Rating summary
| Movie |  | 4.5 |
| Video |  | 5.0 |
| Audio | | 5.0 |
| Extras |  | 2.0 |
| Overall |  | 4.0 |
Teacher's Pet Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 23, 2025
George Seaton's "Teacher's Pet" (1958) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff and vintage trailer. In English, with optional Engish SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Hubba hubba
James Gannon (Clark Gable) is one of the best newspaper editors in the country. However, he does not have a college degree because he does not believe journalism can be taught in a classroom. Practice, Gannon always proudly proclaims before the people who work for him, is the best educator. One learns by making mistakes and fixing them, not memorizing random texts and repeating them to please an academic.
On a day like any other, Gannon gets a chance to prove that what he has been preaching for years is true. His boss orders him to meet and help college professor Erica Stone (Doris Day), who teaches journalism at an elite university. Without revealing his identity, Gannon enters her classroom and, much to his surprise, instantly finds himself attracted to her. When Stone reads to the entire class a letter he has written to reject her request for help and rips apart his kind, not realizing that her target is right before her, Gannon proceeds to teach her a timeless lesson. In their ensuing interactions, Stone quickly concludes that Gannon is an unusually talented student who deserves special attention, while Gannon is presented with ample evidence that he has found the special woman who can end his reputation as a workaholic bachelor.
In 1959,
Teacher’s Pet earned two Oscar nominations, one of which was for the screenplay Fay and Michael Kanin handed to director George Seaton. The precious statuette went to
The Defiant Ones -- as a political statement – but it should have gone to
The Teacher’s Pet because the Kanins’ screenplay is truly special.
Indeed, while the unmissable chemistry between Gable and Day creates a lot of excitement and great visuals, the quality of the writing transforms their rocky romance into a delightful spectacle. It is very witty and full of first-class zingers that are as effective today as they were several decades ago. Also, many of Gable’s observations about the value of college education vs. practical experience sound so relevant that it feels as if they may have been scripted in recent months.
Predictably, Gable and Day undergo massive transformations, each learning from the other and realizing that some of their beliefs ought to be a bit more flexible. Gig Young, who plays an almost annoyingly intelligent writer and intellectual, initiates their transformations and, in the process, learns a few truths about himself as well. Gable, Day, and Young’s first encounter is part of the funniest sequence in
Teacher’s Pet. It happens in a posh nightclub, where a jealous Gable, while in the company of a predictably gorgeous Mammie Van Doren, takes on Young, assuming the two are already a couple. Gable and Young repeatedly spike their drinks as Day, while having a terrific time, observes them evolving into silly boys.
Seaton and cinematographer Haskell Boggs shot
Teacher’s Pet in VistaVision, Paramount’s widescreen format. Despite the lack of diverse panoramic material,
Teacher’s Pet frequently produces striking visuals with incredibly lush blacks and whites.
Teacher's Pet Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Teacher's Pet arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from a gorgeous 6K master, recently prepared at Paramount Pictures. Excluding a tiny blemish that pops up early on, Teacher's Pet looks as good as it can on Blu-ray. It produces visuals whose density levels are sensational, often approaching what one would expect to see from a native 4K presentation. Delineation, clarity, and depth are equally impressive. While this is not surprising -- there are several Blu-ray releases sourced from equally gorgeous 6K masters prepared at Paramount Pictures -- Teacher's Pet does not have any diverse panoramic footage and still manages to impress. The grayscale is terrific, too. Blacks and whites are lush and very healthy, while grays are wonderfully balanced. There are absolutely no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is great. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
Teacher's Pet Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
It should not be surprising that the lossless track is as healthy and vibrant as it is, given how striking Teacher's Pet looks after it was redone in 6K. It is immediately obvious that the lossless track was properly remastered, too. However, even though Roy Webb's score creates some decent dynamic contrasts, dynamic variety is pretty average. However, Teacher's Pet is a dialog-driven feature, so this should not be surprising either.
Teacher's Pet Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff.
- Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Teacher's Pet. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).
Teacher's Pet Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Teacher's Pet is the type of film that these days many people rightfully describe as "lost art". The entire premise behind it is quite silly, plus it is not a visual stunner, and yet, it is a minor masterpiece. It is very easy to explain why. Teacher's Pet is brilliantly scripted and features a couple of true Hollywood stars who, while looking terrific before the camera, fire off zingers conveying old truths that are even more relevant today. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a gorgeous 6K master, recently prepared at Paramount Pictures. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
