The Awful Truth – 1937
Once again we are given a screwball comedy. This one stars Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Grant is always fun to watch, so I have to admit, I was pre-disposed to like this film. But the story left me a little flat. It wasn’t bad, but it was also no better than average, no better than any other screwball comedy.
The plot follows Grant and Dunne as Jerry and Lucy Warriner. They are a couple that is happily married, except that they have issues. The main issue is trust. Now, it seemed that the screen-writer may have been trying to give equal weight to both sides of the issue, however, I think he failed. I’ll explain.
Jerry Warriner is shown as devil-may-care, witty and charming. His wife is shown as honest, strong-willed and yet generally submissive. It seems like they are the perfect couple. But all the conflicts in the plot stem from the fact that Jerry has a suspicious mind and does not trust his wife. Right from the very beginning, we find the Jerry is lying to his wife about a trip to Florida. He is getting a fake tan to make her believe he was the Southern state. He buys a fruit basket full of oranges to give the lie more credibility.
He comes home to discover that his wife is away as well. His friends automatically suspect her of adulterous behavior. When she comes home, she tells her husband the truth. She was with her voice teacher and the car broke down. They spent the night in a hotel and came home when they were able. Jerry assumes she is lying.
But here is where I take issue with the plot. When Lucy catches Jerry in his lie, he gets angry and says, “Don’t change the subject!” He then jealously proceeds to accuse her of being the liar. The two agree to get divorced on the spot and the next thing we see is the two in court before a judge. But it seemed to me that the conflict was very one-sided. The film never explained where Jerry had actually been when he was supposed to be in Florida. So it is really alright for a man to be an adulterous liar, but if a woman even appears to be cheating, she is automatically guilty?
But remember, this is a screwball comedy, so the zaniness just goes from there. A few scenes actually had me laughing out loud, so in that respect, I suppose the movie did its job. Lucy’s voice teacher Armand Duvall, played by Alexander D’Arcy, shows up to speak to her about her voice recital that Jerry nearly ruined. Jerry shows up, so Armand hides in the bedroom. Lucy’s new boyfriend, Dan Leeson, played by Ralph Bellamy, arrives with his mother to apologize for doubting her honesty, so Jerry quickly hides in the bedroom. As Dan is trying to say he is sorry, we hear the sounds of a violent fight coming from the bedroom. Glass is being smashed, furniture is being destroyed. Sounds like falling pipes and crashing bricks, which belonged at a construction site could be heard as well. The fight is never shown, but Lucy, Dan, and Dan’s mother try to ignore the cacophony, which Lucy explains away as remodeling. Suddenly Armand sprints out of the room being chased by Jerry. As they race to the front door, Lucy’s Aunt Patsy, played by Cecil Cunningham dryly quips, “They forgot to touch second.”
But unfortunately, there just wasn’t very much that was special about the film that made it stand out as better than any other screwball comedy. In fact, if I am being critical, I might call it a little dull. Sure the dialogue was clever and witty, but that’s not enough to make it a great movie, as a Best Picture nomination should be. And as long as I am being completely honest, I have to mention the costumes. The movies have always been the perfect way for new fashions to be introduced to the general public. So every scene features the lead actress in a different outfit. But some of the fashions that they had Lucy wearing were frumpy and almost matronly, especially when looked at with a modern eye.
In the end, as if there were ever any doubt, Jerry and Lucy are back together. They both realize that they are made for each other and are completely in love. But it is too late. The divorce proceedings become final during the ending scene. The movie ended by implying that Jerry was going to spend the night in Lucy’s room. But I thought a cuter ending would have had Jerry proposing to Lucy just after their divorce became final.
And finally, we could have done without the kooky cuckoo-clock sequences… But you’ll have to watch the film to understand that one. Honestly, I didn’t get it.