The Model and the Marriage Broker

The Model and the Marriage Broker

Year: 1951

Runtime: 103 mins

Language: English

Director: George Cukor

ComedyRomance

Sometimes even Cupid needs a little help! A marriage broker can’t resist meddling in the life of a model, with disastrous results.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

early 1950s

The story unfolds in the early 1950s, reflecting postwar American life and its expectations around marriage and social appearances. The brisk pace and stage-like humor mirror mid-century comedies of manners, with matchmaking as a central profession. Gender roles are both challenged and reinforced as Mae navigates independence, loyalty, and love.

Location

Office warren, Health spa, Isolated Canadian peninsula

Mae's world centers on a cramped, low-rent office cluster that serves as the matchmaking hub. The action moves between Mae's bustling office, Kitty's fashion-world circles, and the occasional health spa retreat where Mae contemplates her vocation. A final stretch shifts to an isolated Canadian peninsula, providing a distant backdrop to the romantic schemes.

🏙️ Urban office setting 🧖 Spa retreat 🗺️ Remote Canadian peninsula

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:30

Main Characters – The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951)

Meet the key characters of The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Mae Swasey (Thelma Ritter)

A sharp-witted matchmaker who operates a service called 'Contacts and Contracts.' She thrives on solving other people's romantic problems, but her own loneliness becomes a question as her schemes backfire. Mae is driven, resourceful, and morally flexible, learning hard lessons about meddling, loyalty, and the meaning of love.

💼 Businesswoman 🎯 Strategic 💬 Witty

Kitty Bennett (Jeanne Crain)

A fashion model who clashes with Mae after their purses swap, yet becomes an ally in setting up Matt and Dan. Kitty is stylish and emotionally guarded, using charm to navigate romance while learning about Mae's methods.

👗 Fashion icon 💫 Charismatic 🧭 Independent

Matt Hornbeck (Scott Brady)

A handsome radiographer who falls prey to Mae's matchmaking plans and is drawn into a romance with Kitty before realizing his true feelings. He is romantic, perhaps a bit gullible, and ultimately instrumental in the eventual pairings.

💼 Professional 💘 Romantic 🧭 Naive

Dan Chancellor (Jay C. Flippen)

A wealthy Canadian bachelor whose chance encounter with Mae's service makes him a prime target for matchmaking. He exudes vitality and a relaxed charm, and his involvement catalyzes the final pairings.

💼 Wealthy 😄 Charismatic 🧭 Confident

Emmy Swasey (Helen Ford)

Mae's rivalrous widow, nostalgic for her former beauty and eager to find a replacement husband. She embodies glamour from the past and a longing for companionship, challenging Mae's business and prompting a reconsideration of her own vocation.

💃 Elegant 🗝️ Persistent 🧭 Nostalgic

Mr. Hjalmer Johannson (Frank Fontaine)

A socially awkward client whom Mae helps patch up his fledgling relationship. His earnestness and awkward charm provide a foil to Mae's manipulations and a thread for comedic misunderstandings.

🧔 Awkward 🧭 Loyal 🧰 Hopeful

Doberman (Michael O'Shea)

Mae's friend and fellow gambler who periodically calls her out on her debt-ridden business while providing a foil of loyalty and cunning. His presence hints at the human cost and warmth behind the matchmaking schemes.

🃏 Clever 💬 Loyal 🎲 Playful

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:30

Major Themes – The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951)

Explore the central themes of The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💖 Romance

Love drives the plot as Mae orchestrates pairings, while the people involved resist or embrace her schemes. Kitty's budding romance with Matt unfolds under Mae's influence, testing whether romance can be engineered or must grow on its own. The film probes how attraction can be shaped by outside interference, with mixed outcomes.

👩‍💼 Female Agency

Mae Swasey runs a business that trades in other people's feelings, highlighting female independence in a male-dominated postwar economy. Her cleverness and determination keep the matchmaking firm afloat, even as she questions her own ethics. The interplay between Mae and Kitty shows different forms of agency and ambition, and the personal costs of meddling.

🎭 Satire

The movie satirizes social norms around marriage, appearance, and class through comedic situations and mistaken identities. It uses light humor to critique the idea of controlling love as a business. The consequences reveal the limits of manipulation and the value of authentic connection.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:30

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The Model and the Marriage Broker Summary

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The Model and the Marriage Broker Summary

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The Model and the Marriage Broker Timeline

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