Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan star in Leo McCarey’s “Good Sam”

Good Sam (1948) is an American comedy-drama directed by Leo McCarey and starring Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan. The supporting cast includes Ray Collins, Edmund Lowe, Louise Beavers, and Ruth Roman.

Gary Cooper is Sam Clayton, a Good Samaritan who is so helpful to others that he neglects his own family. Sam’s wife Lucille “Lu” Clayton is frustrated with her husband’s efforts to help everyone he meets, including her free-loading brother who has lived with them rent-free for six months.

Will Sam’s “helpful” efforts destroy his career and family life or will he realize that he can’t save the entire world on his own?

Ann Sheridan and Gary Cooper

Leo McCarey (1898 – 1969) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. McCarey is perhaps most famous for his critically acclaimed and commercially popular comedies like Duck Soup (1933), The Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), and The Awful Truth (1937). Other popular films directed by McCarey include Going My Way (1944), The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), and Good Sam (1948). McCarey won two Best Director Oscars for The Awful Truth and Going My Way.

Gary Cooper (1901 - 1961) was an American film actor who was known for his down-to-earth, understated acting style. He was a major star for almost four decades until his untimely death at age 60. Cooper got his start in silent film but easily made the transition to sound. During the early 1930s, he became a major star in films like A Farewell to Arms (1932), The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). Other popular Cooper films include Meet John Doe (1941), Sergeant York (1941), The Pride of the Yankees (1942), and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1952). Cooper won two Best Actor Academy Awards: Sergeant York and High Noon (1952).

Ann Sheridan (1915 - 1967) was an American actress and singer. Her movie career began in 1934 when she appeared in 19 films! Her roles were all small and mostly unbilled, but she appeared in another 20+ films before she was signed to Warner Bros. in 1938. She was given better roles and was groomed for major stardom. The studio dubbed her “The Oomph Girl,” a title she hated but helped contribute to her popularity. During World War II she was a popular pin-up girl. As a star, Sheridan starred in Angels Wash Their Faces (1939), Castle on the Hudson (1940), It All Came True (1940), They Drive by Night (1940), City for Conquest (1941), and The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942). During this time she starred opposite Warner’s top leading men including John Garfield, James Cagney, and George Raft. Her biggest success during this period came with Kings Row (1942), a film in which she received top billing over Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan, and Betty Field. Sheridan made the transition to television and was starring in the weekly western series, Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966-67) when she became sick with cancer. She died on January 21, 1967, at the age of 51.

Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan in church

Good Sam trivia

• The film was a big commercial success which enabled Gary Cooper to negotiate a favorable contract with Warner Bros.
• Ann Sheridan was borrowed from Warner Bros. to co-star as Cooper’s wife, Lu.
• Director McCarey shot two different endings and let preview audiences decide which ending to use. The alternate ending is lost to film history.

 

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

Click HERE to join us for an online discussion on January 6, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation along with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. How would you, categorize this film? Do you consider it a comedy-drama, romantic comedy, or something else?
2. What did you think of Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan as a married couple?
3. Do you think there was a serious message amidst the comic situations?
4. Did this film remind you of any others you’ve seen?

Irene Dunne and Cary Grant discover “The Awful Truth”

 In 1937, Irene Dunne was at the height of her career. The year before, Dunne received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for Theodora Goes Wild, a comedy role she was reluctant to take. That picture was a critical success for Dunne and a huge box office hit for Columbia Pictures. So it wasn’t surprising that the next picture she would make for the studio would be another comedy.

From Stage To Screen
The Awful Truth was based on a play by Arthur Richman and brought to the screen with the aid of screenwriter Vina Delmar and Theodora Goes Wild screenwriter, Sidney Buchman, who went uncredited. Teamed with Dunne for the first time was Cary Grant. Grant quickly became a top leading man in Hollywood, but his pairing with Dunne was inspired and their on-screen chemistry delighted movie-going audiences. B.R. Crisler writing in his New York Times review said, “Miss Dunne and Mr. Grant, as the couple...have fun with their roles, and the pleasure seems to be shared, on the whole, by the [Radio City] Music Hall audience.”

What Is The Awful Truth?
The plot revolves around the marital woes of Lucy (Dunne) and Jerry (Grant) Warriner. Each becomes suspicious of the others’ marital fidelity, which eventually leads them to divorce court. After the divorce, Lucy and Jerry are consumed with foiling each other’s new romantic interests. Is the awful truth the fact that Lucy and Jerry are still in love?

