Ronald Has Amnesia

The first World War is ending, but for John Smith (Ronald Colman), it finished prematurely. Wounded in battle, he was discovered by the enemy, and eventually sent back to his country in an exchange. John will never return to the war - he has lost his memory, doesn't know who he is or where he came from, and is virtually unable to speak. But he desperately wants to leave the hospital and resume some kind of normal life. So, when an opportunity presents itself, he walks out of the hospital, and is befriended by Music Hall performer Paula Ridgeway (Greer Garson). We'll be discussing Random Harvest (1942) this week.

While we endeavor to keep spoilers to a minimum, Random Harvest has so many twists and turns that it is next to impossible to not reveal something in any discussion of the film. So, if you've never seen it before, you might want to watch it before reading our discussion. Or at least be aware that a number of important plot points occur and characters are introduced because of surprise changes in the storyline.

The movie is based on the novel of the same name by James Hilton, the author of Lost Horizon (that highly successful 1937 film featured Ronald Colman) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (the film that in 1939 introduced Greer Garson to American audiences). The book is significantly longer than the film, and has a narrative voice that does not appear in the film. And one of the surprises that appears early in the film is saved for the final page of the book. Otherwise, the screenplay is faithful to the book.

Ronald Colman (while a bit old for the character) is absolutely amazing. He really has to play three characters in the film: the shell-shocked John Smith, the loving Smithy, and the aristocratic Charles Rainier. While I'm not fond of the scene in which Dr. Jonathan Benet (Philip Dorn) bring Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd (Charles Waldron and Elisabeth Risdon), the parents of a missing soldier, in to see if John might be their son, Colman gives it just the right level of hopefulness. It also establishes John's desperate need to leave the asylum - without a family to go to, it seems likely that he will molder in the hospital until his will to fight is gone. Mr. Colman was nominated for an Oscar for his performance - he lost to James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy - as well as by the New York Film Critics. As two recent pictures had not done well - Lucky Partners (1940) and My Life with Caroline (1941) - this film (along with Talk of the Town (1942) put Mr. Colman back on top of the box office. (TCM article)

Greer Garson is radiant as Paula; like Mr. Colman, she too has to go through several "personalities," though not as drastic as his. With her warm smile and easy grace, it's no wonder that Smithy trusts her instantly. That he could ever forget about her is perhaps the only puzzle of the movie (though we are not at all stunned that even Dr. Benet is in love with her). Ms Garson gets an opportunity to sing in this film (wearing a the shortest kilt on record!). She does an impressive job, and imitates Sir Harry Lauder to boot in the "She's My Daisy" number.  Ms. Garson was not nominated for an Oscar for this role, but it's not all that surprising given that she WON that year for her impressive work in Mrs. Miniver.

Susan Peters, as Rainier's step-niece Kitty, does an excellent job in a role for which Donna Reed was initially considered (AFI catalog). She has to age from approximately 15 to 25, and also make us understand that her attraction to Charles is more than a schoolgirl crush. She achieves this ultimately when she decides they are not destined for each other. Her sympathy for Charles, combined with her understanding of her own needs as a woman endear her to the viewer. Ms. Peters was nominated for the Supporting Actress Oscar (she lost to Teresa Wright in Mrs. Miniver), and she won the Supporting Actress award from the National Board of Review.

Ms. Peters had a sadly short career, appearing in only 24 films and television shows (much of her early work is uncredited). Three years after the release of Random Harvest, Ms. Peters was out hunting with her husband, Richard Quine and some of their friends. She reached down to pick up a rifle; it discharged into her stomach, the bullet logging in her spine. Though MGM supported her through her hospitalization, the realization that she was wheelchair-bound impelled them to pay out her contract. She did work after that, but rarely. Her most notable roles were in The Sign of the Ram (1948), in which she was the villain, and a television series Martinsville, U.S.A. as a lawyer (years before Raymond Burr was a hit as a wheelchair-bound detective in Ironside). She was also able to get some stage work - Tennessee Williams notably altered The Glass Menagerie to accommodate her injury. However, with her marriage ended (it has been said that she divorced her husband because she didn't want to hinder him), she became more and more depressed. She died at age 31, from starvation and dehydration.

The supporting cast, all in very brief roles is impressive: Una O'Connor as the Tobacconist, Henry Travers as Dr. Sims, Rhys Williams as Sam, Reginald Owen as "Biffer", Margaret Wycherly as Mrs. Deventer, Alan Napier as Julian, and Arthur Shields as the Chemist. Having such impressive talent as support for the leads adds immeasurably to the viewing experience.

