Double Wedding (1937)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ernie Alexander	...	Drunk Singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" (uncredited)
Jack Baxley	...	First Bartender (uncredited)
Margaret Bert	...	Waitress in Crowd at Wedding (uncredited)
G. Pat Collins	...	Mounted Policeman (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin	...	Hot Dog Vender (uncredited)
Jules Cowles	...	Gus, Waiter at Spike's (uncredited)
Billy Dooley	...	Saxophonist (uncredited)
Jack Dougherty	...	Mrs. Bly's Chauffeur (uncredited)
Roger Gray	...	Mike, Policeman at Jail (uncredited)
George Guhl	...	Pete, Policeman at Jail (uncredited)
Gwen Lee	...	Woman in Crowd (uncredited)
Irving Lipschultz	...	Moe, the Violinist (uncredited)
Donald Meek	...	Judge Blynn (uncredited)
Roger Moore	...	Pianist at Spike's (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Second Bartender (uncredited)
Oscar O'Shea	...	Turnkey (uncredited)
Henry Taylor	...	Angelo, Margit's Gardener (uncredited)
E. Alyn Warren	...	Al, Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Doodles Weaver	...	Bass Fiddle Player (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Thorpe

Writing credits
Ferenc Molnár		(play "Nagy szerelem") (as Ferenc Molnar)
Jo Swerling		(screenplay)

Produced by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz	....	producer

Original Music by
Edward Ward

Cinematography by
William H. Daniels		(as William Daniels)
Harold Rosson		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Frank Sullivan

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Costume Design by
Adrian		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert A. Golden	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Edwin B. Willis	....	associate art director
Joseph C. Wright	....	associate art director (as Joseph Wright)

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Camera and Electrical Department
Joseph Ruttenberg	....	photographer: Carmel-By-the-Sea (uncredited)

Other crew
Herman Fisher	....	assistant: Joseph Ruttenberg (uncredited)
Sig Kaufman	....	assistant: Joseph Ruttenberg (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Inc.)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1937) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Turner Entertainment  package design
• Turner Entertainment  supplementary material

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:

The seventh of fourteen films pairing William Powell and Myrna Loy.

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': Don't think, you're an actor.

Movie Connections:

References A Day at the Races (1937)

Soundtrack:

The Wedding March

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.