Lady In A Jam

publicity for "Lady In A Jam"

Release date 06.19.1942

"I leave everything to numerology and astrology and things like that. It's much more reliable than thinking for myself."

Mr. Billingsley (Eugene Pallette) turns for psychiatric help to the Palmer Medical Foundation. Not help for him - way off the mark - but for his ward Jane Palmer (Irene). Miss Palmer, the granddaughter of the foundation's founder, not only managed to squander her entire inheritance but also refuses to accept the consequences of her behaviour; instead she drifts through life believing in numerology and "vibrations."

The ungrateful job to try to teach Jane some responsibility goes to handsome psychiatrist Dr. Enright (Patric Knowles). Due to an accidental chance - in the literal sense of the word - Enright gets the job as Jane's chauffeur. He makes no secret of his being a doctor but claims that he is on a detour "because of a woman."

with Patric Knowles

Despite Billingsley's endeavors, Jane's possessions are soon auctioned off. Enright convinces her that she has to confront her past in Arizona. Jane grew up living with her grandmother Cactus Kate (Queenie Vassar) in direct vicinity to the gold mine Last Hope where Jane's grandfather once excavated the family fortune. The only fond memory Jane has of her life in the desert is the one of her childhood sweetheart Stanley (Ralph Bellamy). However, Enright is certain that this would be the right place for Jane to learn to do things for her and others. Together they leave for Cactus Kate's shabby shack.

arriving in Arizona...

Jane hoped that her grandmother would give her some money to prosecute Billingsley - she is convinced that he embezzled her fortune - but Cactus Kate refuses and suggests trying the old mine to Jane.

Mainly to please Enright, Jane starts digging. Meanwhile she has developed a crush for her doctor and hopes showing some self-sufficiency and pulling all female tricks would make him "vibrate." Both enterprises are not successful; Last Hope is plain and simple exploited and Enright objects to "vibrating with Jane" because of ethical reasons. She is still his patient and additionally quite a handful. 

trying to make Enright "vibrate"...

Frustrated, Jane tells her grandmother that she will give up on the mine and on Enright and just settle down with her. The prospect of living with this nitwit is so shocking for Cactus Kate that she salts the mine hoping to get rid of Jane. Maybe a little gold could pique Enright's interest in her granddaughter. Well, Enright is the first one to get that this gold rush was self-induced but can't leave now because Jane supposedly back into money certainly will turn to her old ways soon... and is she really "healed"? Allegedly, she has still spells and odd dreams; furthermore she starts babbling about a marriage with Stanley. Obliged to his Hippocratic oath not only, Enright stays, and Jane starts to parade the green-eyed monster...

Is she really sane??

Sounds a little bit confused, right? Well, that's exactly the main problem with this film. It has its moments but never really gets going; instead of a brisk stroll "Lady In A Jam" is a rather arduous path. The team under the direction of Gregory LaCava worked with an unfinished script, which was common for a LaCava project but he was repeatedly ill during production - probably one explanation for this patchy and bumby plot. As much as I liked how LaCava took advantage of Irene's image in "Unfinished Business," just throwing Irene into a mud hole - not very ladylike, indeed - simply isn't enough. This time LaCava's working method of constant rewrites and improvisation did not work.

Universal's publicity department made quite a brouhaha about the filming in the Arizona desert and especially those "mud scenes" but even that didn't help "Lady In A Jam" at the box office.

With LaCava (at the left) preparing for the "mud scene".

The mud was a mixture of dirt, water and oil... poor Irene!

This was the only time in her career that Irene stayed on location (for about 5 weeks.) "High, Wide and Handsome" was also filmed on location but Irene traveled daily back and forth. At last, sitting in the desert alternately exposed to heat and cold and waiting for LaCava's inspiration to come, took its toll. Irene lost her temper and had a sort of nervous breakdown. This is a real, real Irene Dunne rarity - sets of Irene Dunne films were known for their pleasant atmosphere.

on set passing away some time...

Considering the fact, that Irene said "I believed in my roles, I lived them..." this fit of temper is at least fitting for Jane Palmer. She is a real pain in the neck - with some Dunne charm of course - but still a pain in the neck. Irene gives a clever performance in this rather stupid film: efficiently using the Dunne tool - her voice - she speaks faster than normally with a very defenite accentuation but frequently trails off in between or mutters under her breath. One can really hear how Jane's brain is moving - and it's not on a steady course!

