My Favorite Wife

Our magnificent leads in a publicity clinch   

Release date 05.17.1940

"Oh, by the way... how was my funeral?"

"Lovely! Dr. Blake preached a wonderful sermon."

"Oh, I wish I've been there!"

After seven years, Nick Arden (Cary Grant) has his wife Ellen (Irene) who allegedly drowned at sea declared legally dead because he wants to marry Bianca (Gail Patrick). Shipwrecked and by an off course boat rescued Ellen returns just in time to thwart the honeymoon. She follows the newlyweds in their hotel and as soon as Nick lays his eyes on her again he is sure that she is still the one and only. 

Who on earth is Bianca??

But how to break the news to Bianca who is preparing for the wedding night upstairs? "Sorry, marriage is off!" probably won't do ... poor Nick wanting to do the right thing for everybody just doesn't come around to utter the adequate words. Ellen decides to give him some more time and to billet on her own family as an "old friend from the South." 

"Hey Nicolas, honey!"

This not only gives her the opportunity to keep an eye on Nick and Bianca but to get acquainted with her two kids who are too young to remember her. When the right time comes, she'll tell Tim (Scotty Beckett) and Cinch (Mary Lou Harrington) that she is their mother. 

Probably even this confusing situation would be settled soon, if Nick wouldn't learn that Ellen was not alone on her island. She was kept company by handsome Stephen Burkett (Randolph Scott) - quite an "Adam" to Ellen's "Eve". The second round in the battle of sexes begins ... 

Adam, Eve and Nick

"My Favorite Wife" always does the trick for me - it makes me laugh and puts me in a light-hearted mood, which is certainly something very nice and pleasant to write about a film . The story is not exactly believable - not even Irene Dunne would look like Irene Dunne anymore after seven years on a desolate island, especially considering Irene's delicate skin - and Nick's and Bianca's relationship is kind of odd from the beginning. That guy doesn't have to think for a second to give her the boots, but, well , if somebody can make this plausible, it's Irene Dunne! However, this rather silly story provides the most wonderful vehicle for all kind of absurd, madcap situations, is nicely spiced with slapstick elements and handled by a cast in a genial mood. 

The radiant Irene

According to La Dunne, the idea behind "My Favorite Wife" was a sort of sequel to "The Awful Truth" which makes absolute sense and turns the last ten minutes when Irene once again ends seductively lolling in bed into an appropriate quotation. Because of an accident Leo McCarey was not in charge of the direction - this task went to the more than capable Garson Kanin - but produced "My Favorite Wife" and was in general around. Though not as sophisticated as its predecessor - the dialogue in "The Awful Truth" is simply wittier - they are both obviously products of the same spirit. 

Thus our protagonists pick up where they left off; mumbling there, come-hither glances here, repartee back and forth, long talk short - onscreen chemistry in full swing. No wonder Cary Grant described acting with Irene Dunne more like a long flirtation than work.

Well, we already know each other...

One Cary Grant mystery for me is that he stumbles from one ridiculous situation into the other without ultimately making a fool of himself; the entire time he is still absolutely attractive, adorable and no irritation arouses why Ellen wants her hubby urgently back, although he's a little bit slow and complicated about the "Bianca issue". That Nicky beats her with her own weapons and gets her eventually with a laugh leads to a nice tied game, and they end in the room in which direction they were moving all along - the bedroom.

Let's be serious about life...

Irene has a field day as Ellen Arden jumping on the sofa for a "how to tell Bianca" rehearsal - one of my favorite scenes - parading her thick Southern accent, and ogling Cary's Nick - this intelligent and sexy lady knows how to handle the male species! Quite wonderful about Irene's presentation is that she consequently seems to share her amusement with us. She had anyway a tendency to "tongue in cheek" performances - something which was not always appreciated by the critics, but an important reason why I love actress Dunne - and Irene's Ellen is the mistress of this tone. She obviously enjoys the situation - at least partly - which makes us accomplices because we share some fun while the other parties concerned still have to fight  the absurdity of life. When the script asks for some sentiment - for instance the scene in which Ellen tells her kids about her true identity - Irene quickly switches back to the general mood which defines her characterization. Her Ellen embraces the absurdity of her situation and laughs about it, which is almost irresistible. Anyhow, who does not want to share complicity with Miss Dunne? 

