THE WRITER’S EYE

THE WRITER’S EYE

Watching The Classics From A Different Point View with Dean James

Recipe for a classic screwball comedy:

1 handsome husband with a roving eye

1 beautiful wife with a great singing voice

1 dog with personality plus

The seasoning: Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Ralph Bellamy, and Asta from The Thin Man Movies.

Jerry Warriner returns home from an alleged trip to Florida to get some sun to find his wife Lucy missing. She turns up soon, however, having spent the night out with her handsome, somewhat oily, voice teacher. The teacher’s car ran out of gas, but Jerry doesn’t believe it. Jerry tosses Lucy an orange he brought back from Florida, only Lucy discovers the word California stamped on it. Lack of trust is important in marriage, and now neither trusts the other.

We then find Lucy and Jerry in divorce court. Jerry is contesting custody of Mr. Smith (aka Asta) whom he bought for Lucy during their first meeting. Lucy gains custody using a little trick, and she moves into an apartment with Mr. Smith and her aunt, the inimitable Cecil Kellaway. Across the hall live handsome Ralph Bellamy (an aw-shucks oil millionaire) and his suspicious mother. Cary has taken up with a nightclub singer.

Of course they still love either other and are jealous, but neither is willing to talk about it. After a series of screwball events, they wind up stuck together in a mountain cottage. Will they reconcile before the divorce decree is final?

What can a writer learn by watching this film?

The script uses one of the tried-but-true tropes in contemporary romantic fiction, The Great Misunderstanding. We all know if they sat down and talked this out, telling the absolute truth, they could quickly get back together. The awful truth is that they don’t, because once burned, they have to decide they love each other enough to start trusting again.

This movie is a primer on how to blend comedy and sexual tension seamlessly, albeit in a screwball fashion.