Nifty dressed in Bernard Newman creations - one of Irene's favorite designers around that time - she manages to convince us that a nagger can be a strain but nonetheless worthwhile.

publicity with Patric Knowles

Co-star Patric Knowles leaves a rather pale impression; nowhere near Irene's league, he's a handsome guy but an actor I watch and forget. I always imagine someone like Brian Aherne or Robert Young or someone else of their ilk in this role. Some chemistry between our leads, some more elaboration on the love story would have done "Lady In A Jam" good but, alas, was not to be.

Poor Ralph Bellamy, whom I appreciate very much, has the most ungrateful role. I can't think of a single reason why Stanley isn't portrayed more attractively; especially with someone like Bellamy for this character. Do you remember his wonderful performance in "The Awful Truth" where he played another "country egg" as Irene's love interest? But Stanley is simply ridiculous and not even allowed to be good at things this cliché of a cowboy ought to be good at - to lasso cattle, for instance. I assume that the scene on the farm was meant to be funny but my risible muscle denied any action. Anyhow, I can't say that this particular muscle was very active; really challenged was only my staying power.

Ralph Bellamy singing the appropriate piece of music for this film - a lamento...

"Lady In A Jam" is one of those "could have been" films: could have been funny, could have been great. The initial idea is not bad and the one aspect about this film I really like is that Irene played for once not a completely likeable character. But unfortunately those promising beginnings are not consequently developed and the result is mere patchwork.

The only silver lining of this film and the only thinkable reason to watch it is... I'm sure you know the name.

Once again, we've come full circle.

Please, don't shoot the reviewer!

Unfinished Business

Irene as Nancy Andrews Duncan

Release date 09.12.1941

"You see, Tommy, you just won't understand that in the lifes of all women there's some unfinished business. Don't ask me why. Is that clear?"

"No!"

After marrying off the sister she raised, Nancy (Irene) decides that's her turn now and that she won't stick to the plans her family made for her. It's about time for some adventure in the big city. Hoping for a singing career, Nancy leaves her hometown Massina, Ohio, for New York. On the train she meets wealthy playboy Steve Duncan (Preston Foster). Steve has a nice little 50-bucks-bet running with his buddy - who will pick up the more beautiful girl on the train - and Nancy just comes in handy. Despite Steve's obvious line she soon surrenders to his kisses ... 

No Little Red Riding Hood but Redhead and the Wolf

(wolf at work)

Well, the next morning Steve hopes that he would get away without having to talk to her but gets trapped.

S: "I'll give you a call..."

N: "You won't forget?"

S: "What do you think?"

N: "I love you!"

The end of the affair...

The next weeks bring two revelations for our small town girl: Steve won't call, and her voice isn't trained enough for an opera career. The only job Nancy lands is as singing telephone operator at a nightclub. An accidental meeting with Steve and his fiancée at the club ends with tears for Nancy. Not knowing why she is so upset, Steve's brother, Tom (Robert Montgomery) tries to comfort her. Tom is a boozer, a good-for-nothing fellow feeling overshadowed by his older brother but nonetheless a nice guy. At the night of Steve's wedding Tom and Nancy get terribly drunk and not so terribly married with Tom still not knowing about the train fling between his brother and his bride.

Tommie and Nancy on their way to marriage...

 Get this down!

The main occupation of the young couple during the next time is frequenting nightclubs and showing socially not accepted behaviour but one evening they strand at the domiciliary grand piano with Nancy fulfilling Tom's request for "When You and I Were Young, Maggie." Tommy has it bad; despite their original intentions he has fallen in love with his wife. Nancy - though not totally over her feelings for Steve - isn't immune to his confession and starts to show some wifely qualities.

The Duncans - this time sober and happy

All of this could end as a strangely started "nice boy meets nice girl" story if Tommy wouldn't have the idea to invite some family and friends for dinner. Nancy trying to find a sort of closure for her "unfinished business" kisses brother Steve which observed by Tommy's former girlfriend arouses a lot of attention at the party. The unfinished business is still unfinished, and perhaps it never will be finalized ...

Not such a good idea...

"Unfinished Business" is an underestimated little gem - an intelligent, very "adult" movie which switches between different genres. It's not a real comedy but witty and funny in between, and it's too funny and witty to be called a drama. The person who makes this hybrid of a film mainly work is Irene Dunne. Her Nancy is quite a character - naive, a person with an agenda of her own, not exactly flawless, with pathetic moments but in the final analysis blessed with an amiable down-to-earth quality. Nice stuff for an actress who was not only the mistress of the melodrama but also the queen of the comedy timing. Miss Dunne gets the chance to show a lot of facets - including her singing voice - and as you ought to know by now, La Dunne was no diamond in the rough; she knew how to glitter exquisitely.