...but not heavy about it!

Beyond enjoying the cooperation with Cary Grant and Leo McCarey, Irene had another valuable reason to like this film - and as we know by now, she was a little bit particular about her pictures - but this one made her list because she liked the performances of the bit players. Especially the hotel clerk (Donald MacBride), the judge (Granville Bates) and the little shoe salesman (Chester Clute) create real showpieces. Their roles are almost more grateful than the parts of Gail Patrick and Randolph Scott, and if I regret anything about this film, it's the fact that two scenes were cut that probably would have been a chance for these two actors to show some more of their competent presence.

 Okay, Irene, you got me! Once again!!

"My Favorite Wife" this most delightful "prelude to a kiss" is one of my Dunne favorites and I bet this statement just took you entirely by surprise! 

Love Affair

Charles Boyer and Irene 

Release date 03.16.1939

"Anything can happen, don't you think?" (Terry)

Sailing from Europe to New York, Michel Mornat (Charles Boyer) - a notorious playboy, who is on his way to marry heiress Lois Clarke (Astrid Alwyn) - meets Terry McKay (Irene) - a young woman kept by her boss and "fiancé" Ken Bradley (Lee Bowman). Though both are (almost) going steady, they start flirting and Michel clearly has a shipboard romance in mind.

First encounter...

Obviously, Terry is attracted to him and wouldn't be adverse to a little fling, but she fears that they would make the newspapers and stops the entaglement before it really started. However, on a shore excursion - the boat docks at Madeira - they run into each other, and Michel invites Terry to join him for a visit to his grandmother. Janou (Maria Ouspenskaja) lives on a hill in a house with a calm, unwordly atmosphere that immediatley captivates Terry. 

with Janou (Maria Ouspenskaja)

From his grandmother she learns about some other sides of Michel; not only is he a talented painter, but there is nothing wrong about him the right woman couldn't fix. These hours together work like a catalyzer for their feelings and back aboard Michel and Terry know that something serious is happening between them.  

 Work and love or a life of "pink champagne"?

Although they are sure about their feelings for each other, they are not sure if they could manage a long-term relationship; both are used to a life of "pink champagne" - and that someone else pays for the champagne. Michel has never worked before and Terry only a short time as singer at a nightclub before she was picked up by Ken. They agree not to see each other for six months, and have a try at finding a job and changing their lifestyle. If this will work out they'll meet again atop of the Empire State Building and then the future will be theirs. 

Terry and Ken (Lee Bowman) - Michel is not amused

Both take the first step and leave their respective partners. When his art doesn't sell, Michel takes a job as painter of signs while Terry starts singing again. At last, the six months are over and the Empire State Building is already in sight, but then fate strikes. Terry - in a hurry to meet Michel - is run over by a car, and this accident brings her into the wheelchair. Not knowing if she'll ever walk again, she doesn't want to be a burden for Michel and does not contact him. 

Terry and the kids singing "Whishing" 

Whereas the fact that Terry didn't show up is the dissapointment of his life, Michel just can't turn back to his playboy ways and instead concentrates on his painting. Likewise, Terry refuses any help from Ken and makes a living as music teacher at an orphanage still hoping that she'll escape the wheelchair in the nearer future and then she'll "run to Michel." Coincidentally they meet at a theater performance. Michel not aware of her state of health, and irritated because Terry is accompanied by Ken , visits Terry the next day. He simply has to know why she didn't climb the Empire State Building before he'll leave "to sail the seven seas" trying to forget her... 

The last visit...

