L'ange impur

James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan made four films together, the most she had with any leading man. In fact Stewart's career was given a considerable boost when Sullavan requested him in the lead of their first film, Next Time We Love. Sullavan had been married to Henry Fonda, Stewart fellow Princeton alumnus from the Triangle Club and Fonda and Stewart were a pair of starving New York actors back in the day.

The film is a sweet romantic story about a young soldier who quite accidentally comes between a Broadway actress and her playboy boyfriend. The story had been previously filmed at Paramount earlier during the last dying days of the silent screen with Gary Cooper, Nancy Carroll, and Paul Lukas in the roles that Stewart, Sullavan, and Walter Pidgeon play here.

Stewart is just perfect as the earnest young private from Texas who Sullavan while using Pidgeon's car as transportation, knocks down in a New York City street. One thing leads to another and Sullavan finds she's got two men on her hands. What to do.

As in all films in Hollywood of 1938 it all gets resolved in a poetic, but tragic way. The leads are cast quite perfectly. I'm surprised this film has not been made again. Hattie McDaniel is in this one also as Sullavan's maid of course. I doubt today though that there would be a Hattie McDaniel type role in it.

There's no doubt that THE SHOPWORN ANGEL uses a plot that has been used countless times in movies and books over the years. It's the story of a selfish actress (MARGARET SULLAVAN) suddenly succumbing to the country boy charm of a soldier (JAMES STEWART) who is about to be sent overseas in WWII. Meanwhile, she has her agent WALTER PIDGEON, whom she depends upon for emotional support and love. Surely, there is nothing new about the bare outline of the plot.

But what works in the story's favor is the simplicity and charm of the three leads. Sullavan is more radiant than usual as a glamorous actress rather than the drab little wren she usually played and she plays her part in a refreshing manner that is almost able to overcome the idea that she should suddenly turn so noble. Despite this flaw in the characterization, it's a very winning performance that she gives.

Likewise, JAMES STEWART does wonders with a thinly devised role of the country bumpkin who falls impetuously in love with an actress, even to the point of asking her to marry him before he goes overseas. At this point, the plot's outcome becomes telegraphed because we know this is a Margaret Sullavan film and tearful romantic dramas have been her specialty. Thus, the ending becomes a forgone conclusion.

WALTER PIDGEON is her kindly suitor who has the wisdom to make the best of a situation he's not exactly comfortable with. He anchors the story with his sensitive performance as the man who can always be depended on to give the heroine the emotional support she needs. He's also got an abundant sense of humor that the story needs.

It's a trifle of a film, but beautifully acted and given a lift by the winsome performances of its three leads, moving at a brisk pace to the Hollywood ending. HATTIE McDANIEL is her usual delightful self as Miss Sullvan's down-to-earth maid.

I know I am going to sound really picky here, but the hairstyles and clothes are 1938--not WWI like the movie is supposed to be (other than uniforms). You'd think that MGM would pay attention to this detail, as it was THE top studio at the time. Yet, oddly, nearly everyone (especially the women) wear clothes that just would never have been worn in 1917--and hair to boot. And, when the folks were riding the roller coaster, they almost all had hats on--and none of them flew off! As a retired history teacher, I notice these things and felt the movie didn't try very hard to get these simple details right. So is the rest of the film worth seeing? Well, considering that it's got Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, what do you think?!

The film is a sweet romance. Stewart is a backward country boy who, unlike all his other friends in the army, does not have a girlfriend and is very awkward around women. So, to stop them from making fun of him, on an impulse, he pretends that an actress (Sullavan) is his girlfriend. Oddly, she feels sorry for him and agrees to the ruse. However, over time, this jaded lady comes to life when she's with Stewart and eventually they fall in love for real. Where it goes next, I won't say--but I was very surprised where the film went. Some may hate the surprise but I appreciated how the writer avoided the clichéd or simple ending.

Well worth seeing despite some poor attention to details. Exceptionally acted (it doesn't get much better) and a dynamite script. See this one.

When the United States enters World War I, patriotic Texan Jimmy Stewart (as William "Bill" Pettigrew) is among those to sign up for service. In New York for basic training, Mr. Stewart is bowled over by showgirl Margaret Sullavan (as Daisy Heath), but she is promised to distinguished Walter Pidgeon (as Sam Bailey). With Mr. Pidgeon's okay, Ms. Sullavan shows young Stewart around the city, including the roller-coaster at Coney Island. They're supposed to be "just friends" but Stewart is falling in love…

This was a direct re-make of the 1928 silent/sound success starring Nancy Carroll and Gary Cooper, and there were dozens of films with this romantic wartime love triangle. Most of the time, the male characters had different outcomes. The story is strained in places and diluted from the original, but the picture is nicely produced and performed well. The Stewart/Sullavan chemistry is easy to appreciate. A new Broadway musical sensation known as Mary Martin provides Sullavan with a beautiful singing voice.

****** The Shopworn Angel (7/15/38) H.C. Potter ~ Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Walter Pidgeon, Hattie McDaniel

The Waldo Salt screenplay takes a small story and develops it into an affecting portrait of three surprisingly convincing and complex human characters, all of whom transcend the typical dramatic constraints of late '30s Hollywood. All three principals turn in excellent, low-key performances in perfect keeping with the film's narrative strengths. I find it particularly interesting to compare this with the other bookend to Salt's screenwriting career, Coming Home, also a character-driven story that revolves around the complex, three-way relationship between a woman and the two men who love her in a time of war.