Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Melvyn Douglass star in “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House”

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) is an American comedy film directed by H. C. Potter and starring Cary Grant, Myna Loy, and Melvyn Douglas. The supporting cast includes Reginald Denny, Sharyn Moffett, Connie Marshall, Ian Wolfe, and Louise Beavers. The screenplay was written by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama (White Christmas), the  music was by Leigh Harline, and the cinematography was by James Wong Howe.

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House follows the misadventures of a New York City advertising executive, Jim Blandings (Grant), and his wife, Muriel (Loy). Feeling cramped and fed up with their small apartment, they decide to escape the city's confines and build their ideal country home in Connecticut. Their pursuit of this "dream house" begins with an idyllic vision of pastoral bliss, promising a life free from urban stress and full of domestic tranquility.

The film chronicles the couple's journey from a naive fantasy to a harsh reality. They purchase an old, dilapidated farmhouse and a large plot of land, only to discover that their new property is riddled with unexpected problems. From a collapsing chimney to a waterlogged basement and a host of hidden structural flaws, their simple plan spirals into a series of costly and chaotic construction nightmares. The Blandings must contend with an assortment of eccentric contractors, rising costs, and a project that seems to have a mind of its own.

As their dream home transforms into a seemingly endless money pit, will the Blandings keep their sanity?

H. C. Potter (1904 - 1977) was an American theatrical producer and director, and a director of motion pictures. Potter graduated from Yale University in 1926 and was part of the Yale Dramatic Association. He founded a theater group, the Hampton Players, based in Southampton, Long Island. He eventually made his way to Hollywood, where he became a film director. Some of his popular films include The Shopworn Angel (1938) starring Margaret Sullivan and James Stewart, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939) starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Mr. Lucky (1943) starring Cary Grant and Laraine Day, and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Melvyn Douglas.

Cary Grant (1904 – 1986) was an English-born American actor who became one of the most popular leading men in film history. 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 presented with an Honorary Oscar at the 42nd Academy Awards in 1970.

Myrna Loy (1905 - 1993) was an American film, television, and stage actress. Loy was a trained dancer but decided to concentrate on acting, appearing in silent films before becoming a major star with the advent of sound. Perhaps Loy is most famous for playing Nora Charles opposite William Powell in The Thin Man (1934) and its subsequent sequels. Loy and Powell were one of the screen’s most popular acting teams; they appeared in 14 films together. Loy starred opposite the top leading men of the day, including Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Tyrone Power, and Cary Grant. Some of her films include Wife vs. Secretary (1936), Libeled Lady (1936), The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Test Pilot (1938), Too Hot to Handle (1938), The Rains Came (1939), Love Crazy  (1941), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948).

 

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House trivia

• Mr. Blandings $15,000 a year salary would be equivalent to $193,000 today.
• The house built for the movie still stands on the old Fox Ranch property in Malibu Creek State Park, in the hills a few miles north of Malibu. It is now used as the park’s office and as offices for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
• Director H. C. Potter wanted Irene Dunne for the role of Muriel Blandings, but she was working on I Remember Mama at the time and was unavailable. Potter wanted Dunne because all three of her pairings with Grant were box office gold.

 

Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Melvyn Douglas

 

Click HERE to watch the movie on the Internet Archive.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on September 8, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. Idealism vs. Reality: How does the film's portrayal of the Blandings' "dream house" project serve as a commentary on the American ideal of home ownership? In what ways do their romanticized expectations clash with the harsh realities of construction, and what does this say about the pursuit of perfection?
2. The Role of Consumerism: The film is set against the backdrop of post-war American consumer culture. How does advertising executive Jim Blandings' profession influence his decisions and desires regarding the house? What message does the movie convey about the pitfalls of consumerism and the pursuit of material goods?
3. Humor and Relatability: The film is a comedy, but it deals with serious themes like financial strain and marital stress. How does the use of humor, satire, and exaggeration make these challenges relatable to a modern audience? Can you identify specific scenes or characters that effectively use comedy to highlight the frustrations of building or renovating a home?
4. On-Screen Chemistry: This was the third and final film starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. What did you think of their on-screen pairing? Were they believable as husband and wife?
5. Recommendation: Would you recommend this film to your friends?

