Unfaithfully Yours (1948)

Director:

Preston Sturges

Writer:

Preston Sturges (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 December 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Romance

Tagline:

Will somebody "get her" tonite?

Plot:

Sir Alfred De Carter suspects his wife of infidelity. While conducting a symphony orchestra, he imagines...

Plot Keywords:

Symphony | Conductor | Infidelity | Jealousy | Detective

Cast

Rex Harrison	...	Sir Alfred De Carter
Linda Darnell	...	Daphne De Carter
Rudy Vallee	...	August Henshler
Barbara Lawrence	...	Barbara Henshler
Kurt Kreuger	...	Anthony Windborn
Lionel Stander	...	Hugo Standoff
Edgar Kennedy	...	Detective Sweeney
Al Bridge	...	House Detective (as Alan Bridge)
Julius Tannen	...	O'Brien
Torben Meyer	...	Dr. Schultz
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pati Behrs	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
George Beranger	...	Maitre D' (uncredited)
Evelyn Beresford	...	Madame Pompadour (uncredited)
Georgia Caine	...	Dowager (uncredited)
Harry Carter	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Bill Cartledge	...	Page Boy (uncredited)
Ruth Clifford	...	Saleslady (uncredited)
Douglas Gerrard	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Robert Greig	...	Jules, the Valet (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Isabel Jewell	...	First Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Laurette Luez	...	Hatcheck Girl (uncredited)
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Stage Doorman (uncredited)
Marion Marshall	...	Maisie, Second Telephone Operator (uncredited)
George Matthews	...	Musician (uncredited)
George Melford	...	Man in Audience (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Stage Hand (uncredited)
Frank Moran	...	Fire Chief (uncredited)
Dave Morris	...	Musician (uncredited)
Franz Roehn	...	Musician (uncredited)
Tamara Schee	...	Madame La Lotte (uncredited)
Charles Tannen	...	Airport Information Man (uncredited)
Max Wagner	...	Stage Manager (uncredited)

Directed by
Preston Sturges

Writing credits
Preston Sturges		(screenplay)

Produced by
Preston Sturges	....	producer

Cinematography by
Victor Milner		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Robert Fritch

Art Direction by
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)
Joseph C. Wright

Set Decoration by
Paul S. Fox
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Bonnie Cashin

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
Franz Prehoda	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Henry Vilardo	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Marie Walter	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Gladys Witten	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Charles Hall	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gaston Glass	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
Arthur von Kirbach	....	sound (as Arthur L. Kirbach)

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Eddie Ledgerwood	....	grip (uncredited)
F. Bud Mautino	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Ray Nolan	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director (as Charles LeMaire)
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Music Department
Alfred Newman	....	musical director
Cyril J. Mockridge	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator: Cyril J. Mockridge (uncredited)

Other crew
Stephen Brooks	....	production assistant
Robin Sanders Clark	....	conducting instructor: Rex Harrison
Stanley Scheuer	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1948) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Symphony Story (USA) (working title)
Unfinished Symphony (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (certificate #12960)

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The orchestral conductor Sir Alfred de Carter, is based loosely on the real life British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham. Beecham was the son of pharmacist Sir Joseph Beecham, the inventor of the laxative Beecham's Pills. Accordingly Harrison's character, Sir Alfred de Carter, is said to be named after Carter's Little Liver Pills, the American equivalent.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Just prior to the first murder-scenario fantasy, Sir Alfred's shadow is visible on the rear-screen projection screen as the camera tracks in on his eye.

Quotes:

Alfred: A thousand poets dreamed a thousand years, then you were born, my love.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Biography: Linda Darnell: Hollywood's Fallen Angel" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Semiramide

If you think Rex Harrison is funny...

In Preston Sturges' last studio film, Rex Harrison plays an orchestra conductor who believes his wife is having an affair. While conducting, he plans various schemes for revenge, each played out with the utmost precision and skill. He grows increasingly paranoid and grows more insane after each plan he came with fails.

I expected much more of this, but this was based largely on my liking of SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1941). Most of Sturges' other films are perhaps not brilliant but at least they were hilarious and make for fine comedy, but this one strains for laughs, that are simply not there. Often hailed as some kind of masterpiece, I failed to see it. I'll take any other of his films for this one. At least they're funnier, hands down.

The film is beautiful to look at, very stylish, and masterfully scored, but the main problem is, I'm supposed to root for a deeply unsympathetic character in a story that seems to exist solely to marvel it's own genius and complexity. What's more, Rex Harrison has no talent for comedy whatsoever. He tries hard but to no avail. All we are left with is supposedly witty dialog that has no purpose at all. I wouldn't dare to dismiss any Sturges-film, and perhaps the genius of this film is beyond my reach, but if you're looking for the old-fashioned madness of earlier Sturges, you won't find it here.

Camera Obscura --- 5/10