and clocks in at a breezy 87 minutes. The $3,700,000 gross put the team effort into spot #96 for 1948.

With Mabel Paige, Virginia Brissac, Russell Hicks, Trevor Bardette, Ray Teal, Dick Wessel and Jean Willes.