"Love Affair" is not only a very beautiful film but an interesting mixture of different genres. Romantic comedy - mainly taking place on the cruiser - and melodrama walk hand in hand glued together by well-nigh religious elements. An igniting moment for Terry's and Michel's relationship is when they pray together in a little chapel on Janou's estate. The scenery is immersed in light coming from a window above and concentrating on Irene thus arousing the effect that we - and Michel - seem to see her anew. When they leave the chapel there is a moment of slight embarrassement between our main characters; something has changed and they know it. Both our protogonists are not quite flawless - the first detail we learn about Michel is that he just betrayed his fiancee with her best friend - and Terry's relationship with Ken - though he is the only page in her "little black book" - is not exactly one out of an etiquette guide for ladies. But we are told to love the sinner and not the sin, and who does not want to believe that love might have a cathartic effect and bring out the best in us? Of course this "catharsis" has to stand a test, and our couple has to prove that they are changed as individuals to be allowed to become a couple again.

one of my favorite publicities...

As serious as this sounds as light is the tone in which the story is told - certainly an outstanding, appealing feature of "Love Affair." Charles Boyer and Irene are simply wonderful in the leads, and their first co-work resulted in a film they both called one of their favorites. Again we are lucky enough to witness the mysterious moment of onscreen chemistry; in the case of Irene and Charles a chemistry more based on tenderness and warmth than  on repartee and timing which connected Irene so wonderfully with Cary Grant. Charles Boyer was Irene Dunne's other favorite leading men - Miss Dunne knew whom to pick. Irene had the fondest memories of the atmosphere on the set of "Love Affair" and gave a by an Academy Award nomination awarded performance.

on set with Leo McCarey and Charles Boyer 

She is not only supported by her leading man, but by the fine direction of Leo McCarey - another one of Irene's favorite co-workers. On one hand low-key on the other hand most impressive, McCarey finds a touching visual language for this "affair" - the first encounter, the aforementioned scene in the chapel, their first kiss or the whole last ten minutes of this film... anyway, those last ten minutes! If I would need a reminder why I started this project - I do not, just in case - I could simply watch these ten minutes. That's  top class Dunne  - an emotional rollercoaster of a scene handled solely by the use of her speaking voice and her facial expressions; and in passing she proves why her Terry was and is the woman Michel fell in love with. That someone like Charles Boyer is Irene's counterpart in this scene is an exhilarating onscreen moment. 

There we sing again...

All of this would be certainly enough to make "Love Affair" one of my favorite Irene Dunne films, but I get a super extra - a song! "Sing My Heart" was especially written by Harold Arlen  for this movie and fits Irene's voice perfectly. A fav song in a fav film - that's certainly worth a recommendation! 

The Awful Truth

The Warriners

Release date 10.21.1937

Jerry Warriner (Cary Grant) allegedly back from Florida - he never left New York and we won't learn about the why and wherefore - is nonetheless slightly annoyed when he returns to an empyt apartment with a couple of friends. Where is his wife Lucy (Irene)? Entrance Lucy, surprisingly all dressed up and with her handsome singing teacher Armand (Alexander D'Arcy) in tow. Follows the well-known excuse of "the car broke down and we had to stay in an inn," and exactly when Jerry is on the brink to embark on an "I'm in the right" scene caused by jealousy, Lucy discovers that the oranges he brought her are not from Florida but from California! The hasty jump to conclusions of the Warriners ends with a divorce and a struggle about the custody for their dog, Mr. Smith.

arguing over Mr. Smith

Mr. Smith goes to Lucy with visitation rights for Jerry which means that he shows up frequently at Lucy's apartment. While waiting for her final decree, Lucy urged by her Aunt Patsy (Cecil Cunningham), starts dating wealthy Oklahoma farmer Daniel Leeson (Ralph Bellamy). Unsophisticated Dan soon proposes and is accepted by Lucy thus bringing Jerry completely to the scene.

Dan enjoys a hearty laugh...

He does the best he can to disturb the ongoing courtship, and in the proceedings it becomes obvious that he and Lucy are still very attracted to each other. Being a woman and therefore quicker about such things, Lucy knows that she loves this lunatic soon-to-be ex-husband of hers, and we could be heading in the direction of a reconciliation, if Armand wouldn't enter the scene...
Well, completely fed up now, Jerry decides to look for other female company and before long, he is involved with rich socialite Barbara Vance (Molly Lamont). The three months are over, at midnight the decree will be final, and Lucy visits Jerry at his apartment for a last farewell - still hoping that it won't be the last, though.

Sometimes it's hard to be a woman...