Joan Crawford and Melvyn Douglas lead the cast in “A Woman’s Face”

A Woman’s Face (1941) is an American drama film directed by George Cukor and starring Joan Crawford and Melvin Douglas. The strong supporting cast includes Conrad Veidt, Osa Massen, Reginald Owen, Albert Basserman, Marjorie Main, Donald Meek, Connie Gilchrist, George Zucco, and Henry Kolker.

As a teenager, Anna Holm (Crawford) was disfigured in a fire. The fire scarred the right side of her face. Imbittered because of this, she engaged in a life of crime. Her life changes when by chance, she meets Dr, Gustaf Segert (Douglas), a famous plastic surgeon. He successfully restores her face giving Anna a chance to live her life out of the shadows.

But old habits are hard to break and Anna finds it difficult to leave behind her past life.

Will Anna be able to start a new life with her new face or will her old life and associates drag her to her doom?

 

George Cukor (1899 – 1983) was an American director. He was famous for directing comedies and literary adaptations of classics like Little Women (1933) and David Copperfield (1935). He was famously fired from directing Gone with the Wind (1939), but that incident didn’t mar an impressive directorial career that included The Philadelphia Story (1940), Gaslight (1944), and Born Yesterday (1950). Cukor won an Academy Award as Best Director for My Fair Lady (1964).

Joan Crawford (190? – 1977) was an American actress. A former dancer, Crawford was signed to a movie contract by M-G-M in 1925. She started out in small parts in silent films, sometimes doubling for established star Norma Shearer. Crawford was an amazing self-promoter and by the 1930s, her popularity rivaled Shearer and Greta Garbo. She was famous for playing shop girls who somehow made it big. During the height of the Depression, women flocked to her films. But by the late 1930s, her popularity was beginning to wane. She left M-G-M and was absent from the screen for almost two years. She signed with Warner Bros. and made a successful comeback in Mildred Pierce (1945). The film was a hit with audiences and critics alike and won Crawford her one-and-only Academy Award for Best Actress. She went on the star in Humoresque (1946) with John Garfield, Possessed (1947) with Van Heflin, and Flamingo Road (1949).

Melvyn Douglas (1901 – 1981) was an American actor. Douglas was a popular leading man during the 1930s working with some of Hollywood’s most famous leading ladies including Greta Garbo, Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Myrna Loy, and Merle Oberon. He won two Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards late in his career for Hud (1963) and Being There (1979). Douglas’s last film role was in Ghost Story (1981) co-starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Fred Astaire.

A Woman’s Face trivia

• The role was planned for Greta Garbo but she had retired from film giving the role to Joan Crawford.
• A Woman’s Face was originally filmed in 1938 in Sweden starring Ingrid Bergman.
• Crawford was disappointed that her performance wasn’t nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award.
• Bette Davis said that she would have liked to have played the role of Anna Holm.
• M-G-M studio head, Louis B. Mayer thought that the role was a risk for the glamorous Crawford.

 

Click HERE to watch the film at the Movie Internet Archive.

Click HERE to join the online discussion. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. How did you feel about the character of Anna Holm? Did you have any sympathy for her?
2. What did you think of Crawford’s performance? Was she believable as a woman scared physically and emotionally?
3. Was her relationship with Melvyn Douglas realistic? Did they have good screen chemistry?
4. The film has an amazing supporting cast. Did any one of them stand out to you?
5. Some critics consider A Woman’s Face a film noir. Do you think this is an accurate classification? How would you classify it?

Garbo and everyone laughs in Ernst Lubitsch's "Ninotchka"

Ninotchka (1939) was the movie that proclaimed, “Garbo laughs!” The great Great Garbo is Ninotchka is a sophisticated delight. The supporting cast includes, Sig Ruman, Felix Bressart, Alexander Granach, and Bela (Dracular) Lugosi. Ninotchka, a special Russian envoy tasked with completing a deal to sell some jewelry that once belonged to an exiled member of Russian royalty (Ina Claire) now living in Paris. Ninotchka is all business and refuses to be taken in by the luxury and romance of the city of lights until she meets Count Leon d’ Algout (Melvin Douglas). Leon flirts with Ninotchka and shows her what a wonderful city Paris is and what it’s like living in a free society. Does Ninotchka hold fast to the tenets of Stalin and the Soviet Union or does she give in to the lure of democracy and capitalism? Directed by the legendary Ernst Lubitsch and written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett and Walter Reisch,

Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas

Ninotchka was a radical departure for Garbo. It was her first full-blown comedy film and it remains one of her most popular. Her performance garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Actress (she lost out, of course, to Vivian Leigh in Gone with the Wind). The film was also Oscar-nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Story, and Best Screenplay.

