Idiot's Delight (1939)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Robert E. Sherwood (play)
Robert E. Sherwood (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 January 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

The Biggest Thrill They Ever Gave You! Norma and Clark together in the romance of a "ham" song-and-dance man and a "red-headed liar from Omaha."

Plot Keywords:

Fascism | Mistress | Anti War | Aviation | Acrobat

Cast

Norma Shearer	...	Irene Fellara
Clark Gable	...	Harry Van
Edward Arnold	...	Achille Weber
Charles Coburn	...	Dr. Hugo Waldersee
Joseph Schildkraut	...	Capt. Kirvline
Burgess Meredith	...	Quillary
Laura Hope Crews	...	Madame Zuleika
Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher	...	'Don' Navadel (as Skeets Gallagher)
Peter Willes	...	Mr. Jimmy Cherry
Pat Paterson	...	Mrs. Cherry
William Edmunds	...	Dumptsy
Fritz Feld	...	Pittatek
Virginia Grey	...	Shirley Laughlin
Virginia Dale	...	Francine Merle
Paula Stone	...	Beulah Tremayne

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Clarence Brown Ranch - Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

When Clark Gable had to sing "Puttin' on the Ritz," he actually had to be carried off by Harry Van's Les Blondes, so they saved that scene for last in case he was injured. On the day of the shooting Carole Lombard came to watch and was amazed that it only took one take.

Quotes:

Irene Fellara: The temple of your memory must be so crowded.
Harry Van: Are you sure you've never been in Omaha, Madame?

Movie Connections:

Featured in That's Entertainment! III (1994)

Soundtrack:

The Fountain in the Park

Watch "A Free Soul" instead.

I'm a fan of Clark Gable and Norma Shearer who was disappointed with their performances in "Idiot's Delight."

Their scenes together toward the beginning of the movie were cute, but once Shearer became the Russian countess, I lost interest in watching it. However, I did stick it out until the end hoping that it would get better and also because the story progressively got more bizarre.

Oddly enough, the ending kind of reminded me of "Fight Club" since both films have the main characters in a high-rise building in the midst of chaos and destruction. Speaking of the ending, I preferred the international one because it made a tiny bit more sense than the domestic version.

If you want to see a great Gable - Shearer pairing, watch "A Free Soul." It's a far better film than "Idiot's Delight."