Get Me Out Of This Picture

Irene Dunne and Cary Grant

Like Dunne in the previous year’s Theodora Goes Wild, Grant wasn’t too happy working on this film. Director Leo McCarey’s working style didn’t sit well with Grant and he tried to get out of the movie, even going so far as requesting he swap roles with supporting player Ralph Bellamy! McCarey liked to get spontaneous performances out of his cast, which meant a lot of on-set improvising, which Grant found unsettling. Eventually, things worked out for all concerned. Ironically, this is the movie that catapulted Grant to superstar status and is responsible for the Grant movie persona beloved by generations of moviegoers.

Comedy Triumph
For Dunne, The Awful Truth was a delightful experience. She loved working with both McCarey (who became a personal friend) and Grant. Professionally, it was another triumph. Once again, the critics raved about her and the film. And once again she was nominated for Best Actress by the Motion Picture Academy. If there was any doubt about Dunne’s comedy chops, they were all dispelled when the film was first released on October 21, 1937. Dunne and Grant would go on to star in two other popular films: the comedy My Favorite Wife (1940) and the melodrama Penny Serenade (1941).

Award Winner
The Awful Truth was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor. McCarey won the only Oscar for his direction and ensured his place in motion picture history.

Lasting Legacy
In 2000, the American Film Institute listed The Awful Truth at #68 on its list of 100 Years…100 Laughs. In 2002, the AFI listed it at #77 on the 100 Years…100 Passions list.

Leo McCarey (1898 – 1969) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. McCarey is perhaps most famous for his critically acclaimed and commercially popular comedies like Duck Soup (1933), The Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), and The Awful Truth (1937). Other popular films directed by McCarey include Going My Way (1944), The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), and Good Sam (1948). McCarey won two Best Director Oscars for The Awful Truth and Going My Way.

Irene Dunne (1898 –1990) was an American actress and singer who was one of the most popular movie stars during Hollywood’s Golden Age. She is probably best remembered for her comedic roles, though she first became famous playing in melodramas like Back Street (1932) and Magnificent Obsession (1935). In fact, Dunne was so popular as a star of melodramas that she was dubbed “The Queen of the Weepies” by the press. Her comedic breakout performance was in Theodora Goes Wild (1936), earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She would go on to make other comedy classics like The Awful Truth (1937) where she earned another Best Actress nod, and My Favorite Wife (1940). Dunne and Grant were one of the most popular screen teams in movie history. All three of their films were critical and box office successes. Dunne earned five Academy Award nominations for Best Actress but never won a competitive Oscar. The fact that the Motion Picture Academy never awarded her an Honorary Academy Award for her work is a travesty.

Cary Grant (1904 – 1986) was an English-born American actor who became one of film history's most popular leading men. Grant started his career in vaudeville before heading to Hollywood. He became a superstar in the late 1930s in a series of screwball comedies including The Awful Truth (1937) with Irene Dunne. He was a memorable C. K. Dexter Haven in The Philadelphia Story (1940) opposite Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart. He received two Best Actor nominations for Penny Serenade (1941) and None but the Lonely Hearts (1944). Other classic Grant films include Gunga Din (1939), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). He made four popular films with Alfred Hitchcock: Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955), and North by Northwest (1959). He was awarded an Honorary Oscar at the 42nd Academy Awards in 1970.

Click HERE to watch the film on the Internet Archive.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on December 9, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a like to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. Did either character, Jerry or Lucy break their marriage vows?
2. Do you think there was a serious message about marriage underneath all the comedy?
3. What did you think of Irene Dunne and Cary Grant together as a team?
4. Ralph Bellamy made a career out of being the other man. What did you think of his performance?
5. Did you have a favorite scene or piece of dialogue?

Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer in “Love Affair”

Love Affair (1939) is the original romance directed by Leo McCarey (The Awful Truth) starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer.

French painter Michel Marnet (Boyer) and American singer Terry McKay (Dunne) meet aboard a transatlantic ocean liner. Both are engaged, but they are attracted to each other and spend considerable time together. They quickly become the talk of the ship so the two try to be more discreet by eating alone and avoiding being seen together. The ship stops in Madeira where they visit with Michel’s grandmother Janou (Maria Ouspenskaya). His grandmother loves Terry and she wants Michel to settle down and marry her.

