Composer Gary Stuart (Ray Milland) and his wife, Connie (Jane Wyman), have an argument over her alleged affair with Courtney Craig (Tom Helmore). The Stuarts agree to get divorced, and each tries to move on to a new love: Gary with socialite Deborah Randolph (Karin Booth) and Connie with businessman Frank McGraw (Aldo Ray). However, they start to realize that they still have strong feelings for each other. The Stuarts must make a decision before their divorce is final.
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Reviews
That was an excellent one.
It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
It's always fraught with danger when you re make something that's considered a classic, and this one is no exception, but I suppose with colour becoming the norm by the 1950's, as now, they tried a re make for newer generations. Don't think Ray Milland wanted to do it, but he was contracted to the studio. I certainly don't agree with the reviewer who said he was no good at comedy, that was his main stock in trade, and his breezy, suave comedy style brightened many a film over the years, wish there was someone half as good today. Jane Wyman could hold her own in a musical, she'd just made a couple of films with Bing, if you don't step up to the plate with Der Bingle, you look pretty shabby. The trouble wasn't with the players, it was the fact that the script wasn't as good as the original, and it doesn't pay to compare anyway, it's pleasant enough on it's own merits, no classic, but an enjoyable enough bit of fluff, carried by two veteran stars!
In 1937, director directed a clever romantic-comedy, "The Awful Truth". It starred Cary Grand and Irene Dunne and the film was often wonderful--one of the better films of its type in the 1930s. Now, in 1953, the much less famous director Alexander Hall is given the unenviable task of doing the remake--with lesser actors in the leads and a lot of unnecessary singing and dancing tossed into the mix. Is there any possible way he could even come close to the original in quality or laughs? Well, the answer is an obvious NO--and I pretty much figured this out before the movie began. After all, the only reason to remake a movie is if the original was somehow seriously flawed and the remake corrected this. But the original was awfully good, so polished and featured amazing actors at their best--so how could Ray Milland and Jane Wyman hope to recapture the magic. Plus, the new script certainly isn't any better-in fact it's much worse (the film just didn't know when to end--and the final song by Wyman was god-awful). It seems that the one relatively minor flaw I saw in the original was still in this one...that the wife really did have reason to divorce because it's implied that the husband really WAS cheating on her. And, cheating is certainly NOT a subject that makes a film romantic. Now a misunderstanding causing the divorce, that probably would have worked better.The bottom line is see the original and only see this remake if you are bored and there's nothing better on the television. Not a bad film--just an unnecessary one.
Based on the original, The Awful Truth, this update is so completely inferior, one has to wonder what the intent was behind remaking the comedy classic. It certainly couldn't have been to improve on it. How can you improve on perfection? And it certainly was not to present better music. Irene Dunne hit the high notes better than either Wyman or the person dubbing her voice. Plus, Wyman's just too squeaky clean looking to play the vamp. She cannot sell it! Milland is a good actor, but here cannot deliver the charm of Cary Grant.A disappointing waste of time. Do yourself a favor and get the original.
Recently seeing this movie for the first time I was pleased to find that it is a very pleasant,frothy technicolored entertainment.Jane Wyman,whom I remember mainly from TV,is a very capable comedienne,and a very good singer.She is obviously enjoying herself,and looks very good too,in a dazzling Jean Louis wardrobe.Ray Milland plays her ex-husband in a Cary Grant type performance,and warbles a song or two.Aldo Ray is the new beau and also shows what a versatile actor he was.All in all,an undemanding Technicolor treat that is typical of it's period.Worth catching.8/10