My Favorite Wife (1940)

Adam and Eve alone on an island for seven years

There was a shipwreck and Nicolas (Cary Grant) gets separated from his wife Ellen (Irene Dunne.) She was never seen again. Seven years later Nick, widower with two children and living with his mother finds love again, Bianca (Gail Patrick.)

Now it is time to start a new life with Bianca; so Nick goes to court and has Ellen legally declared dead and in the same breath marries Bianca. But wait what is this? Ellen returns that very day. The complications begin. But wait there is more Ellen was not stranded alone on an island there was Stephen, sort of an Adam and Eve thing. The story only gets better from here.

Be sure to watch the remake of this movie "Move Over Darling" with Games Gardner and Doris Day.

Move Over Darling ~ Doris Day June 22, 2008

"So, you thought she would make a good mother for MY children?"

On man; two wives! Trouble!

Cary Grant is hilarious as Nicholas Arden, a single man raising his two kids after his wife supposedly drowned seven years before. He finally declares her legally dead and marries his fiance, Bianca. And wouldn't you know it! - That same day his wife, Ellen (Irene Dunne), shows up after being rescued by a Portuguese ship. Everything gets comedic as he tries to explain the ordeal to his bride (Don't confuse his "bride" with his "wife")and when he discovers that Ellen spent those seven years on the desert island with Stephen (Randolph Scott). March 5, 2008

"I came here with my wife... hum... my bride really. Now my wife, not my bride... my wife..."

Romantic and screwball comedy dream-team Cary Grant and Irene Dunne are absolutely hilarious in MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940), a classic comedy from the golden age which still stands up very well today.

Nick Arden (Cary Grant) has just had his wife declared legally dead, ten years after she went missing at sea during an anthropology expedition. Ready to finally move on with his life, Nick marries beautiful Bianca (Gail Patrick) and heads off on his honeymoon. Meanwhile back at the Arden house, his missing--and very much alive--wife Ellen (Irene Dunne) has reached home after a long and tiring journey from the tropical island on which she was stranded for the best part of ten years.

Following a tearful reunion at his hotel, Nick and Ellen resolve to pick up their marriage once again...but what about Bianca? And what will be Nick's reaction to the handsome "Adam" (Randolph Scott), whom he discovers shared Ellen's tropical oasis? MY FAVORITE WIFE is a fast-moving, snappy romantic comedy, perfectly suited to the breezy talents of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.

Following "The Awful Truth" in 1937, this was the second movie in which Dunne and Grant starred for renowned producer/writer/director Leo McCarey ("Penny Serenade" would come in 1941). Irene Dunne beautifully plays Ellen's emotional state, especially during her scenes with the two children (Scotty Beckett and Mary Lou Harrington).

Gail Patrick (best-remembered for playing Carole Lombard's snotty sister in another screwball classic, "My Man Godfrey"), is also very strong here in the underwritten role of Bianca; it's a shame that she doesn't really get a big payoff, though.

Randolph Scott and Cary Grant used to share a house in Los Angeles, and were very good friends in real life; so it's great seeing them together here and playing out a well-plotted comic rivalry for Irene Dunne's character of Ellen. The cast also includes Donald MacBride, Granville Bates, Pedro de Cordoba and Anne Shoemaker.

Later re-made in 1963 as "Move Over, Darling" starring Doris Day, James Garner and Polly Bergen (which was originally to have starred Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin and Cyd Charisse under the title of "Something's Gotta Give", until Monroe's accidental death during filming). January 21, 2008

Love It!

I think I've watched this movie at least 50 times since getting it! Fun movie! A classic! Cary Grant and Irene Dunne make a great team! January 4, 2007

Old fashioned Charm

The charms of Irene Dunne (whose secret, endorsed by the Studio, was to work from 10 am to 6 pm), Cary Grant and Randolph Scott (off the screen Cary Grant's good friend) had this comedy float in the air. Mr. Alden (Cary Grant) and Mrs. Ellen Arden (Irene Dunne) were married 4 years with 2 toddlers before Ellen was missing for 7 years after a shipwreck. When she came back she found a blend new (less than 24 hours) Mrs. Bianca Arden on a honeymoon.

What followed was Mr. Arden's unsuccessful attempt to dissuade Bianca, then his jealousy towards Mr. Burkett (Randolph Scott) for his company with his wife on an island during her years of missing. The dialogue can be funny and Randolph Scott lent his personal charm and physique to make a truly convincing rival. He swinged the rings and dived in the swimming pool like Tarzan. He also looked very bit like a relaxing millionnaire (in real life he was, with his screen success in the 50s). A very young Cary Grant coyly smiled his way out of embarrasing situations, one after another, and won over his favorite wife's heart clumsily but lovingly.

This movie was a great way to revisit the old-fashioned charm. Any attempt of remake would most probably take away the magic. December 26, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...