Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writer:

Norman Krasna (story)

Release Date:

31 January 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Lombard and Montgomery Get Hitched As They're Getting Unhitched ! [DVD USA]

Plot:

Not a typical Hitchcock movie, this is a comedy about a couple who learn that their marriage was not valid.

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | New York | Restaurant | Taxicab | Fairground

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 16

4:15 PM

TCM

Cast

Carole Lombard	...	Ann
Robert Montgomery	...	David
Gene Raymond	...	Jeff
Jack Carson	...	Chuck
Philip Merivale	...	Mr. Custer
Lucile Watson	...	Mrs. Custer
William Tracy	...	Sammy
Charles Halton	...	Mr. Deever
Esther Dale	...	Mrs. Krausheimer
Emma Dunn	...	Martha
Betty Compson	...	Gertie
Patricia Farr	...	Gloria
William Edmunds	...	Proprietor Lucy's
Pamela Blake	...	Lily (as Adele Pearce)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ernie Alexander	...	Bellhop at Lodge (uncredited)
Murray Alper	...	Harold - Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Waiter Captain (uncredited)
Georgia Carroll	...	Attractive Woman in Night Club (uncredited)
Francis Compton	...	Mr. Flugle (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Nightclub Dance Extra (uncredited)
Alec Craig	...	Thomas - Beefeaters Club Clerk (uncredited)
Sayre Dearing	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn	...	Cop (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	Attractive Woman's Escort (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Jack Gardner	...	Elevator Boy (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man Passing David Smith on Street (uncredited)
D. Johnson	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Robert Emmett Keane	...	Store Manager (uncredited)
Beatrice Maude	...	Jeff's Secretary (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Dining Taxi Driver (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Emory Parnell	...	Conway (uncredited)
James Pierce	...	Doorman (uncredited)
Ronald R. Rondell	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford	...	Store Checker (uncredited)
Stanley Taylor	...	Lodge Clerk (uncredited)
Russell Wade	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Allen Wood	...	Bellhop at Lodge (uncredited)
Barbara Woodell	...	Sunny - David's Secretary (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Norman Krasna		(story and screenplay)

Produced by
Harry E. Edington	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Edward Ward		(musical score by)

Cinematography by
Harry Stradling Sr.		(as Harry Stradling)

Film Editing by
William Hamilton

Art Direction by
Van Nest Polglase
Albert S. D'Agostino		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Darrell Silvera

Costume Design by
Irene		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dewey Starkey	....	assistant director

Art Department
Lawrence P. Williams	....	associate art director (as L.P. Williams)

Sound Department
John E. Tribby	....	recorded by

Special Effects by
Vernon L. Walker	....	special effects

Music Department
Roy Webb	....	musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Tommy Garland	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Betty Hall	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Bob Marlow	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures (presents)

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1941) (USA) (theatrical)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1957) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Fox Hills Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Nostalgia Merchant, The (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

South Korea:12 | USA:TV-G | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:7 (1945) | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6670) | UK:U (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

This was the first Alfred Hitchcock film to be shown on American network television.

Quotes:

David: I'd give five bucks to see that cat take a sip of that soup.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mr. Hitchcock Meets the Smiths (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Sidewalks of New York

lesser Hitchcock

Hitch claimed he only directed the script as written as he had no feel for the material. It's an OK comedy but did anyone else notice how annoying Carole Lombard's character is? Even the people around her are a bit offbeat. She is so annoying shrill and dreary one wonders why Robert Montgomery is working so hard to get her back. Alright for your Hitch collection but not really a fantastic film. It's a look back into the social mores of yesterday as Montgomery exposes Carole as a married woman so the store she's employed at fires her as it's the store's policy not to employ married women. One wishes the characters could have been played a little more warmly instead of the tart,sharp way they were directed by Hitchcock. Since he wasn't crazy about the project,he might have injected a bit more cynicism than he thought.