The Grass Is Greener – 1960 | 104 mins | Comedy | Colour

Plot Synopsis

Dreary quip-filled romantic romp adapted by Hugh and Margaret Williams from their own West End stage comedy. Director Stanley Donen’s talky light comedy meanderingly deals with the romantic complications caused by an American oil magnate, but the film fail to shake off its stage origins. Grant manages to handle the quagmire of verbiage with charm but the leaden Mitchum is miscast.

English Earl, Victor Rhyall (Cary Grant) and his wife,Lady Hilary Rhyall (Deborah Kerr), have opened their stately home to the public in order to meet the costs of its maintenance. Holidaying Texan oil tycoon Charles Delacro (Robert Mitchum) enters the palatial home and steps off the designated visitor’s path and into the family’s private quarters, where he meets Lady Rhyall. There is an immediate romantic spark between, and before he returns to the Savoy; the pair embrace. Lady Rhyall spends the subsequent days daydreaming about Delacro so uses a hairdressing appointment and visit to close friend Hattie (Jean Simmons) as a ruse to visit London. There follow some indiscretions in London when Lady Rhyall and her American lover spend the day together.

Back at the manor, Hattie arrives and confirms Lord Rhyall’s suspicions that his wife has embarked on an affair. Rhyall decides to take the bull by the horns and invites his American love rival to spend the weekend at the manor. After many exchanged sarcastic barbs between the two, the cuckolded aristocrat challenges Delacro to a duel with pistols.