Backstory: By 1939, Great Garbo’s popularity was beginning to wane. Under the direction of Ernst Lubitsch, Garbo gives a wonderfully shaded performance as a woman whose life changes under the spell and romance of Paris. Garbo’s next film, Two-Faced Woman, also costarring Melvyn Douglas, was supposed to capitalize on Ninotchka’s success, but turned out to be a critical and commercial failure. It was Garbo’s last film. After the film was completed, she retired from the movies and acting altogether. Attempts to bring her out of retirement—and there were many—were unsuccessful.

The movie which pokes fun at Stalin and the Soviet Union was banned in that country, but was enormously popular in Europe.

 

Ernst Lubitsch (1892 – 1947) was a German-born film director who became famous for his sophisticated comedies during the pre-code era. Silent film star Mary Pickford lured Lubitsch to Hollywood in 1922. He directed Pickford in Rosita, which was a huge, hit and cemented his reputation in Hollywood. Lubitsch’s films were so unique that they were described as having the “Lubitsch touch.” Some of Lubitsch’s classic films include Trouble in Paradise (1932), Design for Living (1933), Ninotchka (1939), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Heaven Can Wait (1943), and Cluny Brown (1946). Lubitsch was awarded an Honorary Academy Award for his work in film.

Ernst Lubitsch directs Garbo

Greta Garbo (1905 – 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Greta Garbo was a major star during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood. She was famous for playing tragic figures in films like Mata Hari (1931), Grand Hotel (1932), Queen Christina (1933), and Anna Karenna (1935). With the beginning of World War II in Europe, Garbo’s career began to decline. Partly due to the fact that her films weren’t distributed in Europe during the war, where she was enormously popular. When she received terrible notices and poor box office with Two-Faced Woman, Garbo retired from acting and never looked back.

Melvyn Douglas (1901 – 1981) was an American actor. Douglas was a popular leading man during the 1930s working with some of Hollywood’s most famous leading ladies including Greta Garbo, Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Claudette Colbert, Marlene Dietrich, Myrna Loy, and Merle Oberon. He won two Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards late in his career for Hud (1963) and Being There (1979). Douglas’s last film role was in Ghost Story (1981) co-starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Fred Astair.

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

 

Click HERE to join the discussion online on May 27, 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. What did you think of Greta Garbo in a comedic role?
2. Do you think there was some seriousness between the laughs?
3. Did Garbo and Melvyn Douglas have good chemistry?
4. A big part of the success of this movie is the character actors in the film. Did you have a favorite?
5. Garbo retired from acting in 1940 after the failure of Two-Faced Woman. Do you think she made a mistake in retiring so young?

 

 

Jean Arthur has “Too Many Husbands”

Too Many Husbands (1940) is a screwball comedy directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray, and Melvyn Douglas. The screenplay was written by Claude Binyon (True Confession 1938), based on a play by W. Somerset Maugham.

Melvyn Douglas, Jean Arthur, and Fred MacMurray

Vicky Lowndes’s (Arthur) first husband, Bill Cardew (MacMurray) went missing in a boating accident and is presumed dead. During her bereavement, Bill’s best friend and business partner Henry Lowndes (Douglas) comforts Vicky. Within six months of Bill’s death, Vicky and Henry marry. Six months later, Bill shows up, after being rescued from an uninhabited island where he had survived after his accident at sea. Vicky has a tough choice to make; which husband does she want to spend the rest of her life with?

Cimarron (1931) was the only western to win the Best Picture Oscar until Dances with Wolves (1990)

Wesley Ruggles (1889 – 1972) was an American film director. He directed over 50 films including Cimarron (1931), No Man of Her Own (1932)—the only film to star Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, I’m No Angel (1933). The Gilded Lily (1935), I Met Him in Paris (1937), and You Belong to Me (1941). Ruggles got his start as an actor in 1915 where he appeared in several silent films. Two years later, his interests turned to directing. He was a top producer and director at Paramount throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. His career declined after directing and producing London Town (1946), considered one of the biggest flops in the history of British cinema. It was the last motion picture he directed. He was the younger brother of actor Charlie Ruggles.

