Guest Wife (1945)

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Claudette Colbert's first film as a free-lance artist. She declined to renew her Paramount contract, stating that she wanted to have the freedom to choose her own roles at whatever studios were prepared to pay her price — $150,000 per picture. "I have worked hard to attain both economic and artistic freedom. Now I am going to do what I wish."What Claudette didn't say was that a lot of her dissatisfaction with Paramount arose not from the studio's choice of her films, but from the way they were possibly to be photographed. Like Marlene Dietrich, Claudette Colbert was a fanatic on lighting and camera angles. Unfortunately, whereas Marlene had an expert knowledge of cinematography, Claudette had not. But she knew what she liked, and what she did not. She insisted — despite evidence to the contrary — that the left side of her face photographed more attractively than her right. Thus she would never allow herself to be photographed in any other direction but facing left. You think I'm kidding? I have William K. Everson's book on Claudette in my hands right now. In every single one of the 58 photos reproduced from pages 74 through 144, Colbert is facing or looking left. In all but six of these photos, she stands or sits at the extreme right hand side of the picture. We have to go right back to 1934 where "It Happened One Night" to find a still of Claudette facing slightly to the right.Colbert felt that if she stayed at Paramount, her turn in front of Seitz's camera was bound to arrive sooner or later. And Seitz was not a photographer who would take "suggestions" from anybody - not even the producer or the director, let alone a member of the cast! Claudette was unwilling to face this confrontation. Who will blame her? This gave her yet another reason not to sign again with her former employer, but to free-lance.For her first independent vehicle, she chose to go with the sort of role at which she was especially adept: — the loving girl who is forced to act out a phony part in order to attract or keep the man she really loves. Light, romantic, fluffy stuff in which a series of misunderstandings and complications are winsomely spun out for eighty minutes or so and then majestically resolved in five or ten. To keep herself the center of attention, the heroine of this airily elegant romance — these stories always take place in the most opulent surroundings — needs at least two leading men, plus a chorus of disapproving elders. Don Ameche, a little inclined to over-do the double takes and facial mugging, provides one corner of the triangle, whilst Dick Foran (here rather oddly billed as "Richard Foran" instead of the more familiar "Dick") holds up the other most ingratiatingly. The disapprovers include such masterful cameo players as Grant Mitchell, Charles Dingle, Edward Gargan and Chester Clute — the last in one of the funniest roles of his career as an inquisitive shoe salesman. Director Sam Wood keeps the mixture of bedroom farce, light romance and comic cut-ups frothing merrily and stylishly.

Dick Foran (Christopher) is happily married to Claudette Colbert (Mary) but will do anything for pal Don Ameche (Joe). Ameche needs a wife to impress his boss and so Chris lends him Mary. Hilarity ensues. Or does it? I'll answer that right now – no it doesn't. This is a weak and boring comedy. I fell asleep because it was so dull. Foran is a complete duffus that you can't relate to and Colbert plays it as a silly schoolgirl acting out juvenile frolics. The relationship between Foran and Ameche is based on some kind of retarded fraternity bonding whereby they play immature games with each other for one-upmanship – a kibble. We are subjected to this stupid notion of a kibble on several occasions and it really wound me up. There are rare moments of comedy that actually work but it's all under par given the cast. Pretty boring stuff.

Guest Wife is directed by Sam Wood, written by Bruce Manning and John Klorer, and stars Claudette Colbert (Mary), Don Ameche (Joe) and Dick Foran (Chris). The story tells of a journalist, Joe, who claims to his boss that he is married because the company would like their employees to be as such, and Joe wants to take some vacation leave. But he happens to still be single. Something that's now a major problem since his boss requests the company of Joe and wife for the weekend! His pal Chris lends him his wife Mary so as to bluff his boss into agreement, however, things start to get complicated.Obviously hampered by the strict censorship that existed at the time of its making, Guest Wife none the less is a cheeky little comedy that boasts fun acting and a safe and solid script.. Tho referred to as a screwball comedy in some quarters, I feel that doesn't quite do the film any favours. Yes the gags are breezy enough, but they are hardly of the whirlwind scattergun variety. The interplay between the wonderful Colbert and the charming Ameche is spot on, even if the heavy cloud of censorship tone downs stops the material from being fully realised into a classic comedy must see. There's an itch about just who we are supposed to root for since Chris is a nice guy and Mary clearly loves him, and of course Joe is a bit of a cad when one considers his deception. Yet we are in the company of Mary and Joe for the most part, which although it be a fake marriage, it's a nice coupling. So either way come the end some viewers will be left disappointed.Safe and tidy, with the film as a whole more likely to leave you with a smile more than a beaming grin. 6.5/10

Married couple Chris and Mary are about to set out for a second honeymoon whenever Chris's old friend Joe comes to town. Mary doesn't like Joe because he always brings trouble and this time is no exception. It seems that Joe has been using a fictional wife to improve his job prospects – even sending pictures of his wife and letters from her to his boss to impress upon him what a great guy he is (in the eyes of his fictional wife). However when his employers request the presence of Mrs Parker in New York, Joe has to ask Mary to stand in. Being a good friend Chris says yes and, with him stuck in town, Mary and Joe head off together, apparently oblivious of the sheer amount of problems that they will create.The basic idea behind this plot means that it is the Mary and Joe that have the best chemistry and spend the most time together on screen, this is a risk that it takes because it means the audience could have felt more for them as a couple rather than Chris as Mary's husband. This would have been a disaster (particularly at the time of release) but the film manages to keep it fresh and keep us engaged in the marriage while also enjoying the sparks between Joe and Mary. It cleverly makes a game to excuse the chemistry and stops us worrying about whether real love is blossoming or not. By doing this it keeps it light and enjoyable, consistently amusing and occasionally laugh out loud funny thanks to some sharp lines and jokes.The cast match this effortlessly. Colbert has great fun with an increasingly playful role that shapes the film and the other characters; she is the lead and her comic performance is great. Ameche also changes across the whole film as well, going from playboy to "rabbit in headlights" easily and convincingly. Foran has the hardest role in terms of engaging the audience but he does pretty well with a rather simple lug of a character. Support from people like Dingle, Mitchell, Bacon and others in minor roles all help the generally comic air come over consistently.Overall this is a bit of a balancing act and it is to its credit that it manages to pull it off and keep the audience onside. It is all light, fluffy stuff of course but it is surprising just how enjoyable it is if you are in the mood for it. If you're looking for something inconsequential and fun then you could do a lot worse than trying this film.