When they arrive in New York City, Michel and Terry agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building in six months. Six months is the amount of time Michel needs to decide if he can drop the playboy life and support a relationship with Terry.

Remade with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr as An Affair to Remember (1957) and although charming in its own right, it has nothing on the original, which is rarely seen. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Actress (Dunne), Best Supporting Actress (Ouspenskaya), and Best Writing, Original Screenplay (Mildred Cam and McCarey).

The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress.

Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer

Leo McCarey (1898 – 1969) was American film director, screenwriter, and producer. McCarey is perhaps most famous for his critically acclaimed and commercially popular comedies like Duck Soup (1933), The Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), and The Awful Truth (1937). Other popular films directed by McCarey include Going My Way (1944), The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), and Good Sam (1948). McCarey won two Best Director Oscars for The Awful Truth and Going My Way.

Irene Dunne (1898 –1990) was an American actress and singer who was one of the most popular movie stars during Hollywood’s Golden Age. She is probably best remembered for her comedic roles, though she first became famous playing in melodramas like Back Street (1932) and Magnificent Obsession (1935). In fact, Dunne was so popular as a star of melodramas that she was dubbed “The Queen of the Weepies” by the press. Her comedic breakout performance was in Theodora Goes Wild (1936) which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She would go on to make other comedy classics like The Awful Truth (1937) where she earned another Best Actress nod, and My Favorite Wife (1940). Dunne and Grant were one of the most popular screen teams in movie history. All three of their films were critical and box office successes. Dunne earned a total of five Academy Award nominations for Best Actress but never won a competitive Oscar. The fact that the Motion Picture Academy never awarded her an Honorary Academy Award for her body of work is a travesty.

Charles Boyer (1899 - 1978) was a French-American stage and film actor. Boyer was nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award four times. He became a major movie star in the late 1930s in films like The Garden of Allah (1936), Algiers (1938), and Love Affair (1939). He starred as the evil husband of Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight (1944). Boyer starred opposite most of the top female stars of the period including Claudette Colbert, Marlene Dietrich, Irene Dunne, Jean Arthur, Greta Garbo, Bette Davis, Joan Fontaine, Katharine Hepburn, and Olivia de Havilland. As he grew older, Boyer played supporting roles in film and also starred on Broadway in Kind Sir (1953 - 1954) and The Marriage-Go-Round (1958 - 1960).

Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne

Love Affair trivia

• The film popularized pink champagne and the champagne cocktail.
• This is the favorite film of both Dunne and Boyer who were good friends in real life.
• Due to the popularity of the Dunne and Boyer pairing, they made two more films together: If Tomorrow Comes (1939) and Together Again (1944).
• Irene Dunne says to Charles Boyer, “Going my way?” Five years later, Leo McCarey would direct the classic Going My Way. Dunne and Boyer had no association with that Best Picture winner.
• McCarey remade this film in 1957 as An Affair to Remember starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on February 12, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. Did you think that Dunne and Boyer had on-screen chemistry?
2. Irene Dunne was nominated for Best Actress for her performance (losing to Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind). Do you think she gave an Oscar-worthy performance?
3. If you were Dunne’s character, would you have kept your accident a secret? Why do you think she did?
4. If you’ve seen An Affair to Remember, do you prefer that version over the original?
5. Did you have a favorite scene or piece of dialogue?
6. In his review of the film in The New York Times, Frank S. Nugent said, “A less capable director, with a less competent cast, must have erred one way or the other—either on the side of treacle or on that of whimsy. Mr. McCarey has balanced his ingredients skillfully and has merged them, as is clear in retrospect, into a glowing and memorable picture.” Do you agree with this assessment?

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Great films of 1939: "Love Affair" October 1 at the Daystar Center

Great films of 1939: Love Affair
Where: The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Chicago, IL
When: October 1, 2016
Time: 6:45 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Love Affair (1939) is the original romance directed by Leo McCarey (The Awful Truth) starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer.

French painter Michel Marnet (Boyer) and American singer Terry McKay (Dunne) meet aboard a transatlantic ocean liner. Both are engaged, but they are attracted to each other and spend considerable time together. They quickly become the talk of the ship so the two try to be more discreet by eating alone and avoiding being seen together. The ship stops in Madeira where they visit with Michel’s grandmother Janou (Maria Ouspenskaya). His grandmother loves Terry and she wants Michel to settle down and marry her.