Jean Arthur (1900 – 1991) was an American stage and film actress whose career spanned three decades. Arthur got her start in silent films but became a major star with the advent of sound. Her unique speaking voice made her a natural for comedy. She came to prominence having major roles in a series of films directed by Frank Capra: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can’t Take it With You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Other popular films Arthur starred in included Only Angels Have Wings (1939), The Talk of the Town (1942), The More the Merrier (1943). Arthur’s last film role was in the western classic Shane (1953). After retiring from acting, she taught drama at Vassar College where one of her students was Meryl Streep.

Fred MacMurray (1908 – 1991) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and had a successful career on television as well. MacMurray signed a contract with Paramount Pictures in 1934 and was a major leading man by 1935. He co-starred with the studio's top leading actresses including Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, and Madeleine Carroll. By 1943, MacMurray was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood and the fourth-highest-paid person in the United States. Probably his most famous role is as insurance agent Walter Neff in Double Indemnity (1944) co-starring Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson. During the late 1950s and 1960s, MacMurray gained new fame as the star of films produced by Walt Disney including The Shaggy Dog (1959), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), Son of Flubber (1963), and Charley and the Angel (1973).

Melvyn Douglas (1901 – 1981) was an American actor. Douglas was a popular leading man during the 1930s working with some of Hollywood’s most famous leading ladies including Greta Garbo, Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Claudette Colbert, Marlene Dietrich, Myrna Loy, and Merle Oberon. He won two Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards late in his career for Hud (1963) and Being There (1979). Douglas’s last film role was in Ghost Story (1981) co-starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Fred Astair.

Too Many Husbands trivia:

• Two endings were filmed, one having her end up with her first husband and the other having her stay with the second.
• The film was screened with both endings and sent out questionnaires to see which ending audiences preferred.
• Released just months before My Favorite Wife, both films were popular with audiences and critics.
• The film was remade as “Three for the Show (1955) starring Betty Grable, Jack Lemmon, and Gower Champion.

To watch the movie on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join our discussion of this film on Zoom, December 29, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. click here. Once you RSVP to the Meetup, you’ll receive an email with Zoom login information.

Questions for discussion:

1. What was your overall impression of the movie?
2. Did anything surprise you?
3. If you’ve seen My Favorite Wife, how are the movies similar and how are they different?
4. Did you have a favorite husband? Who do you think Vicky would be happiest with and why?
5. Was the film’s ending satisfying or a letdown?

Screening of "Theodora Goes Wild" at Daystar Center September 8

Theodora Goes Wild (1936)

Where: Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Room 102

When: September 1, 2018

Time: 6:45 p.m

Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Imagine you’re a small-town girl from New England, raised by two maiden aunts. Imagine you’re a Sunday school teacher and the church organist. Imagine that you can barely sneeze without the entire community knowing about it. Then imagine that in the midst of all this, you’ve written a racy best-selling novel that has taken the world by storm under a pseudonym. How do you manage to live your life while keeping the truth from everyone you know? That’s the plot of Theodora Goes Wild, one of the great screwball comedies of the 1930s.

Irene Dunne and Melvyn Douglas

Backstory: Star Irene Dunne had carved out a successful movie career as a dramatic actress. She was reluctant to do comedy, afraid that a flop in a comedy could possibly ruin her career.

To avoid doing the movie, Dunne stayed in Europe on vacation  for an extra month! Unfortunately, for Dunne, she had a contract deal with Columbia Pictures and if she didn’t come back to do the movie, she would have been put on suspension.

Dunne need not have worried. When Theodora Goes Wild was released, it was an immediate box office and critical hit. Dunne received her second Best Actress nomination (she earned a total of five) and she became a screwball comedy icon. In an interview with film historian James Harvey, Dunne said, “That film [Theodora Goes Wild]…was the biggest surprise of my life. I still don’t see how it was so successful…”

General admission $5, students and seniors $3.

Douglas and Dunne on location for Theodora Goes Wild

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.

