Runtime: 94 minutes
Directed by: Preston Sturges
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette, William Demarest
From: Paramount
Some classic film fans will be APPALLED that this movie hadn’t been seen before by me. In fact, they may even think of me as a cockeyed cookie-pusher! However, it was about time I’ve seen one of the most popular films from Barbara Stanwyck, which also is likely one of the best performances she ever delivered. It wasn’t just hear that made the film a success; Henry Fonda as the rich heir to a brewery also made Eve work; it was easy for the viewer to believe that the young ladies on an ocean liner would swoon for the eligible bachelor but he’s a nerdy bookworm whom studies snakes.
Babs, her father and his partner seek to swindle Fonda out of his money. As this is a screwball comedy, love occurs. Also, wackiness occurs when Stanwyck plays another character, the titular Lady Eve, complete with English accent. It was designed to be absurd as otherwise her appearance is little-changed. Some do find the final act too absurd to them; even I can’t fault them for the opinion.
I was able to roll with this premise due to the leads, the laughs, the pathos, and the supporting cast that included the frog-voiced Eugene Pallette-to my delight, he sang in one scene!-Charles Coburn, and William Demarest. While I feel that Unfaithfully Yours is an even better movie from Preston Sturges, both I was glad to see; obviously, that is a blind spot that needs to be fixed in the future. There are many comedic laughs I dare not spoil—note that Stanwyck was as swell in comedy as she was drama. However, as many others have noted this, the scene involving a horse and its impact on an actor was amazing for several reasons.
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