When they arrive in New York City, Michel and Terry agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building in six months. Six months is the amount of time Michel needs to decide if he can drop the playboy life and support a relationship with Terry.

Remade with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr as An Affair to Remember (1957) and although charming in its own right, it has nothing on the original, which is rarely seen. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Actress (Dunne), Best Supporting Actress (Ouspenskaya), and Best Writing, Original Screenplay (Mildred Cam and McCarey).

Nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress.

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!

Before the movie, grab a cup of coffee from Overflow Coffee Bar, located within the Daystar Center. You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion

Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.

Daystar Center located at 1550 S. State St. works through a grassroots network of collaborations and partnerships with individuals and other nonprofit organizations. Through this web, they’re able to provide educational, cultural, and civic activities that enrich and empower their clients, guests, and community members. To learn more about classes and events offered at the Daystar Center, please visit their Web site.

The Chicago Film Club screens “The Awful Truth” January 14, 2014

Irene Dunne and Cary Grant in The Awful Truth

The Chicago Film Club will present The Awful Truth starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant at The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State St., January 14, 2014. Show time is 6:30 p.m., followed by a brief discussion.


In 1937, Irene Dunne was at the height of her career. The year before, Dunne received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for Theodora Goes Wild, a comedy role she was reluctant to take. Not only was that picture a critical success for Dunne, but a huge box office hit for Columbia Pictures. So it wasn’t a surprise that the next picture she would make for the studio would be another comedy.

The Awful Truth open at Radio City Music Hall
in November 1937.

From Stage To Screen
The Awful Truth was based on a play by Arthur Richman and brought to the screen with the aid of screenwriter Vina Delmar and Theodora Goes Wild screenwriter, Sidney Buchman, who went uncredited. Teamed with Dunne for the first time was Cary Grant. Grant was quickly becoming a top leading man in Hollywood, but his pairing with Dunne was inspired and their on-screen chemistry delighted movie-going audiences. B.R. Crisler writing in his New York Times review said, “Miss Dunne and Mr. Grant, as the couple...have fun with their roles, and the pleasure seems to be shared, on the whole, by the [Radio City] Music Hall audience.”

What Is The Awful Truth?
The plot revolves around the marital woes of Lucy (Dunne) and Jerry (Grant) Warriner. Each becomes suspicious of the other, which eventually leads them to divorce court. After the divorce, Lucy and Jerry are consumed with foiling each other’s new romantic interests. Is the awful truth the fact that Lucy and Jerry are still in love?

Dunne and Grant go to court over their dog, Mr. Smith.

Get Me Out Of This Picture
Like Dunne in the previous year’s Theodora Goes Wild, Grant wasn’t too happy working on this film.
Director Leo McCarey’s working style didn’t sit well with Grant and he tried to get out of the movie, even going so far as requesting he swap roles with supporting player Ralph Bellamy! McCarey liked to get spontaneous performances out of his cast, which meant a lot of on-set improvising, which Grant found unsettling. Eventually things worked out for all concerned. Ironically, this is the movie that catapulted Grant to superstar status and is responsible for the Grant movie persona.

Comedy Triumph
For Dunne, The Awful Truth was a delightful experience. She loved working with both McCarey (who became a personal friend) and Grant. Professionally, it was another triumph. Once again, the critics raved about her and the film. And once again she was nominated for Best Actress by the Motion Picture Academy. If there was any doubt about Dunne’s comedy chops, they were all dispelled when the film was first released on October 21, 1937. Dunne and Grant would go on to star in two other popular films: the comedy My Favorite Wife (1940) and the melodrama Penny Serenade (1941).

Award Winner
The Awful Truth was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor. McCarey won the only Oscar for his direction.

Lasting Legacy
In 2000, the American Film Institute listed The Awful Truth at #68 on its list of 100 Years…100 Laughs. In
2002, the AFI listed it at #77 on the 100 Years…100 Passions list.

Backstory: Mr. Smith, the Warriner’s dog in The Awful Truth, was more famous as Asta, the pet of Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) from The Thin Man movies. This talented pet’s real name was Skippy.