Fitting background for Li'l Diamond

(publicity from 1941)

The film doesn't beat around the bush - small town girl was seduced in the train. Listening to Irene's "I love you..." the next morning you simply know that this night was not merely about holding hands (btw after the "wedding night" in "Penny Serenade" the second sexual encounter in a train in a row.Of course we don't get to see anything but the stopping down to the moving wheels of the train symbolizes the "forces at work") The plot is unusual for a film of this era because small town girl is not punished for her one night stand; she doesn't get pregnant, doesn't die, doesn't lose her rich husband but she moves on and even gets to terms with the nice guy in the end. Every time when you have the feeling that you are on the steady course of a Hollywood story, "Unfinished Business" steers in an unexpected direction. Or was stupid me the only one thinking that we were heading in the direction of a glamorous career as nightclub singer when Nancy-Irene was invited to audition? Instead she gets to "rehearse" a jingle and stupid me almost died laughing. Of course this hilarious scene only works because Irene Dunne really could sing. "Unfinished Business" boldly takes advantage of Irene's off- and on-screen image; plays around with it and spoofs it which is a lot of fun for folks with some Dunne knowledge.   

La Diva rehearsing a jingle - one of those great LaCava frames

(and look out for what Irene does in the background during this scene... )

But let's talk about the source for some unfinished business in Nancy's life,  the males.

Preston Foster is okay for me - no less, no more. I don't find him overwhelming attractive but that mirrors nicely how desperate Irene's character is for some, any kind of romance in her life. "Steve" is a rather ungrateful part with not much to do except being quite unsympathetic - a not overly interesting "wolf."

Robert Montgomery is another league but I had to acquire a taste for his acting. Considering the fact that he worked frequently with all my favorite MGM gals I just didn't get around the guy and finally developed a real liking for him. Nowadays his presence is a convincing reason to watch a film. "Tom" is a sort of typical Bob Montgomery role - he was always good at portraying frivolousness with an option for seriousness - and he creates a complex character who manages to finish some issues of his own. He and his co-star have some wonderful scenes together which show how impressive underacting can be. Kindly enough, Robert Mongomery has a very competent valet at his side embodied by character actor Eugene Pallette who gives a great performance as "butler Elmer."

La Dunne with Eugene Pallette - this was the last time that Irene smoked on-screen.

(Elmer and me don't like that hat!)

"Unfinished Business" is based on an original story by director Gregory LaCava. He not only leaves room for his story and his actors but manages remarkable staging. Especially the scenes which change between privateness and public - in the restaurant with the silver wedding anniversary in the background, the party at the Duncan's or the nightclub scenery for instance - are very well done. To figure on the player's personality was a typical LaCava method of work which explains the Dunne tailored tidbits. As for Robert Montgomery, they had to start filming earlier because of his commitment to active service in the U.S. Navy; and once again art imitates life! If those tidbits are the "LaCava touch", I certainly appreciate this approach.

Cheers! Almost done! 

(and Mr. Montgomery really deserved another pic...)

An intelligent, unusual story, great actors, remarkable directing, an in all her facets glittering Irene and music - that's the Dunne formula which makes me happy!

Cheerio!

Joy Of Living

as Margaret Garret

Release date 05.06.1938

M-"Haven't you any responsibilities?"

D-"Yes, to me! I do what I want to do, when I want to do it!"

Hard-working and successful Broadway star Margaret Garret (Irene) is not only emotionally and financially drained by her parasitic family (Alice Brady, Guy Kibbee, Lucille Ball and Warren Hymer) but lately traced by ship-owner Dan Brewster (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.). His efforts to gain her attention are unappreciated by Margaret, and she has him arrested. At last they end up at court and to rescue Dan from a six month prison sentence – Margaret had something more mild in mind – she agrees to serve as his probation officer.

Margaret and Dan (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) at court

It turns out Dan is not only infatuated but has a mission and a message. His mission is to rescue Margaret from her family, and here is the “Brewster message”: skip your responsibilities and do the things you want to do, when you want to do them. Tricked by Dan, Margaret spends an evening with him which he uses to convince her that one can have a lot of fun with only two bucks. This search for inexpensive entertainment includes drinking, dancing, roller skating, some singing and more drinking. Margaret – anyhow already attracted to Mr. Brewster – starts under the influence of a lot of beer and admiring glances of Dan to earnestly fall for the guy.

