SYNOPSICS
Bedtime Story (1941) is a English movie. Alexander Hall has directed this movie. Fredric March,Loretta Young,Robert Benchley,Allyn Joslyn are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1941. Bedtime Story (1941) is considered one of the best Comedy,Romance movie in India and around the world.
A Braodway playwright wants to keep on writing plays for his wife to star in, but all she wants is to retire to Connecticut and, following a few 'worlds-apart" discussion of the issue, they get a divorce. The actress marries a banker in a fit of pique only to quickly discover the divorce was not valid. She communicates this information to her not-yet ex-husband and he, to prevent consummation of the invalid marriage rescues her by sending plumbers, waiters, porters, chambermaids, bellhops, desk clerks, exterminators and, finally, a crowd of roistering conventioneers to the suite to ensure no bedtime story would take place there.
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Bedtime Story (1941) Reviews
March Wants Her Back
I was looking at the Citadel Film series book The Films of Fredric March while watching Bedtime Story and the author there makes the point that this seemed to be something that might have been originally designed for Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. That might be the case, but I doubt even those two could have done as good a job as Fredric March and Loretta Young did in this film. March and Young both knew how to play comedy and well, despite both of them primarily known for drama. With something like Nothing Sacred among March's best films who would doubt that? As for Loretta, she's every bit as sparkling as Irene Dunne at her best. To make the analogy complete, there's even a Ralph Bellamy part in this film, ably done by Allyn Joslyn. In fact in many ways Joslyn's the best thing in the film. The lead characters seem to me to be based on that noted theatrical couple, playwright Charles MacArthur and actress Helen Hayes. The film begins with Loretta Young taking a curtain call and giving a farewell to the theater. She and her hubby want to settle down and enjoy life. But Loretta should have suspected something when March wasn't around to take the bow with her. Good reason because that isn't March's idea at all. In fact he's written a new play for his wife, but she wants nothing to do with it. She's made her mind up and that breaks them apart. And good old Allyn Joslyn, stuffy banker in the Ralph Bellamy tradition, is ready on the rebound. He catches her all right, but the game isn't over, not from March's point of view. Bedtime Story starts out a little slow, but really makes up for it in the end. That final scene as the newly married Joslyn and Young are trying to get down to business is absolutely hysterical. The situations are funny enough, but Joslyn's reactions are what really put it over. It's something borrowed from A Night At The Opera. In fact I spotted elements from The Awful Truth, His Girl Friday, and Twentieth Century as well as the Marx Brothers classic. And producer B.P. Schulberg and director Alexander Hall make it all work. Rounding out the cast in familiar type cast parts are Helen Westley, Robert Benchley, Eve Arden, Joyce Compton and Grady Sutton. You just mention those names and any devoted film buff can tell you exactly what they played. I'm surprised Bedtime Story isn't rated higher by fans of both leads. It's a real gem of a screwball comedy, don't miss it.
A life in the theater
"Bedtime Story" is an enjoyable comedy with a plot that seems to have been borrowed from other, most successful films. This 1941 Columbia release is fun to watch because it is seldom seen and the brilliant cast that was put together for it. Frederic March and Loretta Young are wonderful as the sparring Drakes, a theatrical couple, at the center of the story. The Broadway scene of the times is captured in the film. Alexander Hall directed this stylish comedy with sure hand. Mr. Hall got excellent performances all around, especially of the two principals. Frederic March was at the height of his movie career and he shows why he was one of the best actors working in films at the time. Loretta Young also has some wonderful moments in the film as the suffering wife of Luke Drake, the playwright of the moment. As with other comedies of that period, the supporting cast in "Bedtime Story" shows some accomplished actors of the caliber of Eve Arden, Allyn Joslyn, Helen Westley, and Joyce Compton, among others. The film will delight classic movie fans.
A jewel
I caught this on Turner Classic Movies, at a time when most of the truly different and interesting films are shown: in the middle of the night. This movie is about as good a light comedy as you'll ever see. The writing is exceptional, keeping the pace flowing and featuring often sparkling dialog. The acting is superb. Loretta Young again shows her broad dimensions as an actress, here being sophisticated, worldly, and wise. Not the farmer's daughter. Frederic March is perfect as the actor-playwright who is constantly devising plans to persuade his wife to end her retirement and star in his new play. And the character actors are just right, especially Eve Arden. Even Robert Benchley fits in well here. The director deserved an Academy Award for his flawless control of the story. In short, this is a delightful film that adults won't want to miss. In a just world, this would out in DVD.
Okay first half is more than made up for my a terrific finale
This was a pretty interesting film for me because my wife and I watched it and had rather different ideas about the film--at least until the final half hour which we both enjoyed. She hated most of the film--mostly because Frederic March's character was such an awful liar and manipulator. I think she just wanted something terrible to happen to him once and for all! I loved the film and didn't mind that March played such a cad. After all, the guy who manipulates his wife and tries to prevent her from remarrying is a rather common plot element--used in such wonderful movies as HIS GIRL Friday and THE AWFUL TRUTH. I could let this go and just enjoy. Which camp you fall into might just determine whether this movie is for you. The film begins with Loretta Young on stage at the end of a performance. She announces that she and her playwright husband (March) are retiring. It seems that they have long talked about giving it all up once they made a fortune and moving to a farm. The trouble is that March has suddenly changed his mind and he never bothered to tell his wife!! And, when he mentions that he has just written ANOTHER play and wants her to star in it, she walks out and gets a divorce. Again and again, March connives to get Young back, though it mostly seems because he wants her in the new play and not because he really loves her. My wife was yelling at the television at these points--calling March a "schmuck" and advising Young not to believe his lies! Well, being a Hollywood film, the ending was not too unexpected. However, I was delighted how well it was handled. Once Young remarried but before she could consummate the marriage, March did some truly amazing things to prevent this. You have to see it to believe it, but the whole thing is rather reminiscent of the stateroom scene from A NIGHT AT THE OPERA. Funny and charming--I really liked this film and think my wife is wrong. Fortunately, she rarely reads my reviews and so I'm probably not "in the doghouse"--unless someone would tell her. Can you please keep it a secret folks?!
Twilight of screwball comedy:
All the previous commenters are right: you'll find some things to like here. Exactly which things they are will depend on what you're hoping for. I think Fredric March is terrific as Luke, for the same reason other folks didn't enjoy him so much -- he's not what you're expecting, perhaps because his buttoned-down good looks make a great foil for his deviousness. Here, in mid-career, March's role is the kind Harrison Ford occasionally takes to lighten up. Benchley's Benchley (that's a plus) and Eve Arden has a great turn as an actress who must absorb withering directorial scorn for no good reason. Loretta Young is where this potentially fizzy movie goes flat in spots. She's ladylike to a fault. After I saw this movie on TCM I decided it must've been written as a Powell-Loy vehicle -- theirs is the kind of chemistry that would've put more zip in this script. But March's performance is a treat.