Great Films of 1939: “Ninotchka” March 12 at Daystar Center

Great films of 1939: Ninotchka
Where: The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Chicago, IL
When: March 12, 2016
Time: 6:45 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Ninotchka (1939) was the movie that proclaimed, “Garbo laughs!” The great Great Garbo is Ninotchka is a sophisticated delight. The supporting cast includes, Sig Ruman, Felix Bressart, Alexander Granach, and Bela (Dracular) Lugosi. Ninotchka, a special Russian envoy tasked with completing a deal to sell some jewelry that once belonged to an exiled member of Russian royalty (Ina Claire) now living in Paris. Ninotchka is all business and refuses to be taken in by the luxury and romance of the city of lights until she meets Count Leon d’ Algout (Melvin Douglas). Leon flirts with Ninotchka and shows her what a wonderful city Paris is and what it’s like living in a free society. Does Ninotchka hold fast to the tenets of Stalin and the Soviet Union or does she give in to the lure of democracy and capitalism? Directed by the legendary Ernst Lubitsch and written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett and Walter Reisch,

Ninotchka was a radical departure for Garbo. It was her first full-blown comedy film and it remains one of her most popular. Her performance garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Actress (she lost out, of course, to Vivian Leigh in Gone with the Wind). The film was also Oscar-nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Story, and Best Screenplay.

Backstory: By 1939, Great Garbo’s popularity was beginning to wane. Under the direction of Ernst Lubitsch, Garbo gives a wonderfully shaded performance as a woman whose life changes under the spell and romance of Paris. Garbo’s next film, Two-Faced Woman, also costarring Melvyn Douglas, was supposed to capitalize on Ninotchka’s success, but turned out to be a critical and commercial failure. It was Garbo’s last film. After the film was completed, she retired from the movies and acting altogether. Attempts to bring her out of retirement—and there were many—were  unsuccessful.

The movie which pokes fun at Stalin and the Soviet Union was banned in that country, but was enormously popular in Europe.

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.

Chicago Film Club Screens “Theodora Goes Wild” November 19

The novel that scandalized Lynnfield!

Small town girl
Imagine you’re a small-town girl from New England, raised by two maiden aunts. Imagine you’re a Sunday school teacher and the church organist. Imagine that you can barely sneeze without the entire community knowing about it. Then imagine that in the midst of all this, you’ve written a racy best-selling novel that has taken the world by storm under a pseudonym. How do you manage to live your life while keeping the truth from everyone you know?

The Sinner is a Sensation
That’s the plot of Theodora Goes Wild starring Irene Dunne. With the publication of The Sinner by Caroline Adams (Theodora), the Lynnfield Literary Guild is up in arms. The local paper has serialized the scandalous novel and the guild wants it banned. And it’s up to Theodora to tell Jed Waterbury, (Thomas Mitchell) editor of the local paper, of the guild’s intentions.

Theodora (Dunne in foreground) with town gossip
Rebecca Perry (left) and her two aunts (right)

Let down your hair, woman
On a trip to New York City to meet with her publisher, Theodora runs into an artist named Michael Grant
(Melvyn Douglas), who thinks that Theodora needs to let her hair down. Grant, however, has stayed in a loveless marriage to appease his politically ambitious father. Theodora may need to let her hair down, but is Mr. Grant the right person to be telling her so?

A new career high
With Theodora Goes Wild, Dunne entered a new phase in her already successful career. Starring in her first comedy, after years of specializing in weepy melodramas, she was a revelation. With this one role, Dunne established herself as one of the silver screen’s great female comedians. Her turn as Theodora Lynn earned her a second Best Actress nomination, alongside fellow Hoosier, Carole Lombard, nominated that same year for My Man Godfrey. Louise Rainer who won for her performance in The Great Ziegfeld shut out both actresses.

A serious moment between Theodora
and Michael Grant (Melvyn Douglas)

Theodora Goes Wild will be screened as part of the Chicago Film Club’s “Screwball Comedy and the Feminine Mystique” film series on November 19, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State St. For information on the Film Club, click here. For information on purchasing tickets in advance and parking, click here. On street parking is available, but if you want to park in the Daystar parking lot, you need to buy your parking ticket in advance. Tickets will be available at the door for $5, $3 for students and senior citizens.

Irene Dunne Goes "Wild" and Reaches New Heights in Comedy Role

A Forgotten Comedy Classic
After almost a decade of starring in popular melodramas, Irene Dunne reluctantly starred in the comedy Theodora Goes Wild (1936). Dunne had established herself as a dramatic actress with great success and she wasn’t inclined toward comedy. When Theodora Goes Wild was released, it was an instant hit with the public and launched a new phase in Dunne’s film career. Overnight she became one of the movie’s top comic actresses, surprising not only the movie-going public, but Dunne herself.