The lady is having a beer...

Our drunken couple lands in Margaret’s bedroom – of course this is harmless as can be – but the family isn’t as convinced as we are, and makes quite a brouhaha. When Dan accuses them that their only concern is the fear to lose their meal-ticket, Maggie orders him out. No one is allowed to speak such disrespectfully with her family. Despite their behavior she still believes that they would stick to her in time of trouble.

However, learning that Dan is going to sail for China in the evening she hurries to the dock, proposes, and is accepted by Mr. Brewster.

Maggie on her way to propose...

Follows a quick shot of a marriage, but the newly-weds already start quarreling only a few minutes after the ceremony. Their plans for the nearer future are not exactly compatible – the “Brewster message” and Maggie’s feeling of responsibility towards her contract and her family don’t go well together. It seems that this marriage is at an end before it really started, but don’t worry, Maggie will soon learn the truth about her family…

Maggie and her loving family...

You’d assume that a comedy involving Miss Dunne and a score by Mr. Kern is a sure bet with me, but, well, it is not. I have a lot of difficulties with this film, starting with the basic – the story. There are beautiful “money isn’t everything/enjoy your life as long as you can” films around but “The Joy Of Living” is not one of those candidates. The fact that the ambassador of the aforementioned “Brewster message” is the owner of a ship, a mansion furnished little island and obviously doesn’t have to work much - probably he lives off the family fortune - is hard to swallow. Maybe I’d gulp even this, if the representative of this sort of “Joy Of Living” wouldn’t be Douglas Fairbanks Jr. He doesn’t find a charming, light tone but starts bossy preaching, which simply annoys me. Oh boy, how I wished for Cary Grant or Robert Taylor to be around!  Added the absence of chemistry between him and Irene, and this awful, ridiculous “Duck thing” he does all the time, the leading man of “Joy Of Living” just sunk.  

Sorry, Douglas, I just knocked you out!

To do Mr. Fairbanks Jr. at least some justice, I have to say, that as his tone lacks lightness the shortage of this fundamental comedy necessity is a main problem of the whole film. They are all trying too hard  – including Irene. The first half of the movie is okay and has its moments, but then they start pushing the whole thing over the edge. Everything is exaggerated and especially the supporting actresses and actors are at the brink of caricatures. The running gags – Irene’s fight with her veil drinking beer or the reoccurring hiccups for instance – are exhausted to an extreme and repeated over and over again.  This comedy is far away from offering any sophistication or wit, and to handle slapstick in such a long stretch – the “we are having a good time” sequence is far too long – needs an expertly tight and stringent direction, which is unfortunately not supplied by Tay Garnett. “Less is more” would have been a nice guideline for this movie.

You couldn't be cuter...

Okay, me don’t like that film…but what about the score? Come on, it’s Kern! Well, it’s Kern, and although those are not songs of an “evergreen” quality they are still very beautiful. The majority of the numbers is presented in the first half of “Joy Of Living”, probably one reason why I like this part a lot better than the rest.

Irene Dunne always gives me something, and “Joy Of Living” isn’t an exception to the rule, but her Margaret Garret definitely isn’t one of my favorite performances of hers. There are Dunne moments where she gets me once again, and she makes a cute drunkard, but that’s all there is.

one of those moments...

“The Joy Of Living” was a film Irene didn’t remember very well in later years, and I’d forget all about it, if it wouldn’t be for a couple of  Irene Dunne scenes and some Kern songs.

Theodora Goes Wild

Irene as Theodora Lynn

Release date 11.12.1936

"You know, what your aunts wired?"
"Those two delightful relicts? No. What?"
"Theodora's gone wild!"
"Tut, tut, I haven't started."

Welcome to Lynnfield, a small quiet New England town! But today Lynnfield is in an uproar about the first installment of a racy novel published in the Lynnfield Bugle. The protest is headed by Lynnfield‘s literary circle and especially by its important members Mary and Elsie Lynn (Elizabeth Risdon and Margaret McWade), off springs of the founders of Lynnfield and spinster aunts of Theodora (Irene). What the aunties, who educated Theodora, don't know is that her niece, proper Sunday school teacher and church organist, wrote this novel under the name de plume “Caroline Adams“. To avoid any further scandal Theodora goes to New York to instruct her publisher (Thurston Hall) to keep her identity a secret. In his office she meets artist Michael Grant (Melvyn Douglas) who illustrated the cover of her book, and Michael, quite surprised by the prim looks of alleged wild Caroline Adams, starts challenging her “to let her back hair down“.

