Double Wedding (1937)

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Ferenc Molnár (play)
Jo Swerling (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 October 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Two sisters of differing temperaments, the younger's milquetoast fiancé, and a free spirited artist in an auto trailer have romantic complications in this screwball comedy.

Plot Keywords:

Milquetoast | Trailer | Screwball | Sister | Wedding

Cast

William Powell	...	Charles 'Charlie' / 'Horse' Lodge
Myrna Loy	...	Margit 'Baby' Agnew
Florence Rice	...	Irene Agnew
John Beal	...	Waldo Beaver
Jessie Ralph	...	Mrs. 'Stonewall Jackson' Kensington-Bly
Edgar Kennedy	...	Spike
Sidney Toler	...	Mr. Keough, Margit's Butler
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Keough
Barnett Parker	...	Mr. Flint, Margit's Bookkeeper
Katharine Alexander	...	Claire Lodge
Priscilla Lawson	...	Felice, Margit's Secretary
Bert Roach	...	Shrank

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #3611) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Several performers in studio records and casting call lists were not seen in the movie. These were, with their character names, Charles Coleman (Mrs. Bly's Butler), Josephine Whittell (Woman Customer), Mitchell Lewis (Orator) and John 'Skins' Miller (Pickpocket). According to a news item, Robert Benchley was to have a featured role, but he wasn't in the movie either.

Goofs:

Continuity: In a scene near the end that takes place in William Powell's trailer, an Oscar statuette is visible in the background standing on a white shelf. In the next shot, the statuette is on top of a black box that is on the white shelf. The following shot has the Oscar back on the white shelf. A few moments later, the statuette is knocked over, and is seen toppling from on top of the black box again.

Quotes:

Charles 'Charlie': I remember men in our regiment who'd ride out across the sands against the Arabs to face a certain horrible death carrying a rose in their teeth.
Margit 'Baby' Agnew: I seem to see you with spaghetti.

Movie Connections:

References A Day at the Races (1937)

Soundtrack:

Wintermärchen

Crazy film done under sad circumstances

"Double Wedding" is an enjoyable, albeit dizzying comedy starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. It's really a tribute to the cast that they were able to carry on in such a wacky movie despite being shut down for a time due to Jean Harlow's untimely death. Both Powell, who was involved with Harlow, and Loy, who was a friend of hers, took her death very hard.

Powell and Loy play polar opposites in this film. She is a complete control freak who has her life, her sister's life, and the life of her sister's fiancé, planned down to the millisecond. Along comes Powell, who lives in a trailer and hocks items when he needs money. Once he's in their lives, all bets are off, and chaos reigns supreme.

The cast is great but the whole thing kind of veers off focus from time to time. The writing isn't as strong as in some of the other screwball comedies of the era. But Powell is a treasure and teamed with Loy, even more so.