Though it was not nominated for its cinematography, it should have been. The film makes you believe that it is in color. Some of it is dialogue - discussions of Paula's hair being the "color of a copper penny" and blue beads being the color of her eyes help, but the pink/white tree in front of their house, the warm browns of Biffer's pub, and the lush greenery of the Smith's little town make you forget you are watching a black and white film. It's exquisite work.

Pauline Kael's antipathy towards the film in later years (she said she preferred Carol Burnett's 1973 spoof "Rancid Harvest" because "it was shorter.") nonwithstanding, Random Harvest was a huge hit, earning $4.5 million and breaking attendance records at New York's Radio City Music Hall. It is today #36 on AFI's 100 Years, 100 Passions, and in his tribute to Greer Garson, was cited by Keith Carradine as being his favorite of her films. It was nominated for seven Oscars (including Picture, Director, Screenplay, Black and White Set Direction, and Score).  Mr. Colman and Mr. Garson would reprise their roles twice for the Lux Radio Theatre, in January, 1944 and April 1948.

Random Harvest is a real treat, and one that you will revisit over and over again. Yes, it is a melodrama, but WHAT a melodrama, with performances par excellence. We'll leave you with the film's trailer:

Greer's Home for Children

After a whirlwind romance, Edna Kahly (Greer Garson) becomes engaged to Sam Gladney (Walter Pidgeon); Edna and her adopted sister Charlotte (Marsha Hunt) are planning a double wedding. But Charlotte's discovery that she is a foundling - and therefore illegitimate - changes everything. Her fiance's family rejects her, and while Alan (William Henry) reaffirms his love for her, Charlotte leaves the room and commits suicide. The horror of this will haunt Edna Gladney, as does the death of her only son.  Blossoms in the Dust (1941) is the story of the Edna Gladney's work in Texas to help foundlings such as her sister find loving and secure families.

Though we uniformly enjoyed this film, we have some issues with the script. First off, the opening implies that the film is going to be a romance, but the story takes a rapid about face within about 10 minutes.  And while we welcome stories with pep, at times Blossoms in the Dust moves almost too quickly. There are no real transitions as the action moves through the events of Edna's life. One minute we are in her Wisconsin home, seeing her reaction to a pistol shot, the next we are in Texas and it is Edna's first anniversary. We rather missed the depth that we felt some scenes really deserved. We place the blame on director Mervyn LeRoy; in the book, A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson by Michael Troyan, Marsha Hunt describes pleading for a few minutes of screen time prior to Charlotte's suicide: "Please shoot it my way, with the camera observing my emotions as I mount the stairs. It will make the episode clearer to the audience..." LeRoy refused, and shot only a brief view of Ms. Hunt's legs running up the stairs.  Too bad; Ms. Hunt is an actress who could have conveyed much in that momentary scene.

Likewise, the scenes following the death of Edna's son seem equally abrupt.  Partially, the quick transition demonstrates the futility of Edna's life to that point, but it does have an almost whiplash feel to it. Without Greer Garson's masterful handling of the role, Edna could have come across as trivial and unfeeling, but Ms. Garson is able to convey the depth of Edna's feelings in a short time. Even a brief nod of the head in a courtroom scene towards the end of the film tell us volumes about the character. Ms. Garson was not particularly enthusiastic about doing the film; she had reservations about working with so many scene stealing children (TCM article). Despite that, she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance (she lost to Joan Fontaine in Suspicion. It was another one of those tough years. Also nominated were Bette Davis in The Little Foxes; Olivia de Havilland in Hold Back the Dawn; and Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire!)

The screenplay, written by Anita Loos, is a highly fictionalized account of the life of Edna Gladney. Ms. Gladney had no foundling sister; in fact, Ms. Gladney was illegitimate (her mother later married Mr. Kahly, and Edna was given his name). Nor did she have a small son who died (See this Wikipedia article on Edna Gladney). However, Ms. Gladney worked long and hard for many years to find homes for orphaned and illegitimate children, and lobbied for legislation that would remove information from Texas documents that labeled children as illegitimate.  She would also (after this movie) work to get adopted children the same rights as natural children. Ms. Gladney attended a special preview of the film, as well as its opening in Fort Worth. She was complimentary about the film (especially enjoying the Walter Pidgeon's portrayal of her late husband), and stating that the film "would stimulate interest in children and child placement agencies".  The Edna Gladney Center for Adoption was named in her honor.

