Movie Monday: The Awful Truth

Movie: The Awful Truth (1937)

Starring: Cary Grant and Irene Dunne

Storyline: Jerry Warriner (Cary Grant) returns home from a trip to find his wife, Lucy (Irene Dunne), is not home. When she returns in the company of her handsome music teacher, Armand Duvalle (Alexander D'Arcy), he learns that she spent the night in the country with him, after his car supposedly broke down. Then, she discovers that Jerry hadn't gone to Florida as he had claimed. Mutual suspicions result in divorce.

Lucy moves into an apartment with Aunt Patsy (Cecil Cunningham) and becomes engaged to her neighbor, Dan Leeson (Ralph Bellamy) from Oklahoma. However, Leeson's mother (Esther Dale) does not approve of her. Eventually, Lucy realizes that she still loves Jerry and decides to break the engagement. However, before she can inform Dan, Armand shows up at her apartment to discuss Jerry's earlier disastrous interruption of Lucy's singing recital. When Jerry knocks on the door, Armand decides it would be prudent to hide in the bedroom. Jerry wants to reconcile, much to Lucy's delight, but then Dan and his mother make an appearance. Wanting to avoid complications, Jerry slips into Lucy's bedroom, too. A fight erupts when he finds Armand already there. When Jerry chases him out of the apartment, right in front of the Leesons, Dan and his mother stalk out.

Afterward, Jerry becomes seen around town with heiress Barbara Vance (Molly Lamont). To break up this relationship, Lucy crashes a party at the Vance mansion, pretending to be Jerry's sister. She acts like a showgirl (recreating a risqué musical number she had seen performed by one of Jerry's girlfriends) and lets on that their "father" had been a gardener at Princeton University, not a student athlete. Realizing that his chances with Barbara have been effectively sabotaged, Jerry drives Lucy away in her car. Motorcycle policemen stop them, and Lucy, plotting to spend more time with Jerry, sabotages the car. The couple get a lift to her aunt's cabin from the policemen. Once there, Jerry admits having made a fool of himself and they reconcile. wikipedia

This is by far my favorite Cary Grant movie--now I haven't seen them all (yet) but I have seen quite a few and I just love this one. He is hilarious. She is hilarious. The things they do to each other to sabotage their new relationships, is endearing and funny. Not to mention, Grant is good at the physical comedy. My favorite scene is when he leans back in a chair and falls flat on his butt. The dialogue is quite witty and fast-paced, which I know some old movies can move slower, but this one seems to move along nicely and keeps you engaged.

Their dog also has a few scene stealer moments and causes quite a commotion, when Lucy tries to hide her music teacher in her bedroom!

It's smart, witty, endearing, funny and charming. I love this movie and I know you will too. The Hubs loved it and was laughing throughout...he is slowly loving old classics and realizing why I love watching them. (He was not fortunate enough to grow up watching any old movies--He had NEVER seen "White Christmas" before he met me--gasp! I know!)

We got it through Net Flix, it's also out on DVD and in box Cary Grant classics sets.

Happy Viewing!