Two-Picture Deal
Theodora Goes Wild was the first of two movies Dunne was committed to making at Columbia Pictures after she left RKO. As an independent movie star, not under exclusive contract to a major studio, she was reluctant to star in a comedy and perhaps risk her standing as a top movie star. So reluctant was Dunne to star in Theodora Goes Wild that she stayed an extra month on a European vacation hoping the executives at Columbia would cast another actress. When Columbia threatened legal action, Dunne relented.

She Sings, She Dances, She Romances
As Theodora Lynn, Dunne gets to utilize all her talents. Before heading to Hollywood, the actress graduated with honors from the Chicago Musical College (now Roosevelt University). As Theodora Lynn, she gets to sing, play the organ and piano, all skills she obtained while studying music.

Small Town Girl
Theodora hails from Lynnfield, Connecticut, and was raised by two maiden aunts who just happen to be the town’s leading citizens. Unbeknownst to her aunts and the town is Theodora’s secret life as bestselling author Caroline Adams. The Lover, written by Theodora is too hot for the town’s Literary Circle, of which Theodora and her aunts are members.

The Artist As A Young Man
Theodora meets artist Michael Grant (Melvin Douglas) who challenges her to break out of her shell and to get out from underneath the town of Lynnfield. Grant has his own problems, however. Stuck in a loveless marriage because of his family’s position and political connections, he’s hardly the person to tell anyone how they should live their life. When Theodora learns about Michael’s predicament, she puts a plan in motion to free him.

Wild Success

Irene Dunne and Melvin Douglas

When released, Theodora Goes Wild was a critical and box office success, propelling Dunne to even greater popularity. The film earned Dunne her second Best Actress Academy Award nomination, five years after her first for Cimarron. Nineteen thirty-six was a very competitive year for screwball comedy films. The classics My Man Godfrey and Mr. Deeds Goes To Town were released that same year to similar acclaim and box office success.

Holds Up Well
Although not as well known as other screwball comedies today, Theodora Goes Wild holds up remarkably well. The more I view it, the more impressed I am. Director Richard Boleslawski, who passed away a year after the film was released, expertly paced Theodora Goes Wild and got great performances out of the more than competent cast. Go “wild” with Theodora. You won’t be disappointed. 


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.

Go “Wild” with Theodora this Saturday at Facets Night School

Looking for something “wild” to do this Saturday? Look no further than this week’s midnight screening of the screwball comedy classic, Theodora Goes Wild (1936), starring Irene Dunne at Facets Film School, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, IL.

Drama Queen
Irene Dunne took a leap of faith by starring in a comedy after she was dubbed “Queen of the Weepies” by the film trade publications in the 1930s. Having made her mark in the western epic Cimarron (1931), Dunne carved out an enormously successful career as the heroine of a string of popular melodramas.

Comedy Rules
When she reluctantly accepted the role of Theodora Lynn in the film directed by Richard Boleslawski, Dunne was an instant comedy sensation. So popular was the film and Dunne’s performance, that she earned her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress (Dunne’s first nomination was for her role in Cimarron). The year 1936 was a great year for the screwball comedy. That same year saw the release of Frank Capra’s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Gregory LaCava’s My Man Godfrey.

The Peyton Place of Lynnfield!
The plot surrounds Dunne, a small town woman who is the best-selling author of a scandalous romance novel. Writing under the name of Caroline Adams, her secret is safe. That is until she meets a New York illustrator played by Melvin Douglas. He decides Theodora needs to break out of her small-town existence, all the while he’s trapped in a loveless marriage to please his politically connected father. So who really needs to go wild?

Theodora Goes Wild is a highly entertaining comedy that borders on comic genius. It deserves to be in the same class as Capra’s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and LaCava’s My Man Godfrey. It fact, it's in a class all by itself.

April 5 Movie Star Birthday Palooza!

Spencer Tracy (1900-1967)
Two-time Academy Award Winner: Best Actor, Captains Courageous (1938); Best Actor, Boy's Town (1939)

Bette Davis (1908-1989)

Two-time Academy Award Winner: Best Actress, Dangerous (1936), Best Actress, Jezebel (1939)

Gregory Peck (1916-2003)

Academy Award Winner: Best Actor, To Kill a Mockingbird (1963)

Melvyn Douglas (1901-1981)

Two-time Academy Award Winner: Best Supporting Actor, Hud (1964); Best Supporting Actor, Being There (1980)