We would have liked to have seen more of Walter Pidgeon, here in his first of nine pictures with Ms. Garson (AFI catalog) - as a result, she was called the "daytime Mrs. Pidgeon" on the MGM lot. Mr. Pidgeon portrays a good, kind, and understanding man, who loves his wife with all his heart.  The affection that the two had for each other in real life is apparent in their on screen relationship. According to Ms. Garson's biography, Mr. Pidgeon lightened the grind of work with his humor - he would try to make her laugh in serious scenes, and would joke about her perfume (she was, it seems, a great lover of scents).  It's possible she got her revenge by teasing him about his dancing - they had to build a platform on roller skates so that the dancers could whirl about them, as Mr. Pidgeon kept forgetting the choreography!

The film itself opened at Radio City Music Hall to a positive review in the New York Times positive review. Along with Ms. Garson, the film would be nominated for a total of 3 Oscars. It was also nominated for best film, and won the Oscar for best Art Direction (Cedric Gibbons and Urie McCleary, set decoration by Edwin B. Willis). It was broadcast on the Lux Radio Theatre in February of 1942 with Ms. Garson, Mr. Pidgeon and Felix Bressart (Dr. Max Bressler) reprising their roles.  

Blossoms in the Dust is well worth your viewing - we'll leave you with the trailer to the film.

Greer's Bad Marriage

Told in flashback after the death of Philip Bosinney (Robert Young), That Forsyte Woman (1949) introduces us to Irene Herenford Forsyte (Greer Garson).  Irene's husband, Soames Forsyte (Errol Flynn) decided he wanted Irene as a wife - she was beautiful and dignified, and Soames is a man who gets what he wants. So, despite the fact that she is honest and tells him she does not love him, Soames cajoles her that love will come and she consents. But love does not come, primarily because Irene feels controlled by Soames: he picks her clothing, tells her where to go and when, and who to meet. For this Man of Property, Irene is one of his treasured possessions - she is a fine piece of art that he has purchased and now displays with pride.  Irene's one joy is her relationship with her niece June (Janet Leigh), who is madly in love with architect Philip Bosinney. The problem - Irene is falling in love with Bosinney as well.

This is an excellent film with a great deal of nuance. The script, which is taken carefully from John Galsworthy's first novel in The Forsyte Saga, The Man of Property, deals only with the marriage of Soames and Irene (whereas the 1967 and 2001 BBC series covered The Man of Property (1906), Indian Summer of a Forsyte (1918), In Chancery (1920), Awakening (1920) and To Let (1921), and A Modern Comedy (1928)). The story of Irene and Soames' marriage is fraught with problems in the novel - Irene has an affair with Philip, and Soames rapes Irene - issues the film could only suggest (or raise the ire of the censors!). But the hints are there; it only takes a little imagination to understand exactly what is going on.

Errol Flynn was borrowed from Warner Brothers to play Young Jolyon Forsyte (the role that ultimately went to Walter Pidgeon). (In exchange, Jack Warner got William Powell for Life with Father (AFI catalog). Once at MGM, Flynn refused to play young Jolyon. He was then offered the role of Bosinney; again he refused. Flynn wanted to play Soames - a drastic change from his usual swashbuckling roles (TCM article).  MGM finally agreed, and Flynn gave an impressive performance as a man who is involved only with the financial value of everyone and everything in his life. Once finished with this film, he was back to Warners, again making westerns and swashbucklers. It's amusing that he ends up in the video of the MGM 25th Anniversary Lunch, chatting happily with Greer Garson. Jack Warner must have been furious!

Greer Garson is intriging as a woman who is torn between an unhappy marriage and financial security. Irene is down to her last cent - she can only survive teaching piano, and her only client is her landlady. Soames' campaign to win her (he enlists the help of the landlady) catches her at a low point in her life and she succumbs. Likewise, Philip catches her as she begins to doubt her decision to marry Soames; it seems that her love for Philip really is a remembrance of the love she lost many years before. She comments that Philip is much like that idealist and untidy young man. Irene is a woman who wants to be strong, but often lets herself be led, against her better judgement.

Philip, however, comes off as thoughtless, at the least, and insincere at most. He pursues June when he first meets her; likewise, he is hot on the heels of Irene after their first encounter. We felt that, once Irene accedes to his advances, he will fall in love with someone else. We found it difficult to believe Philip, much less sympathize with him, he is so flighty.