Michael (Melvyn Douglas) testing out "Caroline Adams"

Theodora's attempt to pick up the gauntlet and to show that she is indeed an experienced woman ends with an escape from Michael's apartment. Michael's interest is aroused and he follows Theodora to Lynnfield where he manages, with a lot of talking and threatening Theodora to reveal her secret, to get a job as gardener in the Lynn's house. Michael views it as his mission to rescue Theodora from narrow-minded Lynnfield and to help her to live her own life - as free and self-determined as his own. First steps seem to be to urge Theodora to go berry picking and fishing with him, and our two leads have quite a good time in the woods.

Theo and Michael

Soon the townspeople, Aunt Elsie, and Aunt Mary are suspicious of this flowering relationship and the consensus is to send this strange gardener away. An angry Theodora tells them off and admits that she loves Michael, and never will sent him away. Michael is not exactly glad about this announcement and the next day he is vanished, merely leaving a note for Theodora. But Theodora doesn't give up as easily as that; she follows Michael to New York where she learns that a. he is in love with her and b. he is married, trapped in an unhappy marriage, which he doesn‘t dare to break up because of the political ambitions of his father. Theodora vows to free him as he freed her, and if this needs a scandal to hasten the end of his marriage, that can be arranged. Dressed in a new wardrobe Theodora starts living Caroline Adams' life…Theodora goes wild!

Theodora Lynn aka Caroline Adams

I have a little weakness for this film because it was the first Dunne film I watched, and I only picked this one because I wanted to have a look at Dunne and found that title rather promising. Cannot say that this lady knocked me off my feet immediately, but obviously, I considered her interesting enough to check out some more of her films, and well, the rest is history. Some of Irene's comedies make me laugh over and over again, but that's not the case with “Theodora”. The kind of humor offered here, more rooted in the initial situation and clash of culture than in a witty script and the leads' repartee and chemistry, wears thin by and by with re-watching. Nevertheless, there is one scene that always works for me - when Theodora after her transformation turns up the first time at her publisher's office. This toying with layers, Irene Dunne playing Theodora, playing Caroline Adams - which is btw perfectly done by Irene, never loses its effect on me. Though this is not a comedy, which finds me screaming with laughter, it has nonetheless some pleasures ready for me.

Starting to free Michael...

I like the structure of "Thedora Goes Wild"; the contrast between country and city, which, interestingly enough, each are gender dominated. Lynnfield seems to be a town almost completely in female hands, and the city, New York, is run by males. No wonder that New York stands for freedom and the “real” life. That Michael, the embodiment of city life and its principles, has his own skeleton in the closet and is far away from leading the self-determined life he bragged about, brings to light that clichés are just that - clichés. Many things happen two times only with reversed signs, a typical comedy element, and almost all characters are not what they seem to be at first sight. Hillbilly Theodora throws overboard all her Sunday school attitude to get her man, before the altar, though; self-contented Michael loses all his composure and even the maiden aunts are good for a surprise.

Theodora and the "two delightful relicts" (Elizabeth Risdon and Margaret McWade)

“Theodora Goes Wild” was Irene's first genuine comedy, although there are comedy moments to be found in her earlier films. She claimed that she was very nervous during production and that could explain her - for Irene Dunne's standards - slightly over the top performance. Fortunately, this works in advantage for her, because Irene's character is not wild, just pretending to be, and that nervousness adds the needed air of insecurity to make this pretense believable. After all those heavier films it's plain and simple enjoyable to watch twirly Irene fluttering her eyelashes. However, this performance captured Irene her second Academy Award nomination; maybe her peers were simply surprised that Miss Dunne could do comedy. But one shouldn't forget that Irene Dunne had quite a lot of experience with the genre of musical comedy before she ever set her foot on a Hollywood lot.

Okay, let's do a comedy ...

The famous Dunne timing is not in full swing yet, probably due to the fact that this needs a counterpart, which is not given in the person of Melvyn Douglas. I have a special liking for Mr. Douglas - he worked with all my favorite actresses and I always liked what he did - but he and Irene are not the most convincing pairing. I believed her that she fell for him but his confession of love came totally out of the blue. They don't have the greatest dialogue at hand to start with, still some chemistry, some erotic sparkles could have enhanced even this one. Of course, on-screen chemistry is always a rare, lucky occurrence - and maybe I'm simply spoiled because I know of the leading men to come.

