• Theodora Goes Wild

7/3/24 (Wed), home

A would-be screwball comedy from 1936 that stretches its thin premise way too far. A prim and proper Sunday School teacher (Irene Dunne) is secretly churning out racy best sellers under a pen name. Afraid to come out in her gossipy small town, she works covertly with a NY publisher. The book’s male illustrator (Melvyn Douglas) happens to meet her and decides to break her out of her shell. He tracks her down to her hometown, where he insinuates himself into her life by holding out the threat of exposure. Just when a love affair looks to be blooming, he disappears. Later the tables are turned when she follows him to New York. He admits he loves her, but it turns out that he has an estranged wife – and his father, the lieutenant governor, won’t allow him to divorce due to the political implications. In the end, Dunne admits to being the scandalous writer, and Douglas, caught in an embrace with Dunne, gets his divorce. Thus, both have burst their chains and have found new lives with each other.

The film is old-style comedy in a bad way. The basic story is fine, but the film fails to offset its irritating exaggerations with witty dialogue or memorable characters. Dunne is charming but has no chemistry with Douglas, and their scenes fall flat. Some of the minor characters do good work, especially Thurston Hall as the publisher and Spring Byington as a gossipy townswoman, but they’re not enough to save this limp vehicle. It was apparently a big hit in its day, allowing Dunne to show unexpected comic skills and launching her career to even greater heights. But it’s tired now. Not recommended.