Made For Each Other (1939)

Made for Each Other

This is a Classic Carole Lombard Movie made in late 1938 and released in early 1939. The unfortunate part is that the Video and Audio quality of this DVD is only fair with the Audio quality the poorer of the two. December 26, 2007

Legends of film

I consider both James Stewart and Carole Lombard to be honest actors, always believing the words and events to try and make the audience feel what they are going through. I once wrote to Jimmy Stewart about this film and his thoughts on Carole Lombard, so just for that, this movie for me is special. It can get sticky at times, but I still feel the actors give it their all as honestly as they can. Two pros, surrounded by other pros in this Selnick production. November 27, 2007

An outstanding classic starring Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard

What can go wrong in a movie produced by David Selznick, and starring Jimmy Stewart and Carole Lombard? The answer is nothing, nothing at all. The movie (1939) is brilliantly directed by John Cromwell, sets the stage for future classics such as "Penny Serenade (1941)" and "It's a Wonderful Life (1946)." Newsweek wrote in its review that they were "perfectly cast in the leading roles." This is a family drama about a young couple, named John Mason (James Stewart) and Jane Mason (Carole Lombard), who get married after just one date during John's stay in Boston. When they get back to New York, obviously everyone is surprised; an overpowering and overbearing curmudgeon, named Joseph Doolittle (Charles Coburn) as John's boss at the law firm who is unhappy that John didn't marry his daughter Eunice (Ruth Weston), and Jane's annoying mother-in-law Harriet Mason (Lucile Watson). The problems are typical especially for Jane Mason, after constant complaints and comments of her mother in law that Jane can't cook or clean, and the financial problems created by unexpected responsibility of a new baby on the way. The real star of the movie is Carole Lombard who offers spectacular performance as a newly wed woman trying to do her best, while offering a dinner party for John's boss, or trying to cope with house maids leaving the Mason family after constantly being harassed by Harriet Mason, or advising John as how to stand up for his rights as a man with his boss when asking for a fair wage. Things get worse as John's boss offers a pay cut due to shrinking business, and the new born is seriously sick, and only a serum from Salt Lake City could save the child. As the drama unfolds, everyone pitch in to help, a pilot from Salt Lake City offer to fly in a bad snow storm risking his own life, and John's boss offering to help financially, and emotionally. At the end all ends well and everyone is happy, and John is back in the driver's seat at the law firm.

The story is set during Christmas time, and singing of Auld Lang Syne during New Year's eve is reminiscent of It's a Wonderful Life; while it is heart warming to hear that song, the real tragedy unfolds as the entire set watches the medicine being flown in a private single seat plane during a severe snow storm..

It is a sad irony to watch Carole Lombard playing as a young mother. In real life, happily married to Clark Gable, she was desperate to have a child but sadly that dream remained unfulfilled after the tragic plane crash in Las Vegas in January 1942. Just before boarding the plane, Carole had addressed her fans, saying, "Before I say goodbye to you all, come on and join me in a big cheer! V for Victory" President Franklin D. Roosevelt admired her patriotism, and declared her the first woman killed in the line of duty during the war, and posthumously awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

1. The Songs Of Robert Burns, Volumes 1 & 2 September 18, 2007

Made for each other a big plus!

This is one of my favorite Jimmy Stewart movies.Plus also Carole Lombard
is an added bonus to say the least. The DVD copy is excellent the audio
quality is superb all excellent in regards to a b/w movie.If your a big fan of old cinema at its finest in b/w movies this one's for you. Enjoy! January 5, 2007

Stewart and Lombard a Winning Pair in an Otherwise Cliché-Ridden Blend of Comedy and Melodrama

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. November 13, 2006

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