Theodora Goes Wild (1936, Richard Boleslawski) established Irene Dunne’s screwball vitality. Enter Cary Grant. (Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn are the funniest actors and have that affected manner of speaking that feels so far removed from real life but precisely why I love them.) Throwing Irene Dunne and Cary Grant together in the whole Manhattan formal tuxedos, gowns, and posh penthouses milieu delivers more production value than any billion dollar IP cashgrab ever will. They have a tangible onscreen chemistry.
The narrative opens with a custody case for their dog. How screwball is that? Wait is it absurd or do people really do that? Nevermind. Who cares? Thusfar I’ve been touting the fundamental elements in screwball are deception, mistaken identities, misleading appearances, false assumptions; so, a divorce between a couple who’ve chronically lied and cheated on each other makes for a marriage made in screwball heaven. When our story begins, there’s 59 days left until the divorce is final, the ol’ ticking clock plot device. That’s 59 days for them to realize how perfect they are for each other, as we do. They’re too charming and cool for anyone else.
Rebound is the bunk. Ralph Bellamy plays this hick whom LUCY WARRINER (Dunne) has no business with whom JERRY WARRINER (Grant) derisively refers to as Buffalo Bill, ongoing gags poking fun at the Midwest. Buffalo Bill’s mother in law hears the tea about Lucy being promiscuous and subsequently disapproves of their engagement. So after this plot twist we have to wonder how can Lucy and Jerry wind up back together if they’ve already failed at their marriage?
The answer is when Grant has that amazing pratfall out of his chair in the concert hall and we laugh, as does Lucy. The other thing I’ve been touting about screwball is making each other laugh is true love. Now we’re past the point of no return. (Oh yeah I forgot to mention that scene with Grant whipping that dude’s ass with jiu jitsu. Yes really.) So we get the key sentiment of the movie when Lucy says “I’m still in love with that crazy lunatic and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Preceding the Act II break the sequence with Dunne hiding the hat and the dog after it is iconic. In real life I don’t even like dogs. I love certain dogs. MR. SMITH is one of them. When that dog finds the hat it exceeds beyond my capacity to imagine what a scene can do with a cute animal.
There’s the 2 men in her bedroom farce that takes us into Act III. And here, when Irene Dunne has to masquerade as Grant’s sister, combining the whole Dixeibelle thing with her quasi Grant impersonation wins her the benefit of the doubt and prevents us from ever again doubting her well-earned comedic status again. And the plot twist affording her the opportunity to deliver such a hysterical turn is adept because she’s getting back at Jerry for his Buffalo Bill hijinks by sabotaging his rebound. So where are we headed? Will this be a spite marriage once they inevitably reconcile? Probs. Also very screwball here drunk driving, taunting and scamming the police. Anyways. The last scene in that cabin is hot. We know when Dunne in bed gives that inviting come hither look sex is what’s to save the marriage.
The black cat on the bed is harbinger. The faulty lock Lucy says is “not so practical but I guess it’ll serve its purpose” is metaphor for infidelity. The film’s saying bad luck and society’s definition of immorality can’t keep us apart.
Big problem with the ending is do people change? If they lied and cheated on each other in their marriage, what led to that? Furthermore what did they do to address it? What’s to say it won’t happen again? Or do they care? I know I know. They’re selling us the dream. True love overcomes. But why can’t I shake the feeling this time it won’t last? This narrative seems cynical like because this couple failed at marriage that makes them an ideal match for marriage? In screwball anything goes. Don’t overthink it like me.
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