Janet Leigh is lovely as June. She plays a genuinely nice girl, who is blasted into anger by betrayal. The character certainly deserves better than Philip! Ms. Leigh literally burst into stardom after Norma Shearer saw her photo on her father's desk at the ski resort where he worked. Her first film, The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947) starred her opposite MGM heartthrob Van Johnson, and she starred in a succession of films afterwards, including Little Women (1949), Holiday Affair (1949), Angels in the Outfield (1951), and Scaramouche (1952). But it was Psycho (1960) that most people remember today. Among my personal favorites is her performance in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). (In a recent discussion of the film, William Friedkin posited that Rosie is a double agent. I'm never going to watch that movie again in the same way!) Ms. Leigh was married 4 times, most famously to the father of her daughters Kelly and Jamie Lee, Tony Curtis (the marriage lasted 11 years). She wrote four books (two novels, a memoir, and a book about Psycho). By the 1960s, she was making frequent television appearances (including another of my favorite, the sadistic Miss Diketon in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode, The Concrete Overcoat Affair). She died in 2004, aged 77, three years after the death of her fourth husband, Robert Brandt - they had been married for 38 years.

This was the last filmed performance of Harry Davenport (Old Jolyon Forsyte), a remarkable character actor who is probably most remembered as Grandpa in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and Dr. Meade in Gone with the Wind (1939) [Two films would be released after this: Tell it to the Judge (1949) and Riding High (1950)]. The descendant of a long line of actors, Mr. Davenport began his career at the age of five (he was born in 1866). By 1894, he was appearing on Broadway. By 1934, he had appeared in 37 Broadway plays.  His film career began in 1913; he transitioned from silents to talkies, and spent much of his sound film career playing kindly grandfathers and professional men. In 1913, he co-founded (with Eddie Foy) the Actors' Equity Association. When his marriage to his first wife ended after three years, he married actress Phyllis Rankin - they were together for 33 years, until her death in 1934. They had three children together (Harry also had a daughter with his first wife, and Phyllis had a son - who would become the father of Arthur Rankin, Jr.). Mr. Davenport died of a heart attack in 1949, at the age of 83 - he was in the process of securing a new screen role when he died.

With exquisite costumes by Walter Plunkett (for the women) and Valles (for the men), lush technicolor photography by Joseph Ruttenberg, and art direction by Cedric Gibbons and Daniel Cathcart, this is a truly beautiful film. While the New York Times review was not kind to anyone but Ms. Garson, we enjoyed the film immensely. (It opened at Radio City Music Hall - definitely a prestige venue!). We'll leave you with the trailer, for a quick look at this lovely film.

Joan Meets Greer Again

When Jimmy Lee's (Robert Taylor) proposal of marriage to Mary Howard (Joan Crawford) is rejected, Jimmy begins to suspect he has been replaced in Mary's affections. He is distressed to discover that his rival is the very married publisher Rogers Woodruf (Herbert Marshall). Based on Mary's theory (as purported in her new novel) that the rejected wife and new lover can have an intelligent conversation about the affair, Jimmy maneuvers Clare Woodruf (Greer Garson) into a meeting with Mary, without either knowing about their mutual lover.

We discussed When Ladies Meet (1941) several years ago, but with the opportunity to discuss it in the context of the Harding/Loy version, we decided to view it again. As with the prior film, the plot hinges on the relationship between Clare and Mary. One real problem with this verson is that Joan Crawford's Mary becomes quite annoying.  The film requires that you be able to like both women, but it is hard to like Mary. She's snobbish and affected (taking on the personality of Rogers). As a result, you begin to wonder why anyone would like her.  Plus, where Ms. Loy appeared innocent and somewhat naive, Ms. Crawford SEEMS more knowing, and that sophistication works against her characterization. With Mary and Clare more obviously played as contemporaries (where there seemed almost a big sister-little sister affection between Ms. Harding and Ms. Loy), Mary should know better than to be taken in by a cad like Rogers.

That the first film was pre-code, and this one is firmly within the Code era makes very little difference. The stories are exactly the same, and we still have little bits of double-entendre (primarily from Spring Byington as Bridget Drake). The character of Walter del Canto (Rafael Storm) is played as though the actor intends him to be gay (which was not the case in the original). The racy plot is still not all that racy.

