Casanova le petit

Plot-- On the day before his wedding, Casanova Brown (Cooper) finds out he may be a father from his first marriage (Wright) that's since been annulled. So he rushes off to Chicago to get the facts, leaving his newly intended waiting at the altar. Now, what will he do since first wife wants to put the baby up for adoption and he definitely doesn't. And what will the girls and their families do now that Brown is running amok.

The comedy starts off with a bang thanks to animated old grouch Frank Morgan. His scenes with a floundering Casanova are little gems of contrasting style. Then there's Patricia Collinge and her astrology book that may keep you from looking at the stars ever again. And how about Casanova's laugh-filled battle with a lit cigarette he's not supposed to be smoking in the stuffy Drury house. Let's see, no ashtray ended up costing the inhospitable Drury's a bundle. There's a lesson there, but I'm not sure what. But then, once the baby arrives in the last third, things start to get smarmy and the chuckles subside.

The usually staid Cooper manages a pretty good comedic turn without overdoing it, even though the floudering fatherhood bit puts him to the test. And was there ever a sweeter looking ingénue than Wright. However, making her a mother at what appears a sweet-sixteen is a stretch, particularly when pairing her with Cooper at 43. Nevertheless, what a colorful supporting cast that director Wood uses to blend into the amusement, from Morgan to Treen to a gum chewing Parnell.

All in all, it's an episodic comedy with a touchy 1940's subtext about sex even if it is within the bonds of marriage. Note how totally Casanova's intimacy with first wife (Wright) is elided even though it's an important plot point. But maybe most unusual of all is the macho Cooper as he's seldom seen.

Enchanting, wittily written screwball comedy about a supposed bachelor, on the eve of his wedding, who discovers he may have fathered a child by a previous marriage that only lasted a week or so. His prospective father-in-law (Morgan), eager to rescue him from any marriage, encourages him to investigate. When he discovers his young divorcee plans to give the baby up for adoption (or pretends to), he kidnaps the infant and tries to raise it with the help of a small hotel's staff. Of course, much comedy ensues. The story is handled well and the humor light and effective, but Wright's character is not well drawn and her relationship with Cooper seems a bit forced. Cooper is well developed and the comic situations are amusing.

For a lighthearted comedy as described, the subjects are quite serious, a man sees his short intense relationship with his fiancée end very suddenly because the introduction to his future mother-in-law does not exactly go smoothly, to put it mildly.

That is a kind of flashback by the way because in the meantime he already has a new relationship, one in which he is going to get married tomorrow.

But when he finds out that his ex has just given birth to a daughter and that she wants to give the child up for adoption, he more or less kidnaps the child.

His current girlfriend is very easily pushed aside as filler and that results in a strangely unbalanced film, it is also strange to see how fathers then were already seen at that time as people who actually had little right to their child while mothers were already considered to be the rightful owners for the upbringing .

Casanova Brown (1944) : Brief Review -

Stars, fate, a baby, parenthood, and a love story sum up Sam Wood's typical romantic comedy. Wood's old films have been genuinely hilarious, keeping you grinning the entire time. With Casanova Brown, he delves more into romantic elements than actual comedy. This film is cute but less funny. It's a solid story, wrapped up too soon, yet it still presents a typically fine love story. There have been a couple of versions of the same narrative already, making it feel dated and repetitive. The film features a man who, on the verge of getting married, receives a letter about his baby from a previous lover. He goes to the hospital to investigate the matter, and when he sees the baby, he is completely bowled over. His ex-lover informs him about giving away the child, which makes him furious, leading him to steal his daughter and run away to secure legal custody. At the hotel, as he tries to feed the baby, both his ex-lover and his soon-to-be wife come to confront him while he tries to ditch them and keep the baby. Will he succeed? Although a 90-minute film, the baby portion is brief, which is why the film seems short. It could have focused more on the baby than the marriage and star elements to keep it warm and funny. Gary Cooper was fine in the leading role, while Teresa Wright looked too gorgeous to be his lover. They looked so cute with the baby in the last scene, especially with that patting action. Anita Louise had too little time to make an impact, and Frank Morgan was good in his role. Mary Treen shines in the marriage proposal scene. Overall, a decent to fine, one-time watch flick showcasing Sam Wood's steady hands at work. I wish there were more to the story, some more substance, which would have made it grand. Nevertheless, a good attempt at a typical '40s rom-com.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Casanova Brown (1944)

A not-so-screwball comedy, but a comedy, based on the solid writing of Nunnally Johnson. The idea is a really 1940s one: can a man raise a baby? Throw in a leading man who is so thrown by his dilemma he marries or almost marries three women (all in the same room at one point), and so on and so on.

Cary Cooper is the superstar, and he's his usual likable but slightly dull (restrained) self, and he might not be the best for the role, but in a way that's the point, that the man is clumsy and awkward about anything maternal. The cast around him is terrific, including Frank Morgan (who was the wizard in The Wizard of Oz). And the third star, Teresa Wright, is her predictably sweet and perky self, once she arrives on the scene.

It's a zany plot, for sure, and if it drags a little sometimes, or is just a bit corny, that's part of it. The convergence of the various people who are at odds with each other without knowing it is almost inevitable, but when it happens it clicks. And Frank Morgan is key, more than anyone. The photography might not seem to matter in a film that is so plot heavy, and so insane, but in fact the cinematography by John Seitz is really superb, and helps make the thing hold together.

If you watch the first twenty minutes you'll know whether to watch the rest. I really think some people will find this too old fashioned in its humor, and a little to contrived and silly, too. But others will be glad for the non-stop absurdity, for the nice filming, and for the almost surreal strangeness of events.