Bedtime Story

All the previous commenters are right: you'll find some things to like here. Exactly which things they are will depend on what you're hoping for. I think Fredric March is terrific as Luke, for the same reason other folks didn't enjoy him so much -- he's not what you're expecting, perhaps because his buttoned-down good looks make a great foil for his deviousness. Here, in mid-career, March's role is the kind Harrison Ford occasionally takes to lighten up. Benchley's Benchley (that's a plus) and Eve Arden has a great turn as an actress who must absorb withering directorial scorn for no good reason. Loretta Young is where this potentially fizzy movie goes flat in spots. She's ladylike to a fault.

After I saw this movie on TCM I decided it must've been written as a Powell-Loy vehicle -- theirs is the kind of chemistry that would've put more zip in this script. But March's performance is a treat.

Whatever you may think about this movie as it goes along, most will agree that the ending is absolutely hilarious -- Fredric March working his one-man phone bank from the lobby directing havoc to his wife's room. I personally don't see any good reason to compare this one with others that may be similar or with actors who have routinely made this type of film. This is a standalone film these actors made and I think they did it well. Fredric March is always a good actor, and he was convincing with what he had to do here. His earnest straight face in itself was more than amusing as he performed his chicanery throughout. Loretta Young is always beautiful, extremely well costumed and generally ladylike and can be enjoyed for those reasons. Additionally, unless prejudiced, one would have to admit that, despite her very strong beauty, she is a more than competent actress. She's the first to receive both an Oscar and an Emmy, with many, many other acting awards along the way of her extensive career. During that span, she has played a wide variety of characters and types. She especially enjoyed her long-running television program because she could vary her roles. This is a good movie.

I was looking at the Citadel Film series book The Films of Fredric March while watching Bedtime Story and the author there makes the point that this seemed to be something that might have been originally designed for Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. That might be the case, but I doubt even those two could have done as good a job as Fredric March and Loretta Young did in this film.

March and Young both knew how to play comedy and well, despite both of them primarily known for drama. With something like Nothing Sacred among March's best films who would doubt that? As for Loretta, she's every bit as sparkling as Irene Dunne at her best.

To make the analogy complete, there's even a Ralph Bellamy part in this film, ably done by Allyn Joslyn. In fact in many ways Joslyn's the best thing in the film.

The lead characters seem to me to be based on that noted theatrical couple, playwright Charles MacArthur and actress Helen Hayes. The film begins with Loretta Young taking a curtain call and giving a farewell to the theater. She and her hubby want to settle down and enjoy life. But Loretta should have suspected something when March wasn't around to take the bow with her.

Good reason because that isn't March's idea at all. In fact he's written a new play for his wife, but she wants nothing to do with it. She's made her mind up and that breaks them apart. And good old Allyn Joslyn, stuffy banker in the Ralph Bellamy tradition, is ready on the rebound. He catches her all right, but the game isn't over, not from March's point of view.

Bedtime Story starts out a little slow, but really makes up for it in the end. That final scene as the newly married Joslyn and Young are trying to get down to business is absolutely hysterical. The situations are funny enough, but Joslyn's reactions are what really put it over. It's something borrowed from A Night At The Opera.

In fact I spotted elements from The Awful Truth, His Girl Friday, and Twentieth Century as well as the Marx Brothers classic. And producer B.P. Schulberg and director Alexander Hall make it all work.

Rounding out the cast in familiar type cast parts are Helen Westley, Robert Benchley, Eve Arden, Joyce Compton and Grady Sutton. You just mention those names and any devoted film buff can tell you exactly what they played.

I'm surprised Bedtime Story isn't rated higher by fans of both leads. It's a real gem of a screwball comedy, don't miss it.

Bedtime Story (1941)

*** (out of 4)

Delightful and often times hysterical comedy about a playwrite (Fredric March) who will stop at nothing to get his actress wife (Loretta Young) out of retirement to star in his latest play. The story might be typical for this type of comedy but the incredible cast really makes this one of the most memorable films of its type. March is downright brilliant as the obsessed writer who puts his play over his wife. March keeps his serious tone throughout the film but the way he makes it a tad bit lighter than we typically see just shows what a great actor he was. Young is also perfect in her role, which requires her to be funny and even dramatic during a few scenes. The chemistry between March and Young is wonderful and they make for a terrific duo. Robert Benchley, Allyn Joslyn and Helen Westley add great support and make the film even more funny. The film ends on a hysterical note as a riot breaks out in a motel room, which features just about everything you could imagine.

I caught this on Turner Classic Movies, at a time when most of the truly different and interesting films are shown: in the middle of the night. This movie is about as good a light comedy as you'll ever see. The writing is exceptional, keeping the pace flowing and featuring often sparkling dialog. The acting is superb. Loretta Young again shows her broad dimensions as an actress, here being sophisticated, worldly, and wise. Not the farmer's daughter. Frederic March is perfect as the actor-playwright who is constantly devising plans to persuade his wife to end her retirement and star in his new play. And the character actors are just right, especially Eve Arden. Even Robert Benchley fits in well here. The director deserved an Academy Award for his flawless control of the story. In short, this is a delightful film that adults won't want to miss. In a just world, this would out in DVD.