Over 21

While hubby Alexander KNOX is undergoing the rigors of officer training at an army base, IRENE DUNNE must contend humorously with several hardships of her own, including a floorboard that has to be stamped upon in order to open a window, light switches in inconvenient places, a refrigerator caked with ice, and a lack of cooking skill that means she has to call upon her willing female neighbors when her husband brings a buddy over for dinner. In addition, she has a newspaper editor (CHARLES COBURN) hounding her husband to write another article from the newspaper he walked out on--a chore which Dunne takes upon herself to do so hubby won't be distracted from his work.

Based on Ruth Gordon's own experiences as an army wife (married to writer/director Garson Kanin), it serves as a delightful role for IRENE DUNNE, who lights up the screen with her presence and has never been more attractively photographed.

But the material itself is a bit uneven, deadly serious one moment and then straying into the field of screwball comedy at other times.

Another drawback is the performance of Alexander KNOX as the overage hubby, not the world's most charismatic actor. It's the kind of role that should have been played by either EDDIE ALBERT or a bigger star like CARY GRANT.

JEFF DONNELL is amusing as a devoted soldier's wife and CHARLES EVANS and LEE PATRICK do nicely in supporting roles. But it's almost a two character story with the spotlight on Dunne and Knox running occasional interference from crusty CHARLES COBURN, and most of it takes place in their cramped living quarters which must have kept the film at a very low budget.

Summing up: An essential Irene Dunne film for her fans.

Note the wide release date of Aug 8, 1945 - about a week before Japan surrendered in WWII, so there will probably be a message for us in "Over 21". Irene Dunne (It Happened one Night, the 1939 version of Love Affair) is Paula Wharton, who goes to live on an army base while her newspaper editor husband is in training school. Alexander Knox ( the Longest Day) is her hubby Max. Look for Charles Coburn (Monkey Business, Gentlemen prefer Blondes) as the stuffy, commanding, newspaper boss. Also look for Cora Witherspoon as Mrs. Gates, from The Women, Bank Dick, Libeled Lady. War story written for the wives' point of view, which wasn't too common in those days. fun commentary on the shabby condition of the "married housing"; Irene's wardrobe in this film certainly wasn't at all shabby.. since they never had to leave their little cottage, it appears the whole movie budget was spent on her always-exquisite dresses and hats.

Over 21 the film version of the Ruth Gordon play which detailed her experiences trying to keep the marriage together with Garson Kanin after he'd gone in the service provides Irene Dunne with one of her better later roles on the big screen. It's also in keeping with what was then an upbeat spirit in America about how we would not screw up the peace as we did in the first World War and sow the seeds of yet another global conflict.

The play Ruth Gordon wrote and starred in herself ran for 221 performances in 1944 on Broadway and was confined simply to the bungalow that Gordon and Harvey Stephens who was the male lead had on a training base. If you look on the Broadway credits list it says that the production was 'staged' by George S. Kaufman as opposed to being directed by him. I'm not sure of the distinction, but I can imagine that with a wit and will as strong as Kaufman's it must have been an interesting period putting the production together before opening night.

When Columbia bought the screen rights, Sidney Buchman had to do some considerable script reconstruction to move the action beyond the bungalow. The film bears very little trace of its stage origins.

Alexander Knox plays the husband and Charles Coburn the employer of both Dunne and Knox who are writers. Knox has graduated to not only editor, but featured columnist. His words and thoughts help sell the paper and Coburn is in a bind. But Knox feels he has to get into the war, the seminal event of his time in order to speak authoritatively on the kind of post war world he wants. This was not an uncommon theme in those years.

Irene Dunne has some good comic moments, the kind she used to have when she was appearing opposite Cary Grant. In fact Garson Kanin directed both of them in My Favorite Wife a few years earlier. Coburn is his usual cantankerous old water buffalo of a boss who ultimately has a good heart.

Over 21 was an optimistic picture which sad to say wasn't accurate about what the Allies and I mean all of them could bring to the peace conferences to create a better world. Still hopefully a new generation will get it right.

It is well known that Irene Dunne could sing somewhat more than a little. And I think her talent as a comedienne can only be really understood once one has struggled through a sonata by Haydn or a song by Debussy and made a success of it. Her instrument is her voice and her handling of it is pure musicianship. She could tackle any part. The only thing she couldn't do was to not make a success of it. This film is a perfect example. In it, she channels Ruth Gordon (because the play is the thing), is feminine, charming, willful and self-effacing, generous, protective and combative but never pretentious. She manages to stay as believable as Alexander Knox is in another difficult role he assumes with aplomb. The viewer gets to believe in what he is seeing and to care for it. It is refreshing to see a film that is both entertaining and intellectually challenging while pushing all the right patriotic buttons. I sincerely hope the entire Dunne oeuvre makes it to DVD one day because it's really hard to keep a secret like that among just a few initiates.

This American film has all the elements of the talked about, but little known "Flag Waver". While films like "Tender Comrade" and "Days of Glory" have become well known, this one has languished in obscurity. It is a lot less dramatic, but the illustrations of life stateside in wartime were revealing. Rationing, overcrowding, and folks pulling together to achieve a better life are well depicted. I can watch any movie with Irene Dunne, even if it is otherwise unremarkable.