Spring Byington  is a marked improvement over Alice Brady. She plays Bridgie as a tad risque, but essentially sweet. She has a much lighter touch than Ms. Brady, and is able to make the character very appealing.  Interestingly, Ms. Byington had originated the part on Broadway (AFI catalog); why she was passed over in the first iteration of the film is puzzling - she had appeared the same year that version was released as Marmee in Little Women (1933). Ms. Byington had a long and varied career.  From 1924 to 1935, she appeared steadily on Broadway, appearing in 20 plays (including The Merchant of Venice, in which she played Nerissa). Her film career really started in 1933 (she had appeared in one short film in 1930); after she left Broadway for good, she worked steadily in films, television, and radio (her show, December Bride was first a radio, then a television show).  She married once, (she was engaged for a long time, but her fiance died before they wed) and she had two daughters. She was close to actress Marjorie Main, but their relationship is unclear. She loved science fiction and at one point took flying lessons (the studio made her stop). She died of cancer in 1971 at the age of 84.

Even with a second viewing, we were unimpressed with either of the men in this version. In the earlier film, Robert Montgomery's youth played in his favor. His attempts to convince Mary of Rogers duplicity seemed innocent, if somewhat artless. Robert Taylor, however, is much older and more mature in appearance. His wooing becomes almost stalker-ish, making him unappealing. If there is any chemistry at all, it is between Mr. Taylor and Ms. Garson. Their scenes on the boat are humorous and convivial. He never seems to have even a moment of camaraderie with Ms. Crawford. By the end though, we felt the women would be better off alone than with either Mr. Taylor or the self-absorbed Rogers.

The performance that really stands out in this film is that of Greer Garson, who, according to this TCM article was being groomed for stardom by MGM (following an Oscar nominated performance in Goodbye, Mr. Chips). Ms. Garson started her career on stage and television in the UK, and that was where Louis B. Mayer discovered her. Following her small, but important part in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), she appeared in Pride and Prejudice (1940) with Laurence Olivier, and in Blossoms in the Dust (1941), the first of FIVE consecutive Oscar nominations as Best Actress. She would ultimately be nominated seven times, winning for Mrs. Miniver (1942).  [She currently holds the record for the longest Oscar speech - 5 minutes and 30 seconds].  Her 1943 marriage to Richard Ney, who had played her son in Mrs. Miniver and was 27 years younger than Ms. Garson created a bit of a scandal; the marriage lasted until 1947.  Some say the problems in the tumultuous marriage resulted from the age difference. However, the couple were separated almost immediately after their marriage when Ney was called up to serve in the military. When he returned, he found work hard to come by, while his wife was still quite popular, resulting in dissension (Michael Troyan, A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson, 1999). Following that divorce, Ms. Garson married Buddy Fogelson. She worked sporadically after that, eventually retiring with her husband to his Texas ranch. They were together until his death in 1987. Ms. Garson died in 1996 at the age of 91.

The New York Times wondered in their review why this "Hoover-vintage comedy" was "resurrected". We wondered the same thing. It's not really a showpiece for any of its actors - quite frankly, it does most of them a disservice. It's worth a look to see Greer Garson and Spring Byington, though. We'll leave you with this trailer, which introducess several of our key characters:

Dr. Greer

Strange Lady in Town (1955) was of particular interest to me (and to my friends), because it is the story of a female doctor.  I've done some research on women physicians in film, and even presented a paper on the topic; I'd heard of this film, though never seen it before.  It proved to be an interesting addition to women physicians on film.  Strange Lady in Town tells the story of Dr. Julia Winslow Garth (Greer Garson), a Boston physician who has relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where her brother, Lt. David Garth (Cameron Mitchell) is serving in the military.  Dr. Garth is tired of the bias that has continually hobbled her medical career: male physicians in Boston routinely cut at her ability to practice.  She hopes that frontier medicine will enable her to advance her career and help her to help others.  But upon her arrival, she discovers from the spunky Carlotta "Spurs" O'Brien (Lois Smith) that her father,  Dr. Rork O'Brien (Dana Andrews) is yet another of those bigoted physicians, and she will need to get around him in order to grow her practice. 

One of the major problems with this film is the side plot that involves brother David and his predilection for illegal activities.  It seemed like it belonged in another movie, and that the growing list of David's crimes was artificial - merely a way for the townspeople to blame Julia for something.  David's not particularly likeable; one wonders what "Spurs" sees in him.  And why he is "bad" is never really explained - he has risen to a decent position in the military, and appears to be liked by his colleagues (when he isn't cheating them...).  He justifies his crime spree as being just who he is - he's bad; Julia is just too fond of him to notice (apparently, the Army was too fond to notice as well).  The main story:  the conflict between Doctors O'Brien and Garth, the growing relationship between "Spurs" and Julia, was far more interesting and engaging.

