Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)

This has a promising beginning and it is thoroughly enjoyable (especially the great sequence in the restaurant) until the moment that she realises he has no intention of telling her they aren’t married. And then it falls apart with a series of completely unfunny events cumulating in the ski lodge finale when she succumbs to him and the entire point of the film is lost because they do have sex and they are still not married.

(play on YouTube)

More on the cat here.

And while I get that for him it is exciting to think of having a mistress instead of a wife but it is also really creepy.

The second-rate nature of the film is emphasised by too many unflattering similarities to The Awful Truth which is one of the all-time great screwball comedies.

However, despite the film’s general failure it boasts one of Carole Lombard’s most brilliant performances. She is effortlessly funny and sexy. To think this was her second last film and then gone. I believe she would have ruled TV. Her scars are really noticeable too. Had she reached the time in her life when she decided not to care about hiding them? She certainly appeared to lack vanity.

Transport: cars
Animals: cat
Source: Warner Brothers (USA)