Come early and enjoy delicious food and beverages at Overflow Coffee Bar. Mention the Film Club and get 50% off a beverage with the purchase of any food item. Stay on top of all the Chicago Film Club screenings by joining their Meetup page. It’s free to join!


Daystar Center located at 1550 S. State St. works through a grassroots network of collaborations and partnerships with individuals and other nonprofit organizations. Through this web, they’re able to provide educational, cultural, and civic activities that enrich and empower their clients, guests, and community members. To learn more about classes and events offered at the Daystar Center, please visit their Web site.

Irene Dunne and Cary Grant: Making It All Look So Easy

This post is part of the Dynamic Duos in Classic Film blogathon hosted by fellow classic movie bloggers Once Upon a Screen and Classic Movie Hub.

Irene Dunne and Cary Grant starred in three films together during Hollywood’s Golden Age. One of those films is an undisputed classic and the others are still highly regarded by students of film. Not only were the pairings of Dunne and Grant popular with the critics, but with the public as well. All of the films they starred in were box office smashes, showcasing the stars’ unique talents. And these delightful pairings almost didn’t happen.

Irene Dune established herself as the star of successful melodrama’s like Back Street (1932), The Silver Cord (1933), This Man Is Mine (1934), and Magnificent Obsession (1935). A trained opera singer and stage actress, Dunne also triumphed as Magnolia in Show Boat (1936). When offered the lead role in the screwball comedy Theodora Goes Wild (1936), she resisted. Having carved out a nice career for herself as a dramatic actress, Dunne didn’t want to ruin a good thing. So reluctant to star as Theodora Lynn, Dunne supposedly extended her European vacation, hoping the producers would give the part to another actress. But the suits at Columbia were set on Dunne and they persisted—some say to the point of threatening a lawsuit since Dunne had signed a multiple picture deal with the studio.

Dunne made a name for  herself
by starring in popular melodramas.

Theodora Goes Wild was a showcase for Dunne’s incredible versatility. She sings, she dances, she plays the piano, (Dunne received a degree in music from Chicago Musical College, now Roosevelt University) and she shows her seemingly effortless comic timing. Dunne was so good as Theodora Lynn that she received the second of her five Best Actress Academy Award nominations. The comedy landscape would never be the same. In the wake of that comedy triumph, it was inevitable that the studio suits would put Dunne in another comedy.

The Awful Truth (1937) is a screwball comedy masterpiece that put Cary Grant on the map. Before this film, Grant was doing fine as eye candy to his more famous female costars. As popular as he was, he hadn’t yet solidified his movie image and on-screen persona. Like Dunne in Theodora Goes Wild, Grant was reluctant to make The Awful Truth. Grant originally didn’t feel comfortable under Leo McCarey’s direction. McCarey had an improvisational style that was troubling to the actor. As crazy as it seems today, Grant campaigned to switch roles with character actor Ralph Bellamy. Ironically, it’s McCarey’s direction and encouragement that helped established Grant as one of the best light comedy actors of all time—according to director Peter Bogdonovitch, “there was Cary Grant and everyone else was an also-ran.” In The Awful Truth, Grant is charming, funny, and showed that he was a master at physical comedy. Paired with Dunne, he appears comfortable, assured. He also looks as though he’s having the time of his life on screen. The chemistry between the two stars was magical. The film made Grant a superstar and Dunne earned another Best Actress nomination.

Publicity photo of Dunne and Grant for The Awful Truth

Three years later, Dunne and Grant teamed up again for My Favorite Wife. Leo McCarey co-wrote and produced the film, which was adapted from the very serious Alfred Lord Tenneyson poem “Enoch Arden.” Tennyson’s poem about a long-thought dead spouse was turned into a screwball comedy. This new Dunne/Grant pairing once again focused on the chemistry of the two stars. Arguably not as good as their first outing together, My Favorite Wife is still a delight. Opening at New York’s famed Radio City Music Hall, New York Times reviewer Bosley Crowther called the film “an altogether delightful picture” and praised the performances of both stars, reminding viewers of the antics in their previous outing in The Awful Truth:

Do you remember “The Awful Truth”. . . Do you remember Mr. Grant and Miss Dunne as the interlocutorially divided lovers, whose immediate return to domesticity was prevented by nothing much more substantial than Miss Dunne’s tantalizing contrariness? Then you know pretty well what to expect in “My Favorite Wife” only more of it.

