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Four classic screwball comedies starring Irene Dunne and Loretta Young

Icons of Screwball Comedy: Volume Two contains four classic screwball films such as:  Theodora Goes Wild, Together Again, The Doctor Takes a Wife, and A Night to Remember. In Theodora Goes Wild, we see a small town up in arms over a newspaper that is printing excerpts from a book they deem scandalous. They protest and eventually the paper must stop running the excerpts, but little do they know that the author lives right there in town. Theodora (Irene Dunne), goes along with her aunts in protesting the book and pretends to visit family out of town when she goes to see her book publisher. Even people at the publisher are eager to know who she is and one book cover artist takes a personal interest in her. Theodora gets drunk and gets a little crazy at a party, but the real trouble comes when the man (Melvyn Douglas) follows her back to town and moves into the guesthouse as a transient handyman. Theodora begs him to leave, but he has her secret identity to hold over her head. Eventually he leaves after she tells him she’s fallen in love with him. Theodora follows him back to New York only to find out he has a secret of his own.

Irene Dunne is adorable as the shelter small town girl who gets a taste of the high life after finding success in writing. Watching her try to fit in by ordering hard liquor and then getting drunk is hysterical and the panic she shows when trying to get Douglas out the door is hysterical. However, when she decides to turn the tables on Douglas (after finding out his secret), her whole demeanor changes and she becomes a different person—much less likable, but it is amazing to watch Dunne’s transformation from sheltered choir girl to scandalous troublemaker. Theodora Goes Wild was funny, well acted and well-written. While some of the themes may be a bit old fashioned today, the topics of censorship, repressed communities, and rumors can be understood and appreciated by current audiences.

In Together Again, a mayor’s widow (Irene Dunne) must deal with her emotional step-daughter and the extreme love for her dead husband. When her husband’s statue is beheaded accidentally, her step-daughter gets hysterical so Dunne agrees to have it replaced. However, that’s no good enough as the daughter is convinced she’d feel the pain the statue felt as the head was sewn back on, therefore a new statue must be created. Dunne goes to the city to find a sculptor (Charles Boyer) who seems to have a little crush on her. Boyer begins asking personal questions claiming he needs to learn more about the man. The two go out to dinner and the club is raided. The mayor was in the restroom getting her dress dried when the raid happens so naturally it looks suspicious and she is arrested. After making bail, she returns to town telling everyone what an old and odd man the sculptor was only to have him show up on her doorstep.

Dunne is wonderful as the put-upon mayor’s wife who has to deal with the most annoying step-daughter. We see the movie begin with the step-daughter collection ribbons and cards from flowers placed in front of her father’s statue and going to talk to it. Dunne’s scenes with Boyer are so emotionally charged and he is perfect as the aggressive big city artist with relaxed morals. The two have great chemistry together and you can’t help but root for them to get together.

In The Doctor Takes a Wife, Loretta Young plays a feminist writer who gets in a public mix-up with a domineering medical college professor (Ray Milland). Young has no time for men since she is career driven and Milland has no use for women, but they must pretend to be married in this comedy that doesn’t seem to stop to take a breath.

This film seems so rushed and high paced that I felt tense watching it. Young is great, and fast paced dialogue is part of the screwball comedy genre, but this movie made me feel rushed while on the couch. This was my least favorite film of the four and the one I found to be the most irritating.

A Night to Remember stars Loretta Young and Brian Aherne. Aherne is a mystery writer whose wife (Young), wants him to focus on writing romance novels. They move into a small Greenwich Village apartment where they feel he’ll be able to redirect his focus on romance novel writing and it’ll be a fresh start for the both of them. However, right off the bat the couple finds that the other residents seem a little strange when they mention which apartment they are moving into. Soon the couple finds themselves involved in a real-life murder mystery when they find a body.

Both Young and Aherne are great in this murder mystery comedy. Sidney Toler is great as the inspector and his scenes with Aherne are the best part of the film. The language is a bit dated, but if you enjoy old movies from the 40’s then it adds to the charm. A Night to Remember very cute movie that is definitely entertaining.

With the exception of Theodora Goes Wild, the other three films aren’t Young and Dunne’s best work or most famous movies, but all enjoyable films. Some of the films aren’t widely available so this DVD set is a treat for fans of Dunne, Young, and Milland. The extras, a cartoon and original trailers, aren’t anything special, but the films are fun, weekend watching and good for a rainy day. If you enjoy screwball comedies and comedies from the 1930’s and 40’s, then this set is perfect for you.

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