Watching an impossibly young James Stewart teamed with the screen's reigning screwball comedienne, the wondrous Carole Lombard, is treat enough in itself, but this 1939 dramedy directed by John Cromwell has them working overtime on a cliché-bound plot about young, struggling marrieds, John and Jane Mason, who face an unexpected crisis. Penned by Jo Swerling, the script throws in every movie-invented barrier to their happiness - John's dominating mother who lives with them, his unreasonably demanding boss, a series of impossible domestics, and a surprise pregnancy which eventually leads to a melodramatic turn that involves a plane flying through an unrelenting thunderstorm. The tear-jerking film bears a certain resemblance to Leo McCarey's 1941 "Penny Serenade" with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in style and pacing.
None of it should work, but somehow it does because Stewart is so callow and sincere, Lombard so earthy and knockout gorgeous, and their relationship quite convincing. Playing their standard character roles during this period, Charles Coburn plays John's hearing-impaired blowhard of a boss, Judge Doolittle, while Lucile Watson is her imperious self as the mother-in-law from hell criticizing Jane's every move. My favorite player is Louise Beavers, who briefly plays the one maid the Masons adore. The Masons' financial straits force her to leave but not before a lovely scene between her and Lombard in the park. The movie was produced by David O. Selznick, who was preoccupied with post-production work on "Gone With the Wind" but you can definitely see his influence in the film's technical polish. It's too bad the film has fallen into public domain as the print transfer to the 2004 DVD is woefully substandard. Regardless, the pairing of Stewart and Lombard is well worth seeing in any vehicle.
None of it should work, but somehow it does because Stewart is so callow and sincere, Lombard so earthy and knockout gorgeous, and their relationship quite convincing. Playing their standard character roles during this period, Charles Coburn plays John's hearing-impaired blowhard of a boss, Judge Doolittle, while Lucile Watson is her imperious self as the mother-in-law from hell criticizing Jane's every move. My favorite player is Louise Beavers, who briefly plays the one maid the Masons adore. The Masons' financial straits force her to leave but not before a lovely scene between her and Lombard in the park. The movie was produced by David O. Selznick, who was preoccupied with post-production work on "Gone With the Wind" but you can definitely see his influence in the film's technical polish. It's too bad the film has fallen into public domain as the print transfer to the 2004 DVD is woefully substandard. Regardless, the pairing of Stewart and Lombard is well worth seeing in any vehicle.