Once again, Dunne and Grant starred in a critically acclaimed picture. Once again they starred in a box office smash.

Dunne and Grant went from comic to
dramatic with great success.

Dunne and Grant would take an interesting turn with their next pairing, Penny Serenade (1941). The stars play a young couple who adopt a child and then struggle to raise her under economic hardship. When their little girl suddenly dies, their marriage is put to the test. Directed by George Stevens with a sure touch, the movie tugs at your heart without devolving into crass sentimentality. Our friend Crowther noted the movie’s successful manipulation of his emotions, but praised the picture overall, saying this about the two stars’ performances, “…some very credible acting on the part of Mr. Grant and Miss Dunne is responsible in the main for the infectious quality of the film.” Both performances by the two leads are heartbreaking. Grant has a remarkable scene where he pleads with an adoption agency worker that will break your heart—if you don’t find yourself moist around the eyes, you’re not human. For this performance, Grant received the first of his two Best Actor Academy Award nominations.

Of all the famous screen teams, I think Dunne and Grant are often overlooked. The world would be a much sadder place had the movie paths of Irene Dunne and Cary Grant never crossed.


For more great posts on Dynamic Duos in Classic Film, be sure to click on the links at the top of this page.

The Not So Awful Truth About “The Awful Truth”

In 1937, Irene Dunne was at the height of her career. The year before, Dunne received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for Theodora Goes Wild, a comedy role she was reluctant to take. Not only was that picture a critical success for Dunne, but a huge box office hit for Columbia Pictures. So it wasn’t a surprise that the next picture she would make for the studio would be another comedy.

From Stage To Screen
The Awful Truth was based on a play by Arthur Richman and brought to the screen with the aid of screenwriter Vina Delmar and Theodora Goes Wild screenwriter, Sidney Buchman, who went uncredited. Teamed with Dunne for the first time was Cary Grant. Grant was quickly becoming a top leading man in Hollywood, but his pairing with Dunne was inspired and their on-screen chemistry delighted movie-going audiences. B.R. Crisler writing in his New York Times review said, “Miss Dunne and Mr. Grant, as the couple...have fun with their roles, and the pleasure seems to be shared, on the whole, by the [Radio City] Music Hall audience.”

What Is The Awful Truth?
The plot revolves around the marital woes of Lucy (Dunne) and Jerry (Grant) Warriner. Each becomes suspicious of the others’ marital fidelity, which eventually leads them to divorce court. After the divorce, Lucy and Jerry are consumed with foiling each others’ new romantic interests. Is the awful truth the fact that Lucy and Jerry are still in love?

Get Me Out Of This Picture

Irene Dunne and Cary Grant

Like Dunne in the previous year’s Theodora Goes Wild, Grant wasn’t too happy working on this film. Director Leo McCarey’s working style didn’t sit well with Grant and he tried to get out of the movie, even going so far as requesting he swap roles with supporting player Ralph Bellamy! McCarey liked to get spontaneous performances out of his cast, which meant a lot of on-set improvising, which Grant found unsettling. Eventually things worked out for all concerned. Ironically, this is the movie that catapulted Grant to superstar status and is responsible for the Grant movie persona beloved by generations of moviegoers.

Comedy Triumph
For Dunne, The Awful Truth was a delightful experience. She loved working with both McCarey (who became a personal friend) and Grant. Professionally, it was another triumph. Once again, the critics raved about her and the film. And once again she was nominated for Best Actress by the Motion Picture Academy. If there was any doubt about Dunne’s comedy chops, they were all dispelled when the film was first released on October 21, 1937. Dunne and Grant would go on to star in two other popular films: the comedy My Favorite Wife (1940) and the melodrama Penny Serenade (1941).

Award Winner
The Awful Truth was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor. McCarey won the only Oscar for his direction and insured his place in motion picture history.

Lasting Legacy
In 2000, the American Film Institute listed The Awful Truth at #68 on its list of 100 Years…100 Laughs. In 2002, the AFI listed it at #77 on the 100 Years…100 Passions list.


This post corresponds with the class Elegant and Madcap: The Incredible Versatility of Irene Dunne—Class starts November 16, 2011. Meets on Wednesdays from 7p.m. - 10 p.m. for six weeks. Classes are held at Facets Film School on Fullerton Ave. in Chicago, IL.