Accidentally she picks up the phone, and to destroy the suspicions of his fiancée Jerry passes her off as his sister. Turns out this wasn't such a good idea, because "Sister Lola" gets an invitation to a dinner party at Barbara's parents' house. That's the chance Lucy waited for and she not only shows up, but gives the phrase "to be the heart and soul of a party" a new and very peculiar meaning. To rescue the situation, Jerry drags her out of the house, and taking advantage of the situation, Lucy presses every button to lure him into her bedroom before midnight...

Irene Lola Lucy in action!

Much of the action was improvised and director Leo McCarey wrote parts of the script directly on the set, which gives "The Awful Truth" an unbelievable fresh- and directness. Though he left his actors room for spontaneity, McCarey defenitely knew what he wanted and this shows. Additionally, he had - due to his training in his earlier films - a knack for slapstick, which makes this movie a splendid mixture of witty dialogue and almost banal humor. Bedroom farces, sitting on handkerchiefs, toppling over chairs or other madcap scenery are neither exactly new nor sophisticated but how these situations are handled ,and by whom, cracked even me up  - decidedly more on the verbal side of humor.

The Warriners - slightly seperated

"The Awful Truth", this story about two human beings who get into a divorce not to lose their face and have to make fools of themselves not to lose each other in the end, is a lot, a lot of fun. This exemplary representative of the screwball comedy genre gained Leo McCarey a Best Director Academy Award.
On the set of her second comedy, Irene met the first of her two favorite leading men - Cary Grant (the other one was soon to come Charles Boyer). And as she told in an interview: "We just worked from the first moment. He's a generous actor. He can afford to be, any man that gorgeous, and who'd watch little old me?" (interview with James Bawden) Anyway, "The Awful Truth" certainly offers enough good reasons to watch "little old me." It's Irene Dunne at her comedic best, in an with an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress awarded performance, and if you want to know what all the fuss about her perfect timing is about, you just might watch this film. But of course, all of Irene's timing wouldn't work without someone like Cary Grant as counterpart - quite a master of timing himself that guy!

Little Ol' Me, Mr. Smith and Mr. Generous

If "The Awful Truth" is an example for timing it's as well an example for another difficult-to-explain-but-you-know-it-when-you-see-it term -- on-screen chemistry. Is it that the actors seem to be at ease with each other and at the same time there is an erotic tension? Is it repartee? Or simply bringing out the best as actors in each other? Seems to be all of this and a lot more!
However, what I simply love is Irene's and Cary's constant ogling each other. They react to their -once again expertly arranged entourage - and concurrently have a steady sort of private interaction going on. Irene Dunne and Cary Grant simply were a perfect match, last not least in their similar style of acting which looks so effortless and natural and was unfortunately of the Award Nominations amassing and not winning the statuette kind.
Those two human highlights are competently supported by Ralph Bellamy in one of these rather thankless  "the third part of a triangle" roles. But Mr. Bellamy - an utterly sympathetic actor - gives a charming performance, and his dance number with Irene, for which he had to practice a lot, is one of the (many) high points of the film.

Lucy and Dan trying a step or two...

Surprise, surprise! I love this film, and every time I watch it I discover a new facetious detail and an Irene qoute comes to mind: "It is difficult to make people laugh, but it is infinitely worthwhile. You have lengthened their lives, or you have made them happier, and that is important in itself."(The Sydney Morning Herald, June 1938) If this is true - and I have no reason to doubt Miss Dunne - I certainly owe Irene!

one of my favorite publicities

                                                         

 Some last words about the core of this blog - the one and only Miss Dunne. I'm convinced that Irene could have managed a career without any comedy ventures. She already had her place in Hollywood, and could have gone on solely with melodrama and musical, but I certainly like how the comedies broadened her image. This new genre offered her the opportunity to show some more facets: her sense of humor, youthful lightness, this delighful playfulness and last not least the simple fact that she was indeed a dish. The days of philandering on-screen husbands and lovers are gone by now - no more fighting for men but with relish fighting with them. And sex appeal, humor, warmth, the most wonderful throaty laugh and the steady impression that this woman is up to something make quite a nice armory in the battle of sexes.

Good night!