At last - a hymn!

And wouldn't you know, Irene sings again! The hymn “Rock Of Ages” illustrates Theodora's position in Lynnfield's community, and is at the same time a nice Irene Dunne tidbit, because singing in church was the way how teenage Irene earned her very first money. And there is Michael's and Theodora's “torch song” titled “Be Still My Heart”. We hear this song the first time in Michael's apartment where Michael imitates a seduction scene from Theodora's novel. Here “Be Still My Love” is used as soft music in the background; the next time it's played by Theodora to silence Michael, and in her interpretation the song sounds like a hymn with the lyrics of a love song, though. The third time “Be Still My Heart” is already a shared memory, thus the triple use of this song makes a nice background commentary to the development of our leads' love affair.

Lynnfield's literary circle (standing Spring Byington)

A real asset of this film are the wonderful performances of the character actors and actresses, especially the townspeople headed by Thomas Mitchell as newspaper man, Spring Byington as the gossip and Elizabeth Risdon as Aunt Mary. Their performances and the fact that director Richard Boleslawski had a knack for crowd scenes lay on a couple of funny moments.

This movie is not one of the most brilliant stars glittering at the comedy heaven, but it's a thoroughly likeable picture - especially if you watch it for the first or second time. As for Irene, “Theodora Goes Wild” is a "must see" because it marks her first comedy and venture into a genre that turned out to be from great importance for her career.

tut, tut, I'm finished!

A Pause Before We Are Heading For Comedy

the radiant Miss Dunne in her mid-forties

Although we are only in 1936 and there are still 16 years to come of Irene Dunne in the movies, we are halfway through with our journey. In her first 6 years in Hollywood, five of them under her initial contract with RKO, Irene made about the half of her total of 41 films. This sheer amount deserves a look back before we are going to leave for the second half.

Today Irene Dunne is mainly remembered because of her comedies and as co-star of Cary Grant, which is justified and unjust at the same time. The expression “versatility” is never far away as soon as the name Irene Dunne is mentioned and the fundament of this is her early work. We have melodramas, musicals, conversation pieces in quick succession, and even a western and such an oddity as “Stingaree” found their place. Irene did sing Jerome Kern, opera, music hall ditties; played shop-girls, opera singers, a countess, a fashion designer, a steel mill worker's wife, a secretary and well-off Mrs. Jim Dunlap, just to name a few. In a year like 1934 movie-goers had the occasion to watch Miss Dunne in such diverse motion pictures as “This Man Is Mine”, “Stingaree”, “The Age Of Innocence” and “Sweet Adeline”, thus “Irene Dunne could do it all” was basically established in those early years. And another fundament was laid during that period, Irene's screen persona: ladylike, decent, a vital truthfulness. Those elements - versatility and a defined screen persona - were the ground to build on the next years of Irene's career.

Miss Sophistication in 1941

This ground was effectively, successfully and gratifyingly tilled in Irene's time as a freelance actress. Of course those years gave us the highlights and - not always but most of the times - the superior films. One reason for this is the simple fact that Irene worked with co-stars of the same league as herself; such names as Cary Grant, Charles Boyer - Irene's deservedly so favorite onscreen partners - or William Powell and Spencer Tracy only crossed Irene's path starting with 1937. This second career half bestowed us with wonderful scripts, an impressing list of accomplished directors and last not least a throughout beautifully presented and photographed Irene. Her image in those years is seamless, and the fact that Irene had her hand in picking scripts, the freedom to reject projects and director's approval certainly was part of this. Additionally Irene conquered the genre of comedy, which was the perfect playground to bring her delightful screen persona into full bloom. Especially the comedies took advantage of Irene's on screen and kindly correlating off screen image and deliberately spoofed it with Miss Dunne voluntarily going along.

In her forties, at an age when many actresses have to face a lull in their careers, Irene Dunne was flying high; her success at the box office reflected by her top spot on the list of Hollywood earners.

Those are all good reasons to concentrate on this later phase of Irene's acting career but this would be too narrowly considered. One shouldn't forget that Miss Dunne was already a star before she embarked on comedy; and though most of those early films don't offer the sophistication, wit, finesse of their follow-ups they offer indeed a lot of quintessential Dunne acting and singing.