This is not to say that Dr. O'Brien is a particularly amiable man; in fact, he's pretty hard to tolerate.  He's ignorant and a bully - upon learning that Dr. Garth has studied under Lister, and subscribes to Lister's belief that sterilizing instruments and washing hands saves lives, O'Brien ridicules her.  In fact, he later complements her on her "perfume", only to learn that the scent is that of carbolic acid (Lister's prescribed sterilizing agent).  O'Brien's saving grace is his daughter.  "Spurs" is so likeable and engaging she mitigates her father's actions merely by her love for him.  Given "Spurs'" garb (she dresses like a boy), complete self-sufficiency, and genuine caring personality, combined with the  free-rein she is given by her father, how much of Dr. O'Brien's bias is genuine, and how much is just male-chauvinist bluster? The film's end (bit of a spoiler here) implies that he is all bluster, but it takes awhile to get there.

Lois Smith as "Spurs" is a revelation - you cannot help but like her; and she almost steals the movie from star, Greer Garson.  Smith, who is still actively working, has had a long career. She is primarily known for her television work - most recently, she appeared on True Blood as Adele Stackhouse; she also had a recurring role on ER, and was a regular on The Doctors.  An inductee into the American Theatre Hall of Fame, Ms. Smith has appeared in 20 Off-Broadway and 10 Broadway plays, including James Earl Jones' The Iceman Cometh in 1973-1974. I'm not sure if Bosley Crowther's comment on her performance in this review in the New York Times does her justice, but "Spurs" is a character with dignity.

Nick Adams appears VERY briefly as Billy the Kid; if you blink, you will miss him.  And Cameron Mitchell is good in the fairly thankless part of David.  But it is Greer Garson who is the star here, and she shines.  This TCM article discusses some of Ms. Garson's travails on the picture, not the least of which was an attack of appendicitis that ultimately required surgery (and none too soon - her appendix was about to burst).  Regardless, Ms. Garson was fond of the picture, having finally gotten to do an "outdoor role".

Strange Lady in Town is very reminiscent of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and we wondered if the creators of that show had ever seen this film.  This 2014 overview discussion of the film is worth taking a look at for the list that they compiled of women physicians in television westerns.  I'm hoping I can locate some of them.

We'll close with the scene in which Julia meets with "Spurs".  Next time, we'll be looking at a Ronald Colman pre-code film.

Joan Meets Greer

The east coast ice storms delayed our meeting for a week. We resumed with a rather unusual film, if only for the cast: 1941's When Ladies Meet. Ms. Crawford plays Mary Howard, an author who has recently changed publishers, primarily due to the fact that she has fallen in love with Rogers Woodruff (Herbert Marshall), a philanderer who has enticed Mary to come under his wings, in more ways than one.  Mary's best friend is Jimmy Lee (Robert Taylor); finally able to afford a wife, he proposes to Mary, only to discover SHE has moved on to Rogers.  Her new book reveals her plan - confront the wife of her lover, and reveal her love for him. Certainly, she assumes, no woman would willingly hold on to a man who so truly loves another.

This is by no means a comedy. Though Jimmy's plan to break up Mary and Rogers - introduce Mary to Rogers wife Clare (Greer Garson), in the belief that once Mary KNOWS Clare, she won't want to break up the marriage - sounds like it SHOULD be the plot of a comedy, it is wholely in earnest.  Unfortunately, the plot line turns out to be cruel, hurting the two women, and really having very little impact on the two men who should have been penalized for their actions.

We did NOT like either off the men.  Taylor's Jimmy is a silly, vain, unthinking moron, who cares about what he wants, and uses poor Clare as his scapegoat to get his way.  And then there is Marshall's Rogers - WHAT a cad!  Our hope was that Clare would dump his clothes out the window and change the locks on him! We also thought that Mary would be better off remaining single (she certainly is capable of taking care of herself) than tying herself to either of these idiots.

The bright point in this movie is Spring Byington as Bridget Drake.  Bridget is a delight, a kind, caring woman who is sweet and gentle. She claims to not be particularly bright, but give me her innate kindness and regard for other people over the pseudo-intellectual snobbery of Rogers and Mary!

Here's a trailer for your enjoyment:

Next week, we venture